来自纽约大学的科学家已成立一家公司，要将一种使用新技术的弹性多点触控萤幕推向一系列装置，从电子阅读器到乐器。这种新触控萤幕能回应各种物体，包括手指与双手。
该团队，由来自Media Research Laboratory 的Ken Perlin 与Ilya Rosenberg 所领导，成立他们的公司「Touchco」来开发IFSR (interpolating force-sensitive resistance，内插式力感应电阻) 技术，那使用对施加在触控点上之力或压力敏感的电阻器。这，除了扫描技术与位置内插之外，（在理论上）允许无数量限制的同时触碰输入（对照其他触控技术，例如iPhone 所使用的电容式触控萤幕，那只能追踪数量有限的触碰点）。它耗电量低且价格便宜，因为Touchco 预计要以每平方英尺10 美元的价格来贩售萤幕材料。这种技术能轻易缩放以用于小型或大型装置中。
英文原文如下：
New multi-touch screen technology developed (w/ Video)
The team, led by Ken Perlin and Ilya Rosenberg from the Media Research Laboratory, formed their company Touchco to develop IFSR (interpolating force-sensitive resistance) technology, which uses resistors sensitive to the force or pressure applied to touch points. This, along with scanning technology and positional interpolation, allows for (theoretically) unlimited simultaneous touch inputs (in contrast to other touch technologies such as the capacitive touch screen used by iPhone, which can track limited touch points). It has low power requirements and is inexpensive, since Touchco expects to sell the screen material at $10 per square foot. The technology is easily scalable for use in small or large devices.
Perlin said that the IFSR technology is likely to appear in a new range of e-readers later this year, and will also be used in laptops or notebooks, and new types of musical instruments. In computer applications the touch pads allow the user to control the cursor with a light touch, but to select and manipulate objects when more pressure is applied.
The company has also been collaborating with Disney to develop a digital sketchbook that will use sensitive pressure sensors capable of differentiating between the touch of a hand, a pencil, brush or eraser. Drawing pictures is just one of many possible applications of the technology.
The touch pads consist of layers of FSR ink sandwiched between opaque or transparent sheets of plastic onto which conductive wires are printed. The total thickness is only 0.25 mm. When pressure is applied to an FSR sensor a current flows from the wires in one layer to the wires in the other layer, and the pressure applied is determined by the amount of electric current flowing from layer to layer. Arranging sensors in a grid would have been expensive and impractical, so Touchco developed scanners to measure the touches and determine their positions. Resolution is 254 µm (100 dpi), but this can be increased by decreasing the wire spacing.
Touchco has already begun selling developer kits to device manufacturers and expects to see IFSR technology finding many applications during 2010.
