Term
technologyConductive Material
Every material is conducting, it’s only a matter of how what potential difference has to be applied. Relativly high conductive materials like metals are often used as in touch screen surfaces because they can convert a finger’s movement into a computational function. In order to do so they have to be highly transparent and conductive while having minimal haze and reflection. The most commonly used conductive material due to its relatively high manufacturability, cost, performance is Indium Tin Oxide (ITO). However, as ITO and many other electrode materials are not compatible with bendable or flexible displays, alternatives are printed silver nanowires or NanoWeb®, a transparent, flexible, and durable metal electrode mesh film. It can be fabricated with almost any metal material and can be used in very large, curved and flexible touch screen devices also. Other research prototypes use for example conductive gel sandwiched between two silicon layers.
Examples
GelTouch: Localized Tactile Feedback Through Thin, Programmable Gel
GelTouch is a 2mm transparent gel-based layer that can transition between soft and 25 times stiffer providing tactile multi-touch feedback. When activated by applying heat (>32 C), it can be morphed freely and continuously, without being limited to fixed, predefined shapes. Activation techniques: 1) Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) as a heating element that enables tactile feedback through individually addressable taxels; 2) predefined tactile areas of engraved ITO, that can be layered and combined; 3) complex arrangements of resistance wire that create thin tactile edges. The prototype tablet contains 6x4 tactile areas, enabling a tactile numpad, slider, and thumbstick.