With the developments taking place in the field of technology at
lightening fast speeds, one thing that has drastically changed is the user
interface. The ‘not so durable’ toggle switches used in earlier times have been
replaced by user friendly supplements. The most popular ones among the human machine interface being used
these days are touch screens and membrane switches.
Touch screens
This kind of interface first arrived in electronic devices such as
mobile phones tablets and ATM machines. For those who are not aware of it, a
touch screen is like a control panel that provides all or most of the options
available with the device. The desired option can be selected with the touch of
a finger or a pointing device. This is possible with the help of an LCD that
lies behind the control panel. The devices using a touch screen are highly
customizable and extremely user friendly.
Membrane switches
A membrane switch is another type of user interface which is
basically a printed piece of plastic with circuits buried inside in the form of
layers. These are easy to mount over any kind of surface – flexible or rigid.
These are being used for over 25 years now and can be easily seen on electronic
devices like washing machines, coffee makers, microwaves, remote controls, air
conditioners and a lot more.
A contrast between the two
technologies
While the membrane switches are already a low cost commodity, the
prices of touch screens are also falling at a high speed. Touch screen are also
expected to come in a thinner and bendable form very soon. However, these have
a drawback associated with them that is the absence of a tactile response which
is there in the membrane switches. Both of the technologies have their own pros
and cons as well as applications where these can be used.
