TECHNOLOGY FOR CHANGE

Is Your iPad Too Small? How About 52 Inches?

R. Colin Johnson | Date: 07-13-10 | Comments

NextWindow is hawking giant touch-screen displays for kiosks and other commercial settings that use a novel optical technology that can be added onto any large-screen display. Look for giant interactive displays to begin appearing in a mall near you by Christmas.

If you feel confined by those dinky interactive touch screens that have become so popular today, then NextWindow has the answer for you�retrofit kits for nearly any large-screen display. Designed for system integrators, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original device manufacturers (ODMs), the NextWindow add-on optical touch-screen kit is available in a variety of sizes ranging up 52 inches and, by special order, up to 120 inches.

The technology used by NextWindow is an optical sensor system that uses passive illumination instead of an additional active layer on top of the screen. Any device thereby retains the full brightness of the original display while simultaneously improving reliability and lowering costs. The system also simplifies the assembly of interactive digital signage for kiosks, information directories and educational platforms.

NextWindow�s retrofit kits turn any large-screen display into a giant touch screen.

Key to the NextWindow system are two optical sensors mounted at two corners of the screen, usually at top. The sensors can locate any object close to the surface on the screen�such as your finger�by measuring how much it dims the optical signal emitted by invisible infrared light from LEDs or passive spectral reflection of ambient infrared. A microcontroller board determines location by triangulating the position of your finger, and then passes that information to the application using the protocols that are compatible with Microsoft Windows 7, including its multitouch functions such as zoom, rotate, tap, and press-and-tap.

Because the optical sensors react before your finger actual touches the screen, users report that the NextWindow system responds with a much lighter touch-and-feel than conventional touch-screen displays. Also, no surface treatments are needed over the displays, which can be covered with clear glass for easy cleaning. Scratches or other features on the surface of the display have no effect on its operation. NextWindow also claims that its touch-screen retrofit kits only need to be calibrated once and require no further adjustment during the lifetime of the display.

NextWindow claims all its models�which work with flat-panel displays from popular makers like HP, Sony and Dell�offer performance that equals or exceeds those offered by traditional resistive or capacitive screen overlays, but at a lower price point and simpler retrofitting method. The company also claims that algorithms in it microcontroller solve problems associated with glare from ambient light and other effects that had previously limited the usefulness of previous-generation optical designs from other manufacturers.

The new model 2500 Large-Format Optical Sensor Kit includes everything needed to assemble a touch screen atop a large-screen display as large as 52 inches, including the optical sensors, microcontroller, passive border and device driver. Systems can also be purchased fully assembled on screens up to 120 inches by special order.