Automatic Gear-shifting Gyaan

What is it?

A type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios for a moving vehicle, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually.

Who dunnit?

It’s been around for over a century!!

It was first developed in 1904 by Boston’s Sturtevant brothers for horseless carriages but had major problems.

In 1934, both REO and General Motors developed semi-automatic transmissions that were less difficult to operate than a fully manual unit.

Later developments in automatic gearbox and fluid coupling technology eventually led to General Motors’ “Hydra-Matic”, the world's first mass-produced automatic transmission in 1939.

The automatic transmission that resembles what’s on today’s cars got its start in 1948 by General Motor’s Buick Motor Division as two-speed “Dynaflow”.

By the late 1960s, the fluid-coupling transmissions gave way to three-speed torque converters.

In the 80’s, overdrive transmissions with four forward speeds and a lockup feature were introduced that increased fuel efficiency. Transaxles and CVTs (continuously variable transmissions) are recent developments.

Technology

To understand the concept of automatic transmission it makes sense to understand manual transmission first.

A standard transmission or manual transmission is the traditional type of transmission used in automobiles. It consists of a series of heliacal gears, synchro rings, roller bearings, counter shafts and gear selectors. The main clutch assembly is used to engage and disengage the engine from the transmission. Heliacal cut gears are used to select the ratio desired while the selector fork moves the gears from one to another by using the gearshift knob. Synchro rings are used to slow the gear to a stop before it is engaged to avoid gear grinding. The counter shaft holds the gears in place and against the main input and output shaft. A stick shift transmission has no torque converter so there is no need for a transmission cooler. A stick shift transmission needs a simple fluid change for proper service.

Besides standard transmission, there are automatic transmissions mechanisms which can be classified into three basic types:

1. Hydraulic Automatic Transmission: In a hydraulic automatic transmission, instead of a clutch, a fluid coupling or “torque converter” is used to connect the transmission and engine hydraulically. Also a combination of brake bands and clutch packs control the planetary gearset which selects the gear ratio. The key difference from a standard transmission is that the manual transmission locks and unlocks different sets of gears to the output shaft to achieve the various gear ratios, while in an automatic transmission; the same set of gears produces all of the different gear ratios. Such systems are usually less energy efficient than manual transmissions owing to pumping losses during torque conversion but might provide more on-road acceleration in turbocharged diesel applications. This technique has been used by famous manufacturers like Ford, Honda, Nissan, General Motors, Volkswagen etc.

2. Continuously Variable Transmission: A continuously variable transmission system can steplessly alter through infinite gear ratios by varying the diameter of a pair of belt or chain-linked pulleys, wheels or cones. Some CVTs use a hydrostatic drive consisting of a variable displacement pump and a hydraulic motor to transmit power without gears. CVT designs are usually as fuel efficient as manual transmissions in city driving, as it enables the engine to run at its most efficient revolutions per minute (RPM) for a range of vehicle speeds. It is being deployed in latest hybrid cars by manufacturers like Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Ford, Suzuki etc.

3. Semi-automatic Transmission: If there is a provision to select a gear ratio manually in automatic transmissions, the system is called a semi-automatic transmission. It uses electronic sensors, pneumatics, processors and actuators to execute gear shifts on the command of the driver. This removes the need for a clutch pedal, since the clutch itself is actuated by electronic equipment which can synchronize the timing and torque required to make gear shifts quick and smooth. It has been deployed for racing and conventional uses by manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler, Volkswagen, Renault, Honda, Ferrari etc.

Applications

Automatic cars are more expensive, tend to wear down faster, and are more complicated than manual transmissions but are far better convenient in city traffic. Think about avoiding all the manual effort of gear changing every second minute!

Although they are less popular in other parts of the world including India, most cars sold in America since the 1950s have been automatics. The main reasons for less popularity are:

• Standard transmissions are more efficient and less expensive to produce than automatic transmissions.
• Standard transmissions are generally stronger than automatic transmissions and off road vehicles take advantage of a direct gear selection so they can withstand rough conditions.
• Manual transmission requires less active cooling because less power is wasted.

Check out a list of latest automatic transmission cars in India like Hyundai i10 and Maruti A-Star:

http://www.cardekho.com/cars-search/automatic-transmission-cars-in-india-2010

With automatic transmission becoming more energy efficient like cars with manul transmission, the trend is surely set to prevail on Indian roads in the near future.

