Mobile set to touch

Researchers at LancasterUniversity are working on new ‘touch’ technology that will transform the way in which people use their mobile phones. In partnership with DoCoMo Communications Laboratories Europe (DoCoMo EuroLabs) the two-year Multitag project aims to take touch technology a step closer to multiple connections and services.

One prototype currently in development is a system that uses a mobile phone as a smart stylus. Using this approach, a mobile phone user interacts with a display touching it with the phone. The technology was demonstrated at this year’s NFC Forum Competition in Monaco. The demonstration showed that a person can touch an interactive map to download information onto their mobile phone.

Dr Enrico Rukzio who is leading the research said: ‘At the moment we are limited to one touch interaction at a time, but if we can multiply these interaction possibilities we could do so much more. Imagine going to a restaurant and ordering a meal by touching the corresponding menu items with your phone’

The research project is funded by DoCoMo Euro-Labs. Other researchers leading the project at LancasterUniversity’s Computing Department are Robert Hardy and Professor Hans Gellersen.