Display Technology

Using tech to make touchscreens cleaner

Many customers are concerned about using public touchscreens. Luckily, there are multiple tech tools to keep touchscreens cleaner.

Photo: provided

August 11, 2020 by Ian Crosby — Sales & Marketing Director, Zytronic

Contamination avoidance practices in the food and medical industries have been in place for decades and are carefully regulated. The last thing that any processing plant or clinic needs is for their equipment to become a haven for bacteria or other microbes.

However, as touchscreen technology is increasingly becoming an integral part of our daily lives, whether it is ordering food at a quick service restaurant, buying a ticket at a train station or cinema, or using an interactive map in a shopping center, kiosk hygiene is of growing concern.

One story that gained widespread media coverage a couple of years ago was a newspaper report that touchscreens used on some self-service kiosks in quick service restaurants tested positive for coliforms, more commonly known as faecal bacteria. This is a worry for those customers who order, collect and eat food without washing their hands or sanitizing with gel. Hygienically designed interactive kiosks along with suitable cleaning regimes can help prevent such instances.

Kiosks help tackle COVID-19

Operators can be tasked with thoroughly disinfecting the units regularly, and kiosks can also be fitted to hold sanitizing wipes or gels for customers to use before and after touching the screen. In addition, as in food processing facilities, daily deep cleaning of self-service touchscreens should be implemented.

Designed correctly, kiosks can be easy to clean to help prevent the spread of microbes. When combined with the right touch technology, completely flush, flat and edge-to-edge glass/plastic user interfaces can be made, which are straightforward to disinfect compared with older, bezel framed designs, or mechanical controls, both of which create nooks and crannies that can harbour pathogens.

Coca Cola Freesytyle 9000

The Coca Cola Freestyle self-serve 9000 beverage dispenser is a notable example of effective and hygienic kiosk design. The free-standing units are installed in quick service restaurants around the world, enabling customers to select from a choice of different branded sparkling and still beverages or even invent their own drink combination. Here, the projected capacitive touchscreen is mounted behind a molded polycarbonate full-front facia that can be readily wiped clean.

Critical design factors

Sensors are available that can reliably detect a touch through the overlying plastic front, creating a design without an aperture for a touchscreen, making it both stylish and easy to disinfect.

With a suitable touchscreen controller set correctly, some projected capacitive sensors will not only respond to the touch of a bare finger, but also a gloved (including latex) hand or conductive stylus, helping to avoid direct skin contact with a potentially contaminated screen.

Furthermore, in some cases, it can also be possible to specify a customized touchscreen made with antimicrobial glasses or coatings that may help slow down bacterial growth and ultimately kill it given enough time. It is important to note that generally these treatments will have no effect on viruses, such as COVID-19, and that their effect is gradual and not instantaneous. Hence, they should be combined with a rigorous cleaning protocol.

Qmatic's Intro 17

Another example of stylish and hygienic self-service kiosk design can be seen with Qmatic's Intro 17 solution. The all-in-one unit delivers check-in and queue management via its bespoke, bezel-free touchscreen interface. The projected capacitive touch sensor features a fully flat, all-glass surface, where dirt and surface contaminants can be easily cleaned off regularly, making the kiosk ideal for use in busy public environments such as the waiting areas in retail collection points, hospitals and clinics.

A single, completely flat and hygienic user interface can avoid the need for mechanical keys or buttons, which can potentially harbor microbes.

Technology advances

Where a higher degree of tactility is needed so users can "feel" their way across a flat touchscreen surface, dimples, grooves and dials can now be precision machined into the front of the glass. The entire user interface can remain uninterrupted by holes and bezels and is therefore straightforward to clean, with few places for microbes to lurk.

Contrary to some perception, self-service kiosks can play a critical role in reducing the risk of microbial infection, as they minimize face-to-face contact and help maintain social distancing. But it is important to combine an appropriate touchscreen design with rigorous and regular disinfection.

For an update on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the kiosk industry, click here.

Images courtesy of Zytronic.

About Ian Crosby

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As VP of Sales & Marketing, Ian Crosby manages Zytronic's growing global commercial activities. Prior to Zytronic, he was Global Account Director at Filtrona, and before that he spent 15 years at Corning Incorporated. Ian earned a BSc (Hons) in combined Science at North Staffordshire Polytechnic in 1988.

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