For most of us, touch screens are one of the main ways we now interact with technology. From the moment we wake up and swipe off our alarm before checking the weather to the stopping by a fast food restaurant for lunch to withdrawing cash from an ATM, touch screens are embedded in the machines we rely on throughout the day.
But in addition to everyday uses in things like smartphones and tablets, touch screens are also changing the way we live other parts of our lives as well. As touch screen technology improves, it is making it easier to do everything from catch a flight to get your blood pressure checked. Here are just a few of the industries where touch screens are making a difference.
– Travel
If you’ve recently flown internationally, you are probably aware of just how big an impact touch screens have had on how we travel in the 21st century. Where checking in and going through customs once meant spending time in long line-ups, the airport experience has become much more efficient since self check-in kiosks were introduced. Self check-in kiosks at airports make it easier and faster to start your journey, and have drastically improved processing time at airports around the world.
– Retail
Since they were first introduced a decade ago, touch screen kiosks have been steadily changing our expectations of retail shopping. While the biggest impact has been felt in fast food outlets, pharmacies, and supermarkets, many of which are now equipped with touch screen ordering panels and or self-service checkout lanes, there is some speculation that major retail outlets may be moving to a self-service model in the not-too-distant future.
– Manufacturing and Military
If you don’t work at a factory or in another industrial space, you may not be aware of the extent to which rugged touch screens are transforming many elements of manufacturing, from logistics to inventory to human-computer interfacing. Because specialized touch screens like the ULTRA Resistive screen produced by A D Metro are capable of withstanding huge amounts of stress, designers working in heavy industry and the military are finding
– Healthcare
As healthcare systems in Europe and North America come under increased strain due to aging ageing populations, innovative solutions are needed if the same high standards of care are to be maintained. Fortunately, as kiosks equipped with sophisticated multi-touch screens become a regular feature of the retail landscape, they are also making inroads in the healthcare sector.
Healthcare kiosks are helping medical professionals do everything from more efficiently processing hospital patients to, in more remote locations, actually handling some elements of diagnosis.
Because touch screen technology provides us with the most intuitive human-machine interface so far, they are being adapted to do help us do everything from buy a hamburger to check in for a flight at the airport. And with technological improvements making ever more rugged and durable touch screens possible, the range of applications for touch screens is only set to expand.
It is likely that the golden age of touch screens is only just beginning.
