In a post-COVID workplace, “hands-free” is the new buzz world. It’s also the new hygiene standard. At times, it may seem the pandemic has turned everyone into Adrian Monk. But you needn’t be an OCD-suffering detective to solve the mystery of the old hygiene standard; it’s dead—murdered by Delta and Omicron. However, its demise makes way for a new standard, one built with hands-free building tech.
Touchless interfaces, voice command, facial recognition systems are uber-popular among both employees and managers. Some hands-free devices are smart home gadgets carried to the office by new hybrid workers looking to introduce a little domestic convenience. But other employees simply want safer, more hygienic work and communal spaces.
Tech companies are speeding up their response to the touchless standard by leveraging existing tech: smartphones. Every worker already carries a small, powerful computer connected to the internet in their pocket, so why not start there. The shortcut is producing a variety of apps that give workers and managers hands-free control of lighting, elevator access and after-hours air con bookings. The touchless workplace is a safe bet for property owners looking to invest in tech that boosts their property values and occupancy retention.
Access Via Facial Recognition
Facial recognition is a growing tech in facilities access because it provides better safety and a keyless, touchless entry point. Cameras with specialised facial recognition software scan a person’s face to identify them before granting entry. Users simply look at the scanner, are identified, and the system unlocks the doors. While hardly a viable solution for high traffic areas, facial recognition systems do ensure touchless entry points for visitors and better safety for building occupants.
Smart Elevator Apps
Today, “calling” the elevator is no longer a metaphor. Some major lift manufacturers like Otis and Schindler now have apps that let you summon an elevator with your smartphone. Users can use the apps themselves to ask for life service or they can scan a QR code to let the elevator know what floor they’re on. Smart elevator apps are time sizers too. Riders can request the lift as they approach, select their destination, then arrive just as the elevator does. No buttons to press or physical contact to make means a more sanitary ride.
Touchless Audio/Visual Setups
The conference room is full of commonly touched surfaces swimming with bacteria. However, voice activated AV equipment and video launching apps are keeping the presentation room touchless. Companies like Crestron are making touchless AV wireless, letting you manage all your AV equipment and room scheduling one a single app on your smartphone. Imagine having an app to control your presentation equipment. Being able to set custom specifications, including your lighting preferences, blind levels, and audio volume all with one touch of your own smartphone.
Touchless Reception
Hands-free entry tech like automatic sliding and swinging doors are hardly new, but new “touchless” tech for reception are evolving to limit the time visitors are spending in reception. Reducing the number of people in reception reduces the risk of virus transmission.
Rather than performing traditional check-ins, visitors can send instant text messages, voice calls and emails to authenticate their credentials and notify hosts. Once inside, other touchless access points can be granted by reading smartphone data via Wi-Fi. Elevators may be sent, doors opened automatically, areas of the building opened all without the visitors needing to touch handles or screens. Such automated access systems can also perform other duties like contact tracing or administering health questionnaires.
Voice-Activated Lighting
Today’s modern commercial lighting solutions offer hands-free tech features like voice command and app operation to expand control over workspace illumination. Some lighting tech has replaced the traditional light switch with a motion sensor that activates with the wave of a user’s hand. Others control lighting with voice commands powered by popular voice assistants like Alexa, Siri or Google.
Other hands-free light switches have Wi-Fi so workers can turn off lights left on or turn them on before entering the building. Smartphone control also means the ability to schedule lighting at regular intervals or for specific events. Voice activation, motion sensor and smart app lighting controls give workers more choices while eliminating the need for physical contact.
Touch screens are ubiquitous. We use them at the grocery store to check out, and at the airport to check in. They’re at visitor center kiosks, our banks, our homes and even in our cars. And today, because they’re the primary interface of smartphones, touch screens are literally in our faces for 4.2 hours every day. They are the “Black Mirror” that fans of the series will know as that part of device that reflects our image back towards us.
But despite their prevalence, few know how touch screens work. It’s not because they’re a “new” technology (they’ve been around for roughly six decades). Instead, it’s likely a failure of users to fully appreciate the ingenuity that goes into solving the unique problem of connecting humans and computers through touch. To that end, here’s a quick look on the four basic types of touch screens and how they function. But first, a little touch screen 101.
How do Touch Screens Work?
