Motorola Invests in Sensitive Object's Multi-Touch Technology

    Today, I found this new type of multi-touch. The next generation of multi-touch could be based not on electrical resistance or disturbance, but on sound waves instead. I am not sure exactly how it works, but I am going to tell you what I understand about this technology. The technology is based on time reversal acoustics, which I will explain in my next post. So here is the news I found, Motorola invested in a multi-touch company called Sensitive Object which uses a different technique to locate a touch on a surface than other devices like the iPhone. Like multi-touch technology its self, time reversal acoustic research isn't new stuff. 

    Motorola will supposedly use this technology in some their next phones. I don't think Motorola is doing so well right now; either (I could be wrong), so this could be a very good thing for them. I have decided not to try to explain how time reversal acoustics works, because I don't want to tell you false information. In my next post I am going to give you the facts only in the simplest way possible, because any other way would be crazy. In the mean time you can read what I believe time reversal acoustics to be. By the way if you want to check out some cool stuff, it looks like HTC is coming out with some cool multi-touch phones.

Motorola Invests in Sensitive Object

Notes:

source:  InformationWeek

• The next generation of multi-touch could be based not on electrical resistance or disturbance, but on sound waves.
• So, how does it work?
• I am not exactly sure
• Basically, when a finger touches a surface it creates a sound. Multiple microphones would pick up the sound and locate the touch with time reversal acoustics
• How would sound work, wouldn't it be disrupted by any other sounds like voices or traffic?
• I am assuming there would be some interference, but from my understanding the microphones would be picking up sound that is located within the surface touched
• Whoa, you said something about reversed acoustics??? What is that?
• I have no idea, but my guess is it has to do with something like... actually, I really don't have any idea
• I will do some research on time reversal acoustics for my next post
• So, who is using this technology?
• Like I said, I am not sure about all this
• I believe this tech is being used in the medical field right now
• Motorola has invested in the company Sensitive Object
• Sensitive Object 
• Creates products that "will provide people with a bridge between the abstract digital technology and their familiar surroundings."
• What will Motorola do with this?
• they will supposedly use it to design some of their new phones with intuitive multi-touch interfaces