David Savastano, Editor06.05.13
The touch screen market is growing rapidly for personal items, such as cell phones, as well as for displays and kiosks. It is an area that is drawing the interest of entrepreneurial companies that are designing approaches to improve customer communications.
Visualplanet Ltd. is one of the companies that are making good headway in the touch screen market. Headquartered in Cambridge, UK, visualplanet have developed the touchfoilTM, a clear, thin film that can recognise a touch through glass. Designed for large format applications, the touchfoil is available in sizes ranging from 30 inches to 167 inches.
Mike Cole, visualplanet’s Director, said the idea for visualplanet came from co-owner Vernon Spencer requiring information from a shop that had just closed.
“Like most businesses, visualplanet was built on an idea, a moment of frustration, just as my fellow business partner experienced back in 2001, whilst walking past a shop he wanted information from that had just shut. He did not necessarily want to buy anything, but needed some advice for a potential purchase.
“Having been involved in the internet industry for more than eight years, he knew that it was entirely possible to deliver relevant content, that resided in the back office systems of the closed shop, directly to the shop window,” Cole added. “However, the issue was how to display and communicate this information to the person on the street. The solution was the development of a large format touch sensor (the touchfoil) that could operate through thick glass so customers could access content on a display in the shop window from the street.”
The potential for digital signage is great, but one of the keys is making the system robust. By working through glass, the touchfoil is well protected, which makes it ideal for outdoor applications; the company also manufacturers a variant which incorporates an integrated protective UV blocking layer specifically for this market.
“The core market for our touchfoil is digital signage, for delivering useful interactive content,” Cole noted. “Because the touchfoil works through the glass, it is ideal for street furniture, through window, kiosks, totems and custom solutions that can deliver this content in a robust format.”
Since its beginnings in 2001, visualplanet has made a number of important advances in the touch screen field. In 2003, visualplanet was the first company in the world to deliver large format (above 30 inch) film-based touch sensors.
“We built a business that could create custom touch sensors using a standard process,” Cole said. “We brought a new level of flexibility to a market that was used to receiving small touch solutions on glass. We delivered a product that established a completely new market that others have now recognized as a major growth area.”
Cole said that visualplanet’s manufacturing process is a major advantage, as it allows customers to easily “build in” the touchfoil to an existing design or a new project.
“The touchfoil is a very well received touch solution, its flexibility provides customers the opportunity to focus on the end product and freedom in their design rather than trying to work around an inflexible touch sensor,” Cole said. “The format of the product allows easy shipping, as it can simply be rolled up in a tube to be unwound and applied to glass on the other side of the world if required.”
Cole said that visualplanet has found success in a variety of markets, selling to a worldwide network of value added resellers (VARs), original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and distributors, who take the touchfoil and create end solutions.
Cole believes that digital signage will continue to replace paper-based signage, and visualplanet is well positioned to take advantage of these opportunities.
“We see excellent growth in the conversion of traditional paper based signage into the digital world,” Cole concluded. “We see and are seeing digital signage moving into every aspect of our daily lives, and much of this growth will come from large format interactive displays. Our current developments will shortly address the demand for multi-user touch solutions, and we will continue to develop the variants of the touchfoil to meet future customer requirements.”
Mike Cole, visualplanet’s Director, said the idea for visualplanet came from co-owner Vernon Spencer requiring information from a shop that had just closed.
“Like most businesses, visualplanet was built on an idea, a moment of frustration, just as my fellow business partner experienced back in 2001, whilst walking past a shop he wanted information from that had just shut. He did not necessarily want to buy anything, but needed some advice for a potential purchase.
“Having been involved in the internet industry for more than eight years, he knew that it was entirely possible to deliver relevant content, that resided in the back office systems of the closed shop, directly to the shop window,” Cole added. “However, the issue was how to display and communicate this information to the person on the street. The solution was the development of a large format touch sensor (the touchfoil) that could operate through thick glass so customers could access content on a display in the shop window from the street.”
The potential for digital signage is great, but one of the keys is making the system robust. By working through glass, the touchfoil is well protected, which makes it ideal for outdoor applications; the company also manufacturers a variant which incorporates an integrated protective UV blocking layer specifically for this market.
“The core market for our touchfoil is digital signage, for delivering useful interactive content,” Cole noted. “Because the touchfoil works through the glass, it is ideal for street furniture, through window, kiosks, totems and custom solutions that can deliver this content in a robust format.”
“We built a business that could create custom touch sensors using a standard process,” Cole said. “We brought a new level of flexibility to a market that was used to receiving small touch solutions on glass. We delivered a product that established a completely new market that others have now recognized as a major growth area.”
Cole said that visualplanet’s manufacturing process is a major advantage, as it allows customers to easily “build in” the touchfoil to an existing design or a new project.
“The touchfoil is a very well received touch solution, its flexibility provides customers the opportunity to focus on the end product and freedom in their design rather than trying to work around an inflexible touch sensor,” Cole said. “The format of the product allows easy shipping, as it can simply be rolled up in a tube to be unwound and applied to glass on the other side of the world if required.”
Cole said that visualplanet has found success in a variety of markets, selling to a worldwide network of value added resellers (VARs), original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and distributors, who take the touchfoil and create end solutions.
Cole believes that digital signage will continue to replace paper-based signage, and visualplanet is well positioned to take advantage of these opportunities.
“We see excellent growth in the conversion of traditional paper based signage into the digital world,” Cole concluded. “We see and are seeing digital signage moving into every aspect of our daily lives, and much of this growth will come from large format interactive displays. Our current developments will shortly address the demand for multi-user touch solutions, and we will continue to develop the variants of the touchfoil to meet future customer requirements.”