Microsoft acquires Perceptive Pixel
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Tue 10th Jul 2012 01:24 UTC
Microsoft "Microsoft and Perceptive Pixel Inc. (PPI) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Microsoft will acquire PPI, a recognized leader in research, development and production of large-scale, multi-touch display solutions." Yes, Jeff Han is now a Microsoft employee. This demo still amazes me - from 2006. Before the iPhone. Before Android. Before the iPad. Remember that the next time you wind up in a discussion about who supposedly invented what.
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RE[2]: I built one too!
by phti on Tue 10th Jul 2012 14:25 UTC in reply to "RE: I built one too!"
phti
Member since:
2012-06-02

well, that might have worked in a lab, but think about real life: noise interferences and all the problems that a "cheap piezo" would have when exposed to daily heavy usage.
capacitive sensing is not at all unreliable, just take a look at how well it works on an ipad or similar devices. by now it's the best technology we came up with for touch surfaces. too bad it's still expensive and not usable on large surfaces.

Reply Parent Score: 1

RE[3]: I built one too!
by Neolander on Tue 10th Jul 2012 15:32 in reply to "RE[2]: I built one too!"
Neolander Member since:
2010-03-08

I've already discussed the issue of noise in another reply, so I'll just explain what makes capacitive touchscreens so unreliable as compared to all other touchscreen techs : their sensitivity to water. If your screen becomes humid for any reason (rain, sweat, freshly washed hands...), the device will start become unresponsive or register false positives in a matter of minutes. Since when do we build mobile devices that can't stand a few drops of one of the most widespread chemicals of planet Earth ?

And there is a reason why the tech is so expensive and sensitive to external perturbations too : it requires ridiculously complex hardware by its very nature. As if resistive touchscreens and their need for fine-tuned mechanical properties weren't complicated enough, the best which hardware engineers could come up with as a successor was a fine mesh of transparent electrodes stuck in the tiny space between a LCD and a protective plate, following the tiny capacitance difference induced by the presence or absence of a human finger milimeters away while shielding itself from its direct electromagnetic environment somehow ? Honestly, if they just wanted to come up with something bizarre enough that it would create tons of jobs in R&D and stimulate the economy, they could have stated the goal right away...

Edited 2012-07-10 15:35 UTC

Reply Parent Score: 2