Spray-On Touch Controls: Make Everything A Touch Interface

_Source

At first I thought this was just a joke but it seems to be very real in deed. By using a technique called "Electric Field Tomography" researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have found a way to add touch controls to any kind of object or surface just by attaching some electrodes to it. The surface has to be conductive for this to work but if it isn't, a conductive coating can simply be sprayed onto it.

Here is how it works:
A small current is applied to the surface through two electrodes, creating an electric field throughout the surface. If you now touch this area with your finger (or any other grounded conductive object) you cause changes in this electric field which then can be measured by additional electrodes to determine the exact position of you finger.

^{Figure 1. Left: we insert current from one pair of electrodes and measure voltage from other pairs. Center: A mesh of cross sectional measurements. Right: A reconstructed 2D touch-sensing image. Blue indicates low current density.
Source}

This is very much the same principle used in the capacitive touchscreens we know. However, those touchscreens are quite expensive and limited in size and form. Unlike this new technology, which does not only work on small and flat surfaces but on any object, no matter how big or complex it is. You could make your coffee table or an entire wall in your living room touch sensitive to control your smart home or you could open your front door by drawing a pattern on it with your finger just like you do to unlock your smartphone. There are certainly very many possible use cases. But see for yourself:

Electrick: Low-Cost Touch Sensing Using Electric Field Tomography

Electrick is a low-cost and versatile sensing technique that enables touch input on a wide variety of objects and surfaces, whether small or large, flat or irregular. This is achieved by using electric field tomography in concert with an electrically conductive material, which can be easily and cheaply added to objects and surfaces. We show that our technique is compatible with commonplace manufacturing methods, such as spray/brush coating, vacuum forming, and casting/molding – enabling a wide range of possible uses and outputs. Published at CHI 2017.
_{Future Interfaces Group - Electrick (2017)}

^{If you want to go deeper into the technical details}
Read the Paper

Also check out the Future Interfaces Group's website to see more interesting and innovative interface concepts.

---

I first thought this was brand new as tech insider has only just published this video. It turns out the paper was already released back in May this year... However, this certainly doesn't make it any less impressive. :)

---

Technology/Science/Future
Nature/Environment/Sustainability
Creativity/Programming

^{shared and original content}
about me

---

_{Check this out:}
Steemit On Your Website