Multi-touch pressure detection

From Yenra

Announced February 13, 2009, Stantum Technologies is demonstrating a unique new finger-pressure detection capability for PMatrix, a resistive multi-touch detection platform that lets users simultaneously move an unlimited number of fingers, fingernails or utensils (such as styli) on a screen.

The new feature can differentiate three distinct levels of pressure: soft, medium and hard. Depending on how strong the user touches the screen, the device is able to react differently. This allows implementation of safer and more sophisticated interactions with devices such as mobile phones, gaming consoles, digital cameras, computers, PDAs and PNDs. Sample applications include:

• a camera shutter: half pressure to engage autofocus, full pressure to take the picture;
• the trigger button of a game console's joypad: half pressure to aim, full pressure to shoot; and
• drag and drop: soft touch to select an item, medium touch to move it.

In addition, the finger-pressure detection feature significantly improves the comfort and reliability of typing on a touch screen by allowing the device to visualize which key the user is about to press before it is actually pressed.