The researchers say it would be way too expensive to use regular touchscreen technology, like the kind we use for smartphones and tablets, on large or weirdly shaped objects. So they came up with a much more affordable and easy-to-use way to add tech to just about anything. It’s called Electrick. They describe their invention as a “low-cost and versatile sensing technique that enables touch input on a wide variety of objects and surfaces, whether small or large, flat or irregular.”
“To enable Electrick, objects must either be made from an electrically conductive material, or have a conductive coating,” the researchers wrote in their paper presented at the CHI 2017 conference. “The latter can be easily and cheaply applied through e.g., painting, allowing for large touch surfaces (e.g., walls, furniture) at under $1 per square foot of interactive area.”
Once the material, whatever it is, becomes conductive, it’s installed with electrodes so it can start its new life as a touchscreen. According to a CMU media release, “They did this by using electric field tomography—sequentially running small amounts of current through the electrodes in pairs and noting any voltage differences.” That is to say, your finger’s touch interrupts the current, which signals a computer to perform whatever task you’ve told it to. That can be anything from flipping a switch to making a noise.
The first step is to apply electrically conductive paint to the object.