Aman ki Asha : Bridging the gap musically

The phrase “Aman ki Asha” has undoubtedly reverberated throughout the country since its inception on 1st January this year. The joint campaign started by ‘The Jang Group’ of Pakistan and ‘The Times of India’ in India aims to promote cultural and diplomatic relations for mutual peace and development.

Among other initiatives, the most prominent has been the showcasing of musical maestros from both nations. The effort has further been supported by the release of an album named after the campaign itself. The album, “Aman ki Asha” is a beautiful bouquet of handpicked songs sung by famous artists from India and Pakistan.

The collection consists of ghazals, thumris, sufi, qawwalis and classical music. Mentioned against the list of songs are very popular names like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Lata Mangeshkar, Abida Parveen, Mehdi Hassan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Hariharan and others who are at the very epitome of their genre.

Most of the songs are signature marks by their masters and are like rare gems crafted with precision. They seem to take us to an entirely different world where human emotions hold the centerstage. They convey a strong message that if your heart is filled with music there is little place left for hatred and grudges.

One of the most soothing songs is “More Saiyaan” sung by Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan. I am sure some of us would have definitely heard his name from the ‘Mitwa’ (Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna) and ‘Tere Naina’ (My Name Is Khan) fame.

Someone once said that ‘Music is what feelings sound like’. If we wish to express our brotherly feelings for people in our neighboring country then definitely music can speak our hearts. Kudos to ‘Aman ki Asha’ for taking such an initiative.

3D Television Gyaan

What is it?

A television technology which despite creating two dimensional images like any normal television, creates an illusion of realistic three dimensions with or without the use of special glasses.

Who dunnit?

3D television might be the latest buzzword in consumer electronics these days but 3D concept in itself is a technology which dates back to the beginning of photography!!
In 1844, Scottish inventor David Brewster introduced the Stereoscope, a device that could take photographic pictures in 3D.
Stereoscopic 3D television was demonstrated for the first time on August 10th, 1928 by John Logie Baird.
Major television manufacturers began developing 3D home television technology in 2009.

Technology

Basically 3D TV works by separating the left and right images and presenting them in a way that the brain merges them back together and interprets them as a 3D view of a scene. All of them use the same basic principle: they have to produce two separate, moving images and send one of them to the viewer's left eye and the other to the right. To give the proper illusion of 3D, the left eye's image mustn't be seen by the right eye and vice versa.

There are two basic techniques:

i) Using Glasses

This technique can again be designed to project stereoscopic images in three different ways:-

1. Anaglyphic : It involves wearing passive eyeglasses with one red and one cyan colored lenses, also known as anaglyph glasses. The red lens is a light filter that allows only red light to pass through, while the cyan lens allows any light except red. The point is simply that each eye isn't being allowed to see parts of the image that are being viewed by the other one, so each eye gets a slightly different picture of its own. While simple and inexpensive, this technique produces a relatively poor quality, monochrome picture and often makes viewers feel nauseous.

2. Polarizing : It involves wearing passive polarizing eyeglasses which capture two pictures that are projected from the screen using differently polarized light. The left lens receives only light vibrating in vertical plane while the right lens receives light vibrating in horizontal plane. The main drawback is that the TV set has to be fitted with polarizing filters as well, which bumps the cost up quite considerably.

3. Alternate-frame sequencing : The video signal of the TV stores an image meant for the left eye on its even field, and an image meant for the right eye on its odd field. The TV itself is synchronized with the active shutter glasses via infra-red or RF technology. The shutter glasses contain liquid crystal and a polarizing filter which is automatically applied with a slight current that makes it dark, as if a shutter was drawn (hence the name) upon receiving the synced signal. So at a time, only one eye is seeing one image. By viewing these two images from different orientations, a 3D image is built up by the viewer’s brain. Although the user experience is seamless, smooth and rich, due to the rapid drawing of ‘shutters’, lesser light reaches the eye, thus making the image seem darker than it is.

ii) Without using Glasses

The extra need to wear glasses has compelled manufacturers to devise some smart way of avoiding the same. Commercially termed as ‘Auto 3D’, this process allows for autostereoscopic displays. Examples of autostereoscopic displays include parallax barrier, lenticular, volumetric, electro-holographic, and light field displays. Currently most flat-panel solutions employ ‘lenticular lenses’ or ‘parallax barriers’. Let us discuss these two in detail:-

1.  Lenticular lenses : It uses lenticules, which are tiny cylindrical plastic lenses that bend images either to the left or the right.. These are pasted in an array on a transparent sheet, which is then stuck on the display surface of the LCD screen to deliver a magnified image. However, this technology requires a very specific ‘sweet spot’ for getting the 3D effect, and straying even a bit to either side will make the TV’s images seem distorted. Depending on the number of lenticules and the refresh rate of the screen, there can be multiple ‘sweet spots’.

