Shoei optical/resistive hybrid touch panel

Just when we’re getting used to the idea of hybrid cars, along comes Shoei that intends to change the way we look at touchscreen panels in the future, by bringing an optical/resistive hybrid touch panel today. This unique display is currently on exhibition at the 3rd Int’l Automotive Electronics Technology Expo in Japan. Shoei hopes that the new touch panel will see action as an operation panel independent from a display, considering the company does not have any plans to embed the touch panel in a display. To put it in simple terms, this new touch panel makes it possible to control a car navigation system simply by operating the panel that is installed near the driver’s seat without the need to get distracted by stretching a hand to the LCD monitor of the car navigation system.

When demonstrated, the new touch panel functioned as though the capacitive touch panel of a notebook was used to move a cursor on its LCD display. In this scenario, the cursor is moved by using a touch pad, where the position of the cursor is detected simply by clicking a button near the touch pad. With the hybrid touch panel however, you can move a cursor and input its position through the use of the panel alone. Shoei intends to roll out a prototype of the panel by this year, preparing to commercialize it in or after 2012.