14 DAY TRIAL // Touchpads are something we are all accustomed with. Each notebook has a touchpad which helps the user control the machine by moving the mouse cursor on the screen without the need of an actual mouse. Although it is not as efficient as the “real thing”, any touchpad has a lot of advantages, one of them being the fact that it takes very little space and comes built-in. The latest advances in the industry allow Alps Electric to present a revolutionizing touchpad, one that allows users to move the cursor without actually touching the device with their fingers.
This may sound strange to some, yet the new device presented by Alps Electrics eliminates the actual contact between it and users' fingers. The new pad is able to register any finger move within 3cm from it, allowing full control over applications and Internet navigation through simple hand gestures. The company demonstrated the new touchpad and showed the attendees how a movie can be started through a simple back and forth move of the hand over the pad, and how users can go fast-forward and rewind with a simple twist of the hand clockwise and counter-clockwise.
“Enabling to operate a device without touching it, the technology is expected to be used in a place where hands get too dirty to operate a device. Also, because the sensor can be embedded in a device, it allows greater flexibility in design of devices. The schedule for commercialization has yet to be decided.”
The truth is that it sounds much better and futuristic than the touchpads we've grown accustomed with. The “Non-Contact Touchpad” doesn't offer much accuracy at this time, yet the technology will be refined for sure in the near future. Although the company didn't give a launch date, it shouldn't be long before we get to see notebooks featuring the new technology.