2. Parallax barrier : It is a fine grating of liquid crystal placed in front of the screen, with slits in it that correspond to certain columns of pixels of the TFT screen. These positions are carved so as to transmit alternating images to each eye of the viewer, who is again sitting in an optimal ‘sweet spot’. When a slight voltage is applied to the parallax barrier, its slits direct light from each image slightly differently to the two eyes creating an illusion of depth and thus a 3D image in the brain.

Applications

3D viewing has always fascinated the world in the form of movies, sports and television broadcasts or 3D gaming.
Audiences first got a glimpse of a 3D movie way back in 1922 with the release of "The Power of Love" and off late with the release of “Avatar” it has got an entire new meaning.
Starting on June 11, 2010 ESPN launched a new channel, ‘ESPN 3D’, dedicated to 3D sports with up to 85 live events a year in 3D. The French Open this year was filmed in 3D (center court only) and broadcast live via ADSL and fiber to Orange subscribers throughout France in a dedicated Orange TV channel. Also 25 matches in the FIFA World Cup 2010 were broadcast in 3D.
Nintendo is implementing the Parallax Barrier 3D technology on their latest portable gaming console, the Nintendo 3DS.
Now with a range of 3D enabled television sets hitting the market, the power of 3D technology is sure to enter our homes and our lifestyles. All major manufacturers like Samsung, LG, Toshiba, Sony, and Panasonic are introducing 3D capabilities mostly in higher-end models. Most of them still use the conventional 3D viewing with active shutter glasses as providing 3D images without glasses to many users simultaneously is still a concern (Read the Philips WOWvx story). Sony and Samsung are releasing home-theater setups that can display 3D movies in full high-def glory using a combo of Blu-ray players, TVs and glasses.
Even though 3D viewing has been around for more than century in one form or another it really is still in its infancy and leaves a big hole in the wallet. We can expect more commercial 3D breakthroughs in the coming years as its popularity is on the rise again.

Android Smartphone Gyaan

What is it?

An Android OS based cellphone developed by Google which offers more advanced computing ability and sophisticated applications allowing features of mobile phones and handheld computers to be integrated into single device.

 

Who dunnit ?

It started in July 2005, with the acquisition of Android Inc., a mobile software development startup by Google.

In September 2007, Google filed several patents in the area of mobile telephony.

In November 2007, a consortium of several companies known as OHA (Open Handset Alliance) led by Google was established to promote open standards for mobile devices. It also unveiled Android, an open source mobile phone platform based on Linux kernel version 2.6.

It is interesting to note that development of smartphones by various companies dates back to 1992 most notable being the Symbian based Nokia Communicator in 1996, RIM based Blackberry in 2002 and the Apple OS based iPhone in 2007.

 

Technology

The software stack contains Java applications running on a Java based framework. The runtime includes Java core libraries on top of a proprietary virtual machine known as ‘Dalvik’ featuring JIT (just-in-time) compilation.

Middleware includes libraries written in C which accounts for the main firepower. The WebKit engine powers the Chrome Lite browser. The OpenGL ES 2.0 3D graphics API and SGL 2D graphics engine make up the graphics core. SQLite lightweight relational database provides efficient storage capability. 

 

                                       The Android Architecture

An Android phone can also run multiple applications at the same time in the background, making multitasking easier and the functionality of the phone more fluid than other cellphones.

Android OS has been available as open source mobile platform since October 2008 promoting mobile application development all over the world. Google has also promoted its growth by releasing an Android SDK (Software Development Kit) and App Inventor for developers along with a SIM and hardware unlocked Android Dev Phone for advanced developers. It also launched competitions like ‘Android Developer Challenge’ for promoting innovative applications.

