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.
Tongue-in-Cheek HeadlinePosted on: 07-13-10 | By: R. Colin JohnsonYes, the headline is tongue-in-cheek--I don't expect most people to make personal use of 52-inch touch screens. Mainly they will be used in kiosks, such as to automate that map which tells you where things are in the mall. However, I said the same thing about display projectors, but I know more than one programmer who the uses the wall-sized displays while writing code--claiming they can "see bugs" better. So even though its designed for business, don't rule out giant touchscreens for personal use!
A user comment on this articlePosted on: 07-13-10 | By: AnonymousWould be great for businesses, but seems kind of silly for personal use...
