Hutto business develops innovations for business touch-screen technology

Touch technology and digital signage company TouchSystems specializes in touch-screen monitors and bringing innovations to consumers' fingertips.

The company has been in Hutto for more than three years, and is owned by Carol Nordin, Tom Williams, Kathy Stabill, and Elena and Michael Woolstrum. It first opened in Austin in 1996, when developers started seeing the potential of touch technology.

"[TouchSystems developers] were right on the edge of the touch industry, so they saw what was coming with people moving toward interactive screens," said TouchSystems Marketing and Communications Manager Erin Feldman. "Now everyone is seeing the possibilities."

Today, TouchSystems works with local businesses and large corporations in areas such as retail and medical fields to develop touch technology solutions.

"A lot of times it's a request from a customer saying, 'We want to be able to do this. How do we do that?'" Feldman said. "So then we set our team on it and figure out something."

The company also looks at current and upcoming trends shaping the technology industry to create in-demand products.

"We've got a really good team in the back that's looking at what people are doing now, what's coming up, considering the technology and seeing how it fits with what we're doing now and how we could explore it," Feldman said.

The resulting products include a line of touch-screen desktop monitors that can be used without a mouse or keyboard. TouchSystems also offers complete personal computer systems in one package, with products such as its Industrial Chassis Design (ICD) panel, IndustraTouch and Open Touch PCs.

Monitor sizes range from the laptop-sized 15 inches to 65 inches, and all-in-one PCs range from 12–20 inches. Feldman said as touch-screen technology expands, so does demand for larger screens.

"We're seeing people move away from the 15-inch [screen]; people want bigger screens," Feldman said. "We're going to keep the desktop monitors and things like that, but we're going to large format. Anything 32 inches and up is one of the big trends."

Various lines of monitors and PCs are available, from the V series for entry-level touch-screen technology to the professional-grade Sharp series and the executive-level X series.

For consumers who are not looking to buy new monitors or systems, touch-screen overlays are also available. Ranging from 30–65 inches and made from acrylic or chemically strengthened glass, the overlays can transform any plasma or LCD screen into a touchable workspace.

TouchSystems products function on a variety of touch technology programs. Monitors in the InnovaTouch series allow users to scroll and use more than one finger at a time with projected capacitive technology, the same touch technology used in Apple iPhones.

Upcoming projects for the company also include developing video walls, which usually utilize four or more touch screens to create a larger display. The multiple screens allow one large projection, or more than one projection at a time side-by-side, and a crisper image.

Touch tables are also in the works for collaborative efforts, such as in architectural firms or grade school classrooms.

To Feldman and TouchSystems, the company's work is focused on increasing the possibilities as technology becomes a larger part of everyday life, from touchable tablets to interactive screens in retail.

"We're used to being able to use a screen to do everything [now]," Feldman said. "I guess we're just bridging the gap right now. It's transitioning to different things."

TouchSystems products

• Optical overlays — Made from acrylic or chemically strengthened glass, can be used with large-format LCD or plasma screens to create touch screens
• InnovaTouch — Desktop monitors, touch monitors and displays ranging from 15–32 inches, utilizes projective capacitive technology similar to Apple iPhone touch screens
• All-in-One Touch PCs — Includes the Industrial Chassis Design (ICD) panel PC for uses such as kiosks and self-service stations, the IndustraTouch for sales and restaurants, and Open Touch PCs for kiosks, marketing and public space use
• Desktop monitors — Includes the eco-friendly M series, wide-screen W series, economical TE series, economical wide-screen WTE series and professional-grade P series
• ICD series — Made with resistive touch technology and meant for industrial use, such as kiosks, terminals and point-of-sale terminals
• Large-format screens — Includes the executive-level X series, professional-grade Sharp series, entry-level V series and large open frames
• Open-frame screens — Frames offer a stronger design for industrial and public use and flexible mounting options; includes the smaller open-screen K series and economy open-frame TE series

220 Tradesmen Drive, Hutto, 512-846-2424, www.touchsystems.com