Technical Breakthroughs Lead to Industry’s Most Robust, Responsive, Stable Touchscreen

Rugged New IntelliTouch Ultra Line from Elo TouchSystems Resists Contaminants

For Release

November 13, 1995

Fremont, Calif.

The new IntelliTouch® Ultra touchsystem line introduced today at COMDEX by Elo TouchSystems, Inc. delivers to the industry the most stable and durable touchscreen available for point-of-information (POI) kiosk and gaming applications. The IntelliTouch Ultra touchscreen comprises two component breakthroughs. The first is a new, high-performance controller which maintains stability and provides high resistance to contaminants. It also responds to the fastest and lightest touch, and delivers the highest touch resolution in the industry—4096 x 4096 touchpoints, a ten-fold increase over previous touch systems. The second component is a new high-resolution, antiglare touchscreen that can be sealed against dirt, splashing liquid, and other contaminants.

“The IntelliTouch Ultra touchscreen provides performance that those of us in the industry have sought for years,” says Carmen Piucci, vice president of OEM Products Group at Dolch Computer, which subjected the IntelliTouch Ultra touchscreen to a rigorous review. “Our experience with the new touchscreen indicates that Elo TouchSystems now offers the most robust and reliable touchscreen on the market.”

Reliability in Tough Environments

Many of the benefits of the new IntelliTouch Ultra touchscreen derive from improved controller technology based on a proprietary surface-mount ASIC chip set, according to Jeffrey Asher, IntelliTouch marketing manager. For example, the IntelliTouch Ultra touchscreen immediately “reprograms” around contamination—including grease, dirt, bits of food, gum, and other substances—typically found in POI, kiosk, and gaming environments. New algorithms enable the touchscreen to identify the contaminant, map around it, and then respond immediately to the next touch.

Sealing capability further protects the IntelliTouch Ultra touchscreen from dust, liquids, and other external contaminants. In addition, the solid glass construction employed by Elo TouchSystems in all of its IntelliTouch touchscreens resists scratches and abrasion. Keys, rings, and other sharp objects can leave light or even invisible scratches on touchscreens, rendering some types useless. The IntelliTouch Ultra touchscreen is unaffected by such scratches and continues to operate even with deep scratches.

User Appeal: Light Touch, High Resolution

The new controller also responds accurately to the lightest touch. Response time has dropped to fewer than 10 milliseconds, approximately twice as fast as previous surface-wave touchscreens. To the user, response appears to be instantaneous.

In addition, the IntelliTouch Ultra offers 4096 x 4096 resolution, currently the highest available in the industry. This, coupled with the fact that no coatings impair the image, makes IntelliTouch Ultra touchscreens ideal for highly visual applications and for those incorporating multimedia technologies. The touchscreen transmits 92 percent light, delivering clear images.

“The superior optics attract users, while the quick response ensures satisfaction,” says Asher.

Stability

“Touchscreens are often a small component in an overall product design,” Asher notes. “However, an unstable touchscreen can bring the entire system down. Stability is therefore critical to any touchscreen application, and Elo has taken steps to deliver it.”

The IntelliTouch Ultra touchscreen is unaffected by external electro-magnetic fields. Touchscreens installed in corporate lobbies, shopping malls, and other public facilities are subject to electro-magnetic fields generated by power supplies, electrical power conduits, and other sources. Unlike other touchscreens, Elo touchscreen products do not become unstable under such conditions.

As with all IntelliTouch systems, Ultra touchscreen users get what they touch, every touch. Constant usage and environmental factors such as temperature and humidity can cause capacitive screens to lose calibration over time, resulting in “drift” between the screen image and the user’s touch. The IntelliTouch Ultra touchscreen maintains the screen-touch relationship over time, eliminating the need for recalibration to correct drift—thus reducing maintenance time and costs.

“For our customers, these features yield a robust and highly reliable touchscreen that can handle the long-term wear and tear that is inevitable with public use,” says Asher.

Complete Touch Solution for System Integrators

IntelliTouch Ultra touchscreens offer systems integrators a compact, easily installed solution for their touchsystem needs. The controller, which acts as a serial device, can be mounted either internally or externally. Its small size makes integration easier in a wide range of monitors.

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