HMI study: touchscreens are most popular

Touchscreens were the dominant input device on operator interface terminals shipped to North America in 2005, a recent market report by Venture Development Corp. shows. The study, “The North American Markets for Industrial Electronic Monitors, Operator Interface Terminals, and Associated Software—Sixth Edition,” indicates 62.5% of the industrial electronic operator interface (OI) terminals shipped to North American in 2005 were equipped with touchscreens, and that the share will likely increase further through 2010. The 2005 market for terminals totaled $612.5 million.

Keypads are still widely used and may be the lone method of input on some terminals, or used in conjunction with touchscreens. Keypad and mouse use is declining as touchscreens gain in popularity, VDC suggests.

Resistive touchscreens, at 84.5%, accounted for the vast majority of the 2005 North American OI terminal market in 2005. VDC attributes the dominance of the technology to its cost effectiveness and reliability.

Capacitive touchscreens have gained some market share since 2003 but still account for less than 5% of the market. Capacitive screens are considered highly durable but are more expensive and cannot be used while wearing gloves. Other technologies, such as infrared (IR) and near-field imaging, are used in some units, but are generally considered to be expensive and incapable of withstanding harsh environments.

www.vdc-corp.com

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