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First Look: Mindsensors TouchPanel Sensor

The mailman brought me a package from Mindsensors today!  The TouchPanel sensor is here and it looks great.  I’ve taken some quick pictures so you can get an idea of what it looks like.

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Front view, the screen is slightly less bright when viewed straight on but doesn’t seem affected at all if viewed at a slight tilt. I take it there’s a small processor in there somewhere.The sensor connects to the NXT with a ribbon cable.

The area on each side of the screen function as 8 buttons, 4 on each side. Very cool.  You will need to buy a stylus to go with it, though.  The user guide suggests a Technic axle but they can have very small edges on them that could potentially scratch it.  I would spend the extra $2 for a cheap stylus from your local electronic gadget store. The sensor’s price point will be around $50.

I’ll write some more when I’ve actually had a chance to play with the software.

About Xander

