Touch screen

Etymology of the concept

Before moving forward with the definition of the concept, it is necessary to determine the etymological origin of the words that give it shape. Thus, we find the following:

• Screen could emanate from the Catalan screen , which is the result of a mixture between pampol and window .
• Tactile , for its part, comes from Latin. Specifically, tactilis , which can be translated as "related to touch."

It should be noted that screen is a notion with different uses. In this case we are interested in its meaning as the device used for the projection and visualization of images . Tactile , for its part, is the adjective that refers to what is linked to touch (an action associated with touching something with the fingers or hands).

Types of touch screens

As a general rule, we can say that there are two different types of touch screen:

• The capacitive ones , which are based on what are capacitive sensors and their structure is made up of two fundamental elements: a layer of electrical insulation and a transparent conductor.
• The resistive ones. These, as their name suggests, have the advantage that they are very resistant to both dust and humidity. To use them, both your finger and a pointer can be used.

What other differences are there between one type and another? The following:

• The resistive ones are thicker and have less brightness.
• Capacitive ones offer higher image quality.
• The resistive ones are on sale for a much cheaper price.
• Capacitive ones have the advantage that they are more receptive, that is, they are more "sensitive" to the touch of your fingers.
• Those that are based on the aforementioned sensors may have the multitouch option, which means that several fingers can be used at the same time. We must not forget either that, in the case of the pointer, they require a special one.