Thin Film Turns Any Surface Into a Touchscreen

Turning your monitor into a touchscreen could some day be as simple as peel … and stick.

Displax, a Portugal-based company, promises to turn any surface — flat or curved — into a touch-sensitive display. The company has created a thinner-than-paper polymer film that can be stuck on glass, plastic or wood to turn it into an interactive input device.

“It is extremely powerful, precise and versatile,” says Miguel Fonseca, chief business officer at Displax. “You can use our film with on top of anything including E Ink, OLED and LCD displays.”

Displax’ latest technology works on both opaque and transparent surfaces. The films have a 98 percent transparency

A grid of nanowires are embedded in the thin polymer film that is just about 100 microns thick. A microcontroller processes the multiple input signals it receives from the grid.

Displax says the first screens featuring its multitouch technology will start shipping in July.Read more at www.wired.com