Most existing devices are operated via the sense of touch, either via touchscreens or mouse, remote controls, keyboards, and other equipment. Some engineers, however, have been trying to introduce alternative interfaces that do not require users to touch anything, as these could be more hygienic.
Past studies showed that smartphones, for instance, are often dirtier and more loaded with bacteria than the average toilet, as they are touched often but rarely cleaned. Touchless interfaces would allow users to operate their devices without touching them, thus most likely limiting the bacteria accumulating on them.
Researchers at the Dutch Organization for Applied Scientific Research, Asahi Kasei Corporation, Eindhoven University of Technology and imec recently introduced a new optical imager with near-infrared sensitivity that could support touchless operation. This imager, introduced in a paper in Nature Electronics, could be applied on top of various device displays, ultimately allowing users to operate them using gestures or a penlight (i.e., a pen that acts as a flashlight).
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