How Does Touch Screen Work?

Factual Questions
1

This is a multi-part question: How does touch screen work? Why do some touch screen interfaces only recognize a (warm-blooded) human touch; yet, others will recognize a stylus? What programming language(s) is/are used to make touch-screen interfaces? And, what is the typical command to tell a program to wait for a touch-screen input, something like READ$ I wager?

Please tell all.

Thanks,

  • Jinx
2

There’s a bunch of different kinds.

-FrL-

3

Touchscreen

Touchscreen’s can operate using:
Changes in Electronic Resistance
Surface acoustic wave
Capacitive
Infrared
Strain gauge
Optical imaging
Dispersive signal technology
Acoustic pulse recognition
Frustrated Total Internal Reflection
Diffused Laser Imaging

4

Generally, the same programming languages used to write any other GUI program.

If you’re trying to write an event-driven touch-screen program in Apple ][ BASIC, you should keep directions to the nearest mental ward handy.

(See event-driven programming).

5

I have a WACOM laptop–how does that work? Wikipedia article doesn’t mention it.

6

If it’s anything like the WACOM tablets (does it require a stylus?) then it’s electromagnetic resonance.

I have a Intuos tablet at work and it’s pretty nifty, but I’d love to have one of their LCD tablets.