No one says, ‘please pass me your capacitive sensor to make a phone call,' nor do they say ‘the capacitive sensor on my laptop isn't working,' when referring to their built-in touch pad mouse. Even though we may use capacitive sensors on a daily basis, we don't call them by that name.

What are Capacitive Sensors All About? How do Capacitive Sensors Work? In order for the capacitive technology to function, it must be touched by something else that also exhibits electricity- like the human body. When a person's finger touches a capacitive screen, it sends an electric current to then form a mathematical function which signals an action. Capacitive touch works using a capacitive touch screen panel. The touch panel is coated with a thin indium tin oxide material that conducts continuous electrical currents across a sensor like using your finger on a touch screen of an iPhone for example. The screen exudes a controlled electronic field in both a vertical and horizontal axis and therefore is capacitive.

The range of application of capacitive sensors is quite remarkable. Capacitive sensors are built into different products to sense a variety of things-motion, chemical composition, electric field-and, indirectly, sense many other variables like dielectric pressure and fluid composition.

Capacitive Sensors in Common Everyday Products or Uses

- Motion detectors can detect 10-14 m displacements with good stability, high speed, - Police scanners to detect an automobile and measure its speed - Laptop computers use capacitive sensors for two-dimensional cursor control - Computer monitors are found in retail kiosks - Fingerprint detectors and infrared detectors - Capacitive sensors operate soft-touch dimmer switches - Wall stud sensors with digital construction levels - Gambling machines - Automatic bank teller machines - Cell phones and other PDA's - Grocery store check out kiosks

Until recent attention was drawn to capacitive touch technology, like the explosion of the iPhone, it was considered too expensive and delicate to use in touch screen products like grocery store check out kiosks or toys. The cheaper version of capacitive touch technology, called resistive touch uses a different, more durable technology that was most often used in products that are now being replaced by capacitive. Resistive touch sensors are made for to last and often require another function to access the sensor, like a stylus pen or a stronger, physical pressure onto a button which signals the resistive screen in a toy lets say. Now, thanks to the popularity of the iPhone and fun products like the up-coming Microsoft coffee table with a capacitive touch screen, we could see an increase in factory production of capacitive sensors, thus reducing the cost of capacitive touch technology. With all the new technology with capacitive sensors, it may not be too long before capacitive sensors will eventually become a household name.

About the author: Melissa Peterman is a web content specialist for Innuity. For more information about capacitive sensors go to CIRQUE