Startup company Touchco has developed a new multi-touch interface based on IFSR (Interpolating Force-Sensitive Resistance) technology. The new touch surface, which comes in a number of flexible shapes and sizes, adds a number of extra degrees of control that hasn’t been possible with the usual resistive or capacitive touch surfaces by adding an unlimited number of touch points for multi-touch controls and pressure sensitivity. Could it be the next big thing? (or at the very least, could it be the interface-of-choice on the next big thing?) Its flexibility just might make it so.
A few demo videos have been released to show some of the IFSR tech’s capabilities, but more concrete uses and applications should find their way to the mainstream if ever the new technology gets picked up by the big brands. Just like how Apple’s multi-touch surfaces and gesture-based interface found its way into the mainstream through iPhones, this new tech looks very promising.
The surface, as it’s been shown on Touchco’s demos, is pretty flexible; it can be available in a number of sizes, it’s not limited to flat surfaces, and it can also be built as a transparent panel for use on touchscreen devices. The second demo (below) shows how IFSR can be used for intuitively manipulating 3D objects and moving through 3D spaces using gestures and fingertip pressure—which is interesting in itself; could this be our first glimpse into the future of 3D gaming? Or at the very least, it could provide for new ways to play games like Guitar Hero by slapping IFSR surfaces over a guitar-shaped frame.
Probably the best part of it all is that IFSR is relatively cheap (currently costing $10 per square foot). We should start seeing the first IFSR-based devices released within the year: Touchco has been working with Disney animators on a digital sketchbook that uses the pressure sensors to determine pencil points, brushes, or fingers.
More demo videos for IFSR tech can be viewed on Touchco’s YouTube channel.
