New Hitachi Touchscreen Tech Could Make Gloves iPad-Compatible

Hitachi's latest capacitive touchscreen is getting next-gen iPad soothsayers excited, since the new panel offers all the multitouch benefits of the company's current models but also works through gloves and even with a plastic stylus. According to TechOn, the new projection-capacitive touchscreen allows everything from fingertip icon control, stylus handwriting input and winter use of gadgets without having to first shuck your gloves.

Hitachi say that, beyond the improvement in sensed materials, the specifications of the touch-panel are roughly in line with regular capacitive screens. Maximum size is currently 10-inches – though the company expects 3-4 inches to be most in demand, presumably for smartphones and touchscreen PMPs – and they can recognize two or three points of multitouch contact and use no more power than a regular model.

The main improvement, though, is accuracy. Hitachi says a 0.8mm stylus offers ±0.5mm coordinate sensing error, and is considerably smaller than the so-called capacitive stylus we've seen until now. Best of all, the new panel doesn't require a new controller IC, meaning upgrades should be more straightforward for manufacturers.

[via Patently Apple]