How Omnitouch is Paving the Way for the Future of Touchscreen Tech

Touchscreen technology has come a long ways over the years, with manufacturers introducing new, more intuitive systems that allow for a greater range of real-world applications. But the industry continues to evolve with each passing year, with the newest touchscreen trend being a revolutionary new touch-display technology called Omnitouch. So, what exactly is Omnitouch and how does it work?

Originally developed by a team of a Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University researchers in 2011, Omnitouch is a new touchscreen technology that eliminates the need for an actual physical display. Instead of touching an electronic display, the operator touches a surface on which the display is projected. Omnitouch contains various cameras, sensors, and a projection system that allow the display to be projected on most flat and even surfaces. Whether it’s the wall, desk or even your arm (as shown in the photo to the right), it can be used to turn just about anything into a functional touchscreen interface.

For a better understanding of Omnitouch, picture this: an electronic device projects a colorful display on the wall featuring several digital buttons. When you touch one of these digital buttons, it triggers a command. Omnitouch is able to tell which button you touched because your finger creates a disturbance in the projection. Of course, this isn’t the first time that technology such as this has been used. Skinput and SixthSense both feature similar concepts in which touchcreen interfaces are projected onto different surfaces.

“With OmniTouch, we wanted to capitalize on the tremendous surface area the real world provides,” said Hrvoje Benko, one of the project’s lead researchers. “We see this work as an evolutionary step in a larger effort at Microsoft Research to investigate the unconventional use of touch and gesture in devices to extend our vision of ubiquitous computing even further. Being able to collaborate openly with academics and researchers like Chris on such work is critical to our organization’s ability to do great research — and to advancing the state of the art of computer user interfaces in general.”

So, when can you expect to see Omnitouch products available for sale on the market? Unfortunately, there’s still no word on an official release date, or even if the concept will be turned into a reality. In any case, the technology certainly looks promising, as it can be used in similar touchscreen devices.