A bit about some research at MIT. Simply make a "gesture" with your hand and the screen responds.
The popularity of touch-screens on mobile phones means that a swipe, tap or a flick comes as naturally these days as the click of a mouse. But existing touch-screens have their limits. Those relying on changes in electrical resistance tend to have poorer resolution than is needed for modern applications, while those that rely on capacitance require an ungloved finger.
Consequently, a new generation of touch-screens, known as optical liquid crystal displays, is emerging. Optical LCDs embed tiny light sensors next to many of the screen’s pixels. In the brief moments between each successive screen image, the backlight is turned off. In these periods of darkness, undetectable to the human eye, sensors are able to pick up light coming from outside the device.
[Snip]
If the principle can indeed be extended to devices that employ optical LCDs, screens of the future will be able to harness the power of mere gestures. Zooming in on an image, and then out again, will be as easy as moving a hand closer or further away from the screen. A hovering finger or a simple movement will be able to press virtual buttons.
These features will, no doubt, be of particular appeal to those who dislike the perpetually greasy and smeared appearance of touch-screen computers and mobile phones. So, even though yet another set of skills will need to be mastered to control these screens, they may well be the wave of the future.
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