Touchscreen technology enables new smartphone gestures

Qeexo has developed FingerSense, technology that enables a touchscreen device to know how the user is making contact with it.

Regular readers may remember PredictGaze, the startup we recently covered that lets consumers use their eyes to control electronics. Sticking with the manual method, Qeexo has developed FingerSense, technology that enables a touchscreen device to know how the user is making contact with it. While the iPhone and other smartphones can cope with various multi-touch gestures – such as swiping and pinching – they still only take advantage of one form of touch. FingerSense can detect whether the part of the hand interacting with the touchscreen is the tip, the nail or the knuckle, or if a plastic stylus is being used. This could mean that dozens of new gestures could be implemented for extra functionality. For example, a tap of the knuckle could bring up an option menu for an item or double-nail taps could launch a specific app. The following video shows the technology in action: Touchscreens have already opened new possibilities for handheld devices, but the Qeexo platform adds an extra dimension to make them even more practical. How else can existing smartphone technology be built upon?