 

 Applications

 For an end user, Android boasts of the following available smart features/applications besides the regular stuff available for most mobile phones:

• All possible connectivities including GSM/EDGE, IDEN, CDMA, EV-DO, UMTS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and WiMAX.
• Support for all possible audio/video/still media formats.
• Additional hardware support including touchscreens, GPS, accelerometers, gyroscopes, thermometers etc.
• Google applications like ‘Google Voice’, ‘Sky Map’, ‘MyMaps’, ‘Google Goggles’ and many others.
• Third party applications like ‘Shazam’, ‘Doodle Jump’, WeatherBug’ etc.
• Using the phone as a wireless/wired hotspot.

Analysis suggests that worldwide smartphone market share for Android stood at 3.5% by Q3 2009. Based on the popularity, Android promises to bring out many more amazing features in the forthcoming versions for the next generation smartphones.

And talking about versions the Android OS versions are really a yummy treat if you go by the names. Starting off with ‘Cupcake’ (version 1.5) the series includes ‘Donut’, ‘Éclair’ to the present ‘Froyo’ (version 2.2). Even the future versions named ‘Gingerbread’ and ‘Honeycomb’ promise to please a certain taste buds.

 Check out the latest list of Android based handsets available in the market:

 http://phandroid.com/phones/

 http://androidos.in/2010/01/price-list-android-phones-in-india/

 

Theory of Everything: In search of the 'param Brahma'

Physics has undoubtedly changed the way we perceive our planet and the mysterious cosmic hob nob which lies beyond. What started as Earth being the centre of the Universe centuries ago, gave way to a graceful notion of a heliocentric solar system by Copernicus. This was further authenticated by a genius whom we owe the very reason of why we don’t fall off the surface of Earth. Sir Isaac Newton as we know him and his famous apple can be credited for the idea which governs the gravitational forces of not only the things on earth but every single mass in the entire universe. Gradually with the emergence of electromagnetic and nuclear forces on the scene, physicists all around the world were faced with a new challenge to allow all fundamental forces and elementary particles (bosons) to be explained in terms of a single theory or in other words a ‘Theory of Everything’.

Going by the records, the first successful attempt can be credited to James Clerk Maxwell who showed that electricity and magnetism were actually different manifestations of the same underlying phenomenon – electromagnetism. Later, Einstein explained that gravity (under theory of general relativity) and electromagnetism (under theory of special relativity) is a consequence of the unification of space and time into an entity we now call spacetime. Since then, physicists have successfully unified the strong and weak nuclear interactions together with quantum electrodynamics to form the Standard Model of quantum physics. However, the current obstacle to a fully unified field theory is to explain gravity with the above model of electronuclear force or in other words to unify quantum physics with general relativity.

Well as far as religion is concerned, there have never been any half measures. All major religions talk about one and only one true God, the unique force that controls the entire cosmos. Hinduism for instance is a colourful encyclopedia of millions of Gods and Goddesses but still describes the existence of only one supreme cosmic spirit, the param Brahma. The numerous gods may be considered as mere manifestations of the divine form which allows Hindus to respect its’ presence in any shape or size. And talking of shapes, according to ancient Hindu scriptures, all elementary composition in this universe is explained as:

Shatapatha Brahmana (8.7.3.10) - “Sun and rest of the universe are woven in string. What is that string that is Vayu." (Vayu here refers to ether which is all pervading)
Kathashruti (2.2) – “Vayu has entered the universe and taken the shape of every object in the universe”

These small little snippets which talk about strings as building blocks of composition are really interesting. Not because you can imagine all matter to be woven fabrics but because the foremost theory in present-day physics which is trying to pave the way for a unified field theory is – you guessed it right- “The String Theory”.

At its core, string theory uses a model of one-dimensional closed loops of strings in place of the elementary particles of quantum physics. Typically believed to have length of the order of 10^35 m, these strings vibrate at specific frequencies. The different levels of vibration of these strings correspond to the different elementary particles.

                                  Explanation for String Theory

However, to be understood completely this theory requires 10 or 11 dimensions and not just 4 (three-dimensional space and time). What’s more hard to comprehend is the belief that the extra hidden dimensions are curled up at micro levels. Now, not only is this difficult to visualize but mathematically impractical too because it would require an all new mathematical model to solve probably. However, the mathematical appeal is still a driving force for many physicists to pursue the string theory. Most of us might be aware of the involvement of notable physicists like Stephen Hawking and Michio Kaku in similar theories. But even if there is a possible solution or I should say an approximation to such theories in the near future, how are we to perceive the existence of that one unique force or field with our three-dimensional sight?

Roger Penrose, a mathematical physicist at Oxford University, believes that if a "Theory of Everything" is ever developed in physics to explain all the known phenomena in the universe, it should at least partially account for consciousness. Consciousness today is no longer just the purview of mystics like Deepak Chopra but scientists all over the world are seeking to explain how brain functions produce that illusion of a out-of-body experience. Some notable scientists like the late Francis Crick, co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, and his colleague Christof Koch believed that different aspects of consciousness like visual awareness are encoded by specific neurons but there are many others with different views.

Since almost every religion talks about consciousness as the destination to the one absolute truth and meditation as the right path to tread, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that all our spiritual leaders have had their taste of the theory of everything in this universe. Perhaps physics can one day explain all of this. Or maybe on the other hand we might actually need a conscious mind to make sense of the pursuit in the first place.

Reincarnation: Blast from the Past

When Arnold remarked, “I will be back” in the movie “The Terminator”, it wouldn’t have been a huge surprise when the cyborg did actually reappear in the sequel even after getting annihilated. But think about the character being a human and coming back to life. The thought is a little hard to digest, isn’t it? Well not so if you really believe in the concept of Reincarnation or in case you are a big Bollywood fan because after all the Shahrukh-Salman duo did take a rebirth or punar janam in the famous movie ‘Karan Arjun’ to avenge their deaths in their previous lives :)

Literally speaking, Reincarnation is believed to occur when the soul or spirit, after death of the physical body, comes back to Earth in a newborn body. This phenomenon is also known as “transmigration of the soul”. The term derives from Latin literally meaning “Entering the flesh again”. It is a core belief in many religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism etc and dates back to thousands of years.

According to Hindu belief, only the soul is immortal and new body is donned by the dweller just like new garments in every life. This never-ending cycle of rebirth goes on until the soul attains Moksha or self-realization and is at peace with itself devoid of any carnal desires. However, until this stage is attained the soul is burdened with an accumulation of impressions that were part of the karma (work) from previous lives. As conveyed by Lord Krishna (a reincarnation of Lord Vishnu) in the Bhagavad Gita:

                   “Karmanyevadhikaraste Maphaleshu Kadhachana
                   Ma Karma Phalahe turbhuh Matesangatsvali Karmani"
which instructs us to do our karma and not have high expectations of the fruits. This gives us a good reason to perform our duties and take on all the hardships because ultimately in one life or the next your karmas will be awarded. Pretty long wait..huh?

On the other hand, if you really want to know the reason for all your hardships then ‘Past-Life-Regression’ is the solution in psychotherapy. It is a technique that uses hypnosis to recover what practitioners believe is memories of past lives. There has been an enormous amount of research done during recent times in the field of Past-Life-Regression notably by Dr. Brian Weiss and Dr. Ian Stevenson. Surprisingly past life regression is also mentioned in the Upanishads of ancient India. Writing during the second century BCE, the Hindu scholar Patanjali called the process of past life regression as prati-prasav (literally "reverse birthing") which is still used today as a practice in some types of yoga. However, scientific consensus is that such memories are the result of cryptomnesia, narratives created by the subconscious mind using imagination, forgotten information and suggestions from the therapist. This can be validated by apparent flaws in the narration itself. Most of us who have seen the patients cook up dramatic stories in the reality show ‘Raaz pichhle janam ka’ would certainly agree with this.

It is however interesting to note there are innumerable case studies from around the world where people have a natural recollection of events from their past lives and not using some pschotherapy. Majority of these cases are those of children aged between three and seven years, who seem to remember events in a life that had ended, often in a violent way. The best evidence for reincarnation was the existence of birth marks and congenital deformities on these children which corresponded to fatal wounds of the deceased. There have been many pseudoscientific interpretations of such occurrences and delusions. Many of them deal with the subconscious mind while some talk about the previous life really being a life on a parallel universe. But let’s take a scientific approach which seems most likely plausible.

The idea revolves around the DNA acting as a secondary area of memory storage besides the brain. The idea that our memories are stored in our genes is a very recent and controversial one. It has been accepted since the experiments of Wilder Penfield back in the fifties, that hidden away in each of us is a permanent record of our past. It has been popularized keeping in mind the concept of inherited instincts which is apparent in an individual just like his or her ancestors. Since the brain of an unborn baby is not developed from the beginning just like its other body organs, the nature’s blueprint is the only possible way for passing on information.

Given that approximately only 3% of the DNA of the human genome codes for amino acids, the other 97%, called ‘introns’, has no obvious function and hence carry plenty of room for storing behavior instructions. Could this be the possible way how not just behavioral but also ancestral information is passed on from generation to generation? When clients regress to memories from a previous life, is it actually them accessing something present in their genome blueprint, an ancestral experience? If we try to focus on certain case studies where a past life memory of some individual has actually been traced back to certain true accounts despite minor flaws, then it seems very logical to argue that these may actually have been the memories or real life incidents of their ancestors. Perhaps the unconscious has access to reference experiences stretching back generations.

A lot of research is being carried out in areas like above to find possible answers for reincarnation by experts. It might be possible one day to unlock this great secret nature has kept hidden from us. Till then be righteous in your deeds because you might be rewarded in your next life if not now!!

Touchscreen Gyaan

What is it ?

A technology which allows commands to be issued on an electronic device by merely touching the user-interactive display on the screen.


Who dunnit ?

Pretty mature stuff. Existing for around 30 years!!

In 1970 a professor from the University of Kentucky, Dr. Sam Hurst, filed a patent for a "touch sensor", called the Elograph. The "Elograph" was not transparent like modern touch screens; however, it was a significant milestone in touch screen technology.
Patent : US3662105: Electrical Sensor Of Plane Coordinates

The first true touchscreen patent was filed by Dr. Hurst in 1972. Using his patented five-wire resistive technology, this patent would go on to be the most widely used form of touchscreen technology. In 1974, the first true touch screen incorporating a transparent surface came on the scene.
Patent : US3798370: Electrographic Sensor For Determining Planar Coordinates


Technology

Consists of three main components :-

i) A “Touch Sensor” which is a clear glass panel with a touch responsive surface. The sensor has an electric current passing across it. Touching the screen causes a voltage change. This allows determining the exact position or coordinates of the touch. A Touch Sensor can function in three major ways namely resistive, capacitive and Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW). However, there are other technologies like Dispersive Signal (DST), Infrared and Optical too.

a) Resistive: It consists of conductive and resistive metallic layers separated by spacers and a scratch-   resistant layer is placed on top of this whole setup. An electrical current runs through the two layers while the monitor is operational. When a user touches the screen, the two layers make contact in that exact spot to deliver the X and Y coordinates. It allows decent clarity allowing 75% light from the monitor.

b) Capacitive: It consists of a layer that stores electric charge placed on top of the monitor. When a user touches the panel, some of the capacitive charge gets dissipated to the user. This relative decrease in charge is measured using circuits at each corner of the monitor. This helps to pinpoint the exact coordinates of the human touch. It allows good clarity allowing 90% light from the monitor.

c) Surface Acoustic Wave: It consists of two transducers mounted at the edge of a glass overlay to emit ultrasonic sound waves along two sides. These waves are reflected across the surface of the glass and received by sensors. A finger or other soft tipped stylus absorbs some of the acoustic energy and the controller measures the amplitude change of the wave to determine touch location. It allows perfect clarity allowing almost 100% light from the monitor.

ii) A “Controller” which is small installable card to transmit touch information from the sensor to the OS. It can connect to a Serial or USB port on the PC running the OS.

iii) And ofcourse a “Software Driver” for successful installation of the controller peripheral. It allows for interpretation of touch event information by the OS.


Applications

Commercially, touch screen computers service a wide range of purposes. Most common public information booths such as information kiosks, customer self-service and various displays offer a way for almost anybody to access information with little or no experience using a computer. This is due to the fact that a touch screen interface allows the user to interact not with keyboard and mouse like a typical computer, but with tools they are most comfortable with-their fingers. The popularity of smart phones, PDAs, portable game consoles and many types of information appliances is driving the demand for, and acceptance of, touch screens. There are many pros and cons of the various touchscreen technologies based on which their deployment is considered. For e.g. highly durable and less expensive resistive technology is most often used in public ATMs and kiosks. Capacitive technology is being considered more for smart phones and mobile gaming devices due to their better clarity.

It is very likely to expect more innovative products applying the touch screen technology in the near future.