Pressure sensitive 3D touch screen for smartphone and tablets

The goal of this project is to apply recent breakthrough results of an advanced, transparent piezoelectric nano-material made of Zinc-Oxide using a novel low temperature and potentially high throughput process called HiTUS recently developed at the University of Cambridge. By applying this new film, and other similar candidate advanced materials, into touch screens for smartphones and tablets, the project hopes to develop a new ‘3D’ pressure sensitive touch input technology, where the force of multiple touch inputs pressing into the display screen can be accurately sensed as well as their locations. The new technology is expected to be 25% lower cost to manufacture and 10% lower power compared to today's touch panels which should lead to better phones and fewer charges. It will also enable new rich and immersive uses with our devices such as true 'one handed' phone operation & realistic typing - no more two hands just to zoom in on a map, or clumsy 1-finger typing.