Specifications

5
Section 1. A Glance at Touch
Why Touch Technology?
In the past, most computers resided in
laboratories and were operated by trained
professionals. Now computers are used
everywhere, from train stations to fast
food restaurants, and used by people from
all walks of life. Children use computers.
Grandparents use computers. Even ani-
mals, like dolphins at a research facility in
Maui, use computers. Evolving from the
bulky desktop computer and its assorted
peripheral hardware, today’s computers
come in all differ-
ent shapes and
sizes. Devices
such as touch
screens and sin-
gle-board comput-
ers have made it
possible to mount
computers in
places that were
previously
unthinkable, like
in gas pumps or
shopping carts. (Imagine a consumer
using a mouse with the computerized
shopping cart, or a keyboard attached to
the gas pump!) Touch input devices fit
discreetly over any size display and
occupy no additional space, making them
perfectly suited to the current trends in
computers.
It is not only computers that have
evolved over time, but the perception of
them by the general public as well. From
what started as a widespread fear of com-
puters has now emerged widespread com-
puter savvy - a world of employers,
consumers, and students that consider
computers to be a normal part of daily life
and expect them to be fast and easy to use.
It is this trend that has made touch technol-
ogy more popular than ever. Not only will
touch input devices work in installations
where no other form of input is practical,
but the use of graphical icons and images
that is typical in
touch applications
results in a system
that anyone can
look at and use
immediately - with
no learning curve or
complicated
instructions to fol-
low.
There simply is
no easier way to
access a computer
than touching it. It is natural and intuitive
for people all over the world to point to an
object, transcending the barriers of lan-
guage and culture that may be encountered
with other input devices.