GSR Technology introduces its new highly reliable TOUCHLESS User Interface

10 July 2020

News

GSR Technology Europe Ltd introduces its new highly reliable TOUCHLESS User Interface. This can be achieved on a standard GSR Touchscreen, Monitor or Panel PC with NO external electrodes needed. By hovering their finger 5-6cm above the surface the user can interact using ‘airTouch’ and ‘airTap’ with the touchscreen in a hygienic way while seamlessly retaining the option to touch the surface if needed.

TOUCHLESS user interfaces have long been known about but the global COVID-19 pandemic has emphasised the importance of a TOUCHLESS UI. Typical areas where users are able to interact with a display without actually touching it are those where contamination should be be avoided and include:

  • A hospital operating theatre, patient monitoring equipment or patient registration terminals.
  • Touchscreen ordering in fast food outlets
  • Kiosks for purchasing rail tickets or checking in at airports
  • A meat processing factory or any food preparation facility

Most TOUCHLESS UIs rely on the use of a computer vision or IR “projector based” system combined with AI to determine the user’s intent in the Far-Field – these work well in situations where the user stands a short distance away from the system and uses simple gestures to interact.
There is also interest in a UI which lets the user interact at a more detailed and focused level in the Near-Field – as they would with a traditional capacitive touchscreen – but without actually contacting the surface of the screen. Capacitive touchscreens have always been able to detect the user’s finger but have never been sufficiently sensitive, are not able to measure uniformly across the surface or are not sufficiently reliable to build a successful UI for most applications or as an additional option to the traditional touch UI.

Our solution was designed from the ground up to meet the rigorous requirements of reliable ‘Hover’ and ‘Proximity’ measurements in challenging environments.

  • 80dB SNR to reliably detect and classify approaching finger position
  • No extra edge sensor electrodes – uses the standard touchscreen sensor, thus low system cost
  • Works through thick front lenses
  • Automatically discriminates between user Hovering and Touching
  • Recognises ‘airTouch’ and ‘airTap’ gestures for simple identification of user intent
  • Works within a defined air-Box outside touchscreen, thus avoiding longer distance issues that the more expensive IR and optical systems have
  • Tolerant of extreme EMC conditions
  • Ultra low emissions
  • Works with gloved hands
  • Cost effective – no additional hardware needed