It’s no secret that capacitive is the world’s leading type of touchscreen technology. It’s used to power everything from smartphones and tablets to industrial machines and medical equipment. There are different types of capacitive technology, however, one of which is mutual capacitive. In this post, we’re going to take a closer look at mutual capacitive touchscreens, revealing how these popular devices work.
What Is a Mutual Capacitive Touchscreen?
A mutual capacitive touchscreen is a type of touch-controlled device that detects touch commands based on the principle of mutual capacitance. What is mutual capacitance exactly? The term “mutual capacitance” refers to the idea that when two or more conductive objects are close together, they are able to hold an electrical charge.
How Mutual Capacitive Touchscreens Work
Like other capacitive touchscreens, mutual capacitive touchscreens work by measuring capacitance. When you touch the display interface, the electrostatic charge flowing through the underlying row and column will transfer to your finger. The mutual capacitive touchscreen will then identify this change in capacitance as a touch command.
Advantages of Mutual Capacitive Touchscreens
There are several advantages associated with mutual capacitive touchscreens, one of which is their ability to support multi-touch commands. Multi-touch commands, of course, involve two or more points of contact at the same time. Not only touchscreen devices support multi-touch commands, however. The good news is that mutual capacitive is one of the few types of touchscreen technologies that do support it.
Another advantage of mutual capacitive touchscreens is a high level of responsiveness. You don’t have to tap or touch the display interface with very much force. Rather, just hovering your finger over the interface will often trigger a touch command.
Disadvantages of Mutual Capacitive Touchscreens
On the other hand, mutual capacitive touchscreens require a bare finger, which may discourage some business owners and consumers from using them. If you tap or touch the display interface while wearing a pair of gloves, the mutual capacitive touchscreen won’t register your command. You must use a bare finger to control mutual capacitive touchscreens.
Mutual capacitive touchscreens are also susceptible to moisture. If you’re planning to use a touchscreen device outdoors or in other humid environments, you may want to choose a resistive device instead. Resistive touchscreens are more durable and better protected against the elements, making them ideal for harsh environments.
