The Development History of Touchscreens

The development history of touchscreens is a history of human-computer interaction evolution, from military industry to consumer electronics, and then

back to empowering various industries.

Emergence and Birth (1960s-1970s)

The prototype of the touchscreen first appeared in professional fields. In 1965, Eric Johnson of the Royal Radar Institute in the UK invented the first

capacitive touchscreen for air traffic control. In 1971, Sam Hearst of the University of Pennsylvania invented the resistive touchscreen "AccuTouch".

In 1977, Hearst's team invented a five-wire resistive screen, greatly improving durability and laying the foundation for industrial applications.

Technological Differentiation and Popularization (1980s-1990s)

This period saw a flourishing of diverse technological approaches. In 1982, the first multi-touch human-computer interaction system was introduced.

In 1984, Bell Labs launched a multi-touch screen that could be controlled by fingers. Simultaneously, infrared and surface acoustic wave technologies

also emerged. In 1992, IBM and Bell South launched the Simon phone, considered the first smartphone to use a touchscreen. In the 1990s, touchscreens

entered public life with ATMs and self-service kiosks.

The Consumer Electronics Boom (Early 21st Century)

In 2007, Apple released the iPhone, featuring a projected capacitive touchscreen that supported smooth multi-touch gestures, completely revolutionizing

the mobile phone industry. The iPhone's success established capacitive screens as the mainstream and drove the transformation of the entire consumer

electronics industry.

Diversification and the Future (2010s to Present)

Today, touchscreens have become a standard feature of the smart world and continue to evolve. In the industrial sector, they are evolving from simple

control panels into intelligent production hubs. In the automotive sector, demand continues to surge with the widespread adoption of smart cockpits.

Looking to the future, touchscreens are evolving towards flexibility, foldability, integration of biometrics, and proactive sensing combined with AI.