Optimization of a Multi-Touch Sensing Device for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Multi-touch systems are redefining the natural user interface paradigm and their applications can be found ranging from mobile phones, tablets and screens to the control of industrial facilities. While the concepts of multiple touch sensing are not new, there are still large unexplored areas regarding optimization of the user experience for various industrial or medical applications. Along with the ability to detect and process simultaneous touches and gestures, large scale multi-touch devices offer collaborative work along with user-selective content management systems features rarely used in dedicated medical visualization or sensing multi-touch software applications. Based on previous research concerning multi-touch systems and their potential usefulness in the medical field, this paper describes the optimization process of a multi-touch sensing device for biomedical applications. Three important layers of a multi-touch device were chosen as candidates for optimization: sensing, data manipulation and visualization. The results were applied to a prototype optical touch system developed for multi-user/multi-touch environments and several hardware and software modifications were designed and implemented. Since the goal of this research was to explore ways to enhance the user experience in multi-touch applications the conclusions derived from this paper can be extended to other domains where concurrent visualization and processing of information are vital components.