What is Capacitive Touch?

Capacitive touch works using a capacitive touch screen panel. The touch panel is coated with a thin indium tin oxide material that conducts continuous electrical currents across a sensor like using your finger on a touch screen of an iPhone for example. The screen exudes a controlled electronic field in both a vertical and horizontal axis and therefore is capacitive. In order for the capacitive technology to function, it must be touched by something else that also exhibits electricity- like the human body. When a person’s finger touches a capacitive screen, it sends an electric current to then form a mathematical function which signals an action.

Capacitive touch technology has been around for decades but was considered too expensive and delicate to use in touch screen products like grocery store check out kiosks or toys. Now that recent attention has spotlighted the latest touch screen gadgets, capacitive sensors are starting to decline in price. The most common form of touch screen found all over from grocery store checkouts to bank monitors are called resistive touch screens. Resistive touch screens use a different, more durable technology that most of us often see and are affected by objects like a stylus pen or physical pressing onto a button which signals the resistive screen in a toy lets say. Now, thanks to the iPhone and fun products like the Microsoft coffee table with a capacitive touch screen, we are starting to see an increase in factory production of capacitive sensors, thus reducing the cost of capacitive touch technology.

Capacitive touch, although more expensive is on it’s way to surpassing resistive touch is a more durable and offers a better transmittance than the resistive touch technology. As previous touch screens on phones all had resistive touch inside them, beginning in 2007, a considerable amount of cell phones were created with capacitive touch. Cell phones are not the only gizmos with capacitive touch technology.  

Other Uses of Capacitive Touch

• Public Signage
• E-books
• Medical applications
• Touch screen monitors
• Touch pad keyboards

About the Author:Melissa Peterman is a web content specialist for Innuity. For more information about capacitive touch technology, go to CIRQUE.