“Why waste things rather use them to build something new” is the current scenario people are following today. In addition to this concept, the advancement in the technology is also an extra bonanza for the researchers. Considering all these thoughts, the researchers are always in a state of mind of developing something new for the betterment of life.
Recently, Chris Harrison, the Head of the Future Interfaces Group at Carnegie Mellon, has developed a new touchscreen-like surface using just a spray can and some defined algorithm coding. He is the brainchild behind this unique touchscreen invention.
Have you ever wished turning the walls, doors, back of your phone, or any other object present nearby you in the room into a touchscreen? Wouldn’t it be amazing? The researchers from the Carnegie Mellon University have brought this dream of yours to life using spray paint and some kind of software. They have named this technology “Electrick.” The technology works by using the algorithm to detect any kind of press by one’s finger that brings about any change in the flow of electricity on the conductive surface.
According to Chris, this is for the first time that a can of spray paint is used to put a touchscreen on anything. The Electrick relies on the shunting effect; that is, when a finger touches on the surface, a small amount of electric current is shunted to the surface. In short, the Electrick is based on the concept of running small electric currents sequentially through the electrodes in pairs and detecting any difference in the voltage if generated.
The touchscreen concept has been tested by the researchers on the objects like a steering wheel, guitar surface, a 4×8 foot sheet of drywall, and Jell-O mold of a brain. Though in terms of accuracy, the technology remains on a backseat but still the project has a lot of prospective in the future.
The basic reason behind this invention is to make the back of the smartphones interactive as well. Even though the start seems a little shaky, it is surely going to be very promising in the near future.