All touch screens work by creating a predictable X and Y grid pattern on the surface of the screen (Think back to the coordinate plane of your primary math class). As our fingers or stylus interacts with the grid, we introduce a disturbance. The disturbance might be a fluctuation in electrical resistance, capacitance, heat or even acoustical wave flow. The screen’s sensors then detect these changes and use them to triangulate our finger/stylus position. Finally, the sensors translate our clicks and gestures to the CPU, which executes the appropriate command (e.g., “open the app”). Simple in theory, but complex in practice.
Screen Tech Tradeoffs
Like any technology, touch screens have several cost-benefit factors, and manufacturers tailor their products to maximise specific benefits for different consumer needs. One common tradeoff for touch screens is accuracy vs cost. Typically, the more accurate the screen, the more expensive, due to the extra components or more expensive materials used. Screen clarity is another consideration. Some screen designs provide 100% screen illumination, while others adopt layered screens, which can dampen resolution and brightness. Other common screen characteristics include:
Durability vs cost
Single vs multi-touch (i.e., two or more fingers)
Finger touch vs stylus vs both
Resistance to contaminants like water and oil
Sensitivity to electromagnetic interference (EMI) or direct sunlight
High vs low power consumption
Consumers and businesses often trade less-needed features for more desirable ones. For example, facility access screens require more durability and “touch life,” with less consideration towards clarity and multi-touch, while smartphone makers need both (and more!) to compete.
Resistive touch screens work like an electric switch, with users pressing layers to make contact and complete the circuit.
Resistive Touch Screens
The most straightforward touch screen design is the resistive touch screens (RTS). These screens employ a multi-layered design, which includes glass covered by a thin plastic film. In between these two layers is a gap with two metallic electrodes, both resistive to electricity flow. The gap is filled with a layer of air or inert gas, and the electrodes are organized in vertical and horizontal grid lines. Essentially, resistive touch screens work like an electric switch. When the user presses the screen, the two metallic layers come into contact and completes the circuit. The device then senses the exact spot of contact on the screen.
RTS are low-cost and use little power. They’re also resistant to contaminants like water and oil, since droplets can’t “press” the screen. Almost any object can interact with the screen, so even thick gloved hands are usable. However, RTS usually offer low screen clarity and less damage/scratch resistance.
Capacitive touch screens use small electrical charges to indicate where users are pointing.
Capacitive Touch Screens
One screen type you’ll find on almost every smartphone is the capacitive touch screen (CTS). These screens have three layers: a glass substrate, a transparent electrode layer and a protective layer. Their screens produce and store a constant small electrical charge or capacitance. Once the user’s finger touches the screen, it absorbs the charge and lowers the screen capacitance. Sensors located at the four corners of the screen, detect the change and determine the resulting touch point.
Capacitive screen come in two types: surface and projected (P-Cap), with the latter being the common screen type for today’s smartphones and tablets. P-Cap screens also include a thin layer of glass on top of the protective film and allows for multi-touch and thin gloved use. So, they’re popular in health care settings where users wear latex gloves.
Having fewer layers, CTS offer high screen clarity, as well as better accuracy and scratch resistance. But their electrified designs put them at risk of interference from other EMI sources. Plus, their interaction is limited to fingers and/or specialised styluses.
SAW touch screens transmit soundwaves, which are disrupted by finger touches and used to locate precise points on the screen.
Surface Acoustic Wave Touch Screens
Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) touch screens use sound waves instead of electricity. SAWs have three components: transmitting transducers, transmitting receivers, and reflectors. Together, these components produce a constant surface of acoustic waves. When a finger touches the screen, it absorbs the sound waves, which, consequently, never make it to their intended receivers. The device’s computer then uses the missing information to calculate the location of touch.
SAWs have no traditional layers, so they tend to have the best image quality and illumination of any touch screen. They have superior scratch resistance, but are susceptible to water and sold contaminants, which can trigger false “touches.”
Infrared touch screens are similar to SAWs; only they use infrared light (IR) instead of sound waves to detect disruptions.
Infrared Touch Screen
Infrared (IR) touch screens are like SAW screens; in that they contain no metallic layers. However, instead of producing ultrasonic sounds, IRs use emitters and receivers to create a grid of invisible infrared light. Once a finger or other object disrupts the flow of light beams, the sensors can locate the exact touch point. Those coordinates are then sent to the CPU for processing the command.
IR screens have superior screen clarity and light transmission. Plus, they offer excellent scratch resistance and multi-touch controls. Downsides include high cost and possible interference from direct sunlight, pooled water, and built-up dust and grime.
