'Innovation you can touch' are the words that greet visitors to the 3M Touch Systems website. If the global company, originally founded in the US, continues to push the industry forward at its current rate then it may prove tricky just to keep up
3M only debuted the dispersive signal technology, which allows four players to play a single machine, earlier this year and already it is unveiling another technological advancement.
The SID display week that took place last month saw 3M unveil the Multi-Touch Developer Kit, which can track 10 individual fingers through standard flick and scale motions from a player’s hands.
"We are entering a significant era for touchscreen with the emergence of multi-touch and multi-sensory gaming," 3M’s European marketing operations manager, Paulo Pedrazzoli, told InterGame.
The Multi-Touch Developer Kit features a 19ins wide-aspect ratio LCD-display with less than 15 milliseconds touch response that will give developers and consumers greater control.
3M first entered the world of touchscreen technology when it acquired MicroTouch Systems and Dynapro in 2001. Putting an extensive portfolio to good use, 3M could draw upon decades of expertise in touchscreen technology to become a significant figure in the industry.
At the heart of 3M’s work has been the Surface Capacitive Touchscreen technology. Originally developed by MicroTouch in the mid-1980s, SCT has continually evolved.
The latest incarnations are the SCT3250EX, which offers increased surface durability and optical transmission in 5.7ins to 12.1ins LCD displays, and the SCT7650EX, which features higher durability and improved safety by reducing the risk of glass breakage.
For developers, advances in touchscreen technology have given greater freedom in design, something that Pedrazzoli is keen to stress: "Replacing mechanical buttons with virtual controls on a screen gives system integrators complete freedom over the user interface design, while avoiding the mechanical reliability issues associated with traditional input devices.
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"AWP, SWP and casino slot machines have all benefited in an industry that is continually demanding more in optical clarity through the improvements that have been made in graphics.
"Today’s computer based gaming platforms, combined with intuitive touchscreen technologies, provide a foundation to develop a new dimension of play."
Pedrazzoli is also well aware of the demands that users place on the technology, "Computer graphics and multiplayer networking have opened up exciting new avenues, but human nature guarantees that the attraction will fade if more compelling creative directions are not introduced quickly. It is certain to dramatically increase market expectations."
Tactile feedback has also become a buzzword within the halls of 3M’s offices since the company debuted its Capacitive TouchSense System at G2E 2008 in Las Vegas.
The opportunities offered by this latest development are cause for much excitement for Perdazzoli: "Gaming machines will be able to convey a variety of touch sensations to the user’s fingertips ranging from simple clicks and variations in resistance to communicating dynamic effects such as pulses or vibrations.
"These functionalities will hold appeal for all demographic groups, from seasoned players to youngsters who have grown up with the delights and opportunities accompanying pervasive technology."
With these latest developments Pedrazzoli can see no bounds to where the technology may lead. "It will ultimately encompass all gaming and entertainment experiences. It promises to be much more then just technology ‘you can touch’."
