All your touchscreens are belong to us

Visual Planet from Cambridge think that the future lies in touchscreen display – on just about anywhere and every where, as the company is currently developing a project that is said to turn virtually any surface into a touchscreen. This will be made possible thanks to the thin multitouch film drivers which can be applied in massive installations, paving the way for touchscreens that will be able to hit 167″ in size at most.

This touchfoil technology is based on a transparent nanowire that can sense finger touches and is sensitive enough to pick up pressure from the wind. This will allow it to function just nicely on non-conductive surfaces, including glass and wood – just make sure the latter has no splinters that will prick your finger.

Imagine using this just about anywhere – but those who have watched Contagion might feel that having less places for folks to touch in public would be better. Perhaps that is why ATMs still feature buttons and have not made the jump to the world of a full touchscreen display?