Current touch screen products on the market have severe limitations. Because of technical constraints, touch screens can wear out quickly under heavy use and are subject to scratching and damage from careless users. They cannot be used effectively in outdoor applications such as ATMs or gas pumps because they are hard to read in direct sunlight. And they simply don’t work when the screen area gets blocked by rain, snow, or an act of vandalism. To date, no existing touch technology has been sufficiently robust for unattended applications or exposure to weather.

VISSUMO force panels provide the most durable solution available today. Competing technologies simply do not match up to VISSUMO’s rugged characteristics.

• Resistive touch screens with a polycarbonate layer over the glass are rarely used where there is unsupervised public access. They are subject to damage from sharp objects such as car keys or ballpoint pens.
• Capacitive touch screens do not work if a person touches them with a gloved hand, as they would outside in cold weather. And even a small amount of ice, snow, or water on the screen renders it inoperable.
• Infrared touch screens are too sensitive to sunlight, dirt, and debris to function well outdoors. Surface acoustic wave technologies are also highly sensitive to surface debris.