A touch screen display is a touch sensitive input device that performs both the functions of the video display unit and the input devices (keyboard and mouse). Touch screens have been very popular in the past few years and we can see them all over malls, airports, fast food restaurants, and ATMs.

Touch screen technology has been around since the 1970s and there are several companies that manufacture touch screen equipments. A touch screen saves a lot of space and maintenance and this has made them popular for information kiosks. These touch screen displays come either in the form of touch screen monitors or add-on panels that are fixed over a regular display monitor.

A touch screen display has three primary components that allow it to function: the touch sensor, the controller, and the software driver. The software driver is the application program that transcribes touch sensations into commands and communicates with the operating system installed on the computer. The controller is a PC card that connects the touch sensor to the PC. It is a small gadget that translates information from the touch sensor into information that is comprehensible to the PC.

There are several touch sensitive technologies applied in manufacturing touch-screen displays. The display can be based from resistive, capacitive, or surface wave sensory technology. A resistive touch screen display is one where a thin metallic resistive layer acts as the main sensory layer. The layer poses resistance to touch and transmits it as an electrical pulse. In contrast to this, the capacitive touch screen display uses the capacitive tendency of the human body to cause interference in its own capacitive layer and sense touch. The other alternative, the surface wave touch screen, uses ultrasonic waves. These waves pass over the touch panel. Some waves are absorbed when a user touches the screen. This wave alteration registers the touch event and the location.

Touch screen technology uses advanced principles of physics but the touch screen simplifies communication tremendously. With user-friendly operation and an attractive interface, touch screen displays are highly preferred for games, training, and at information desks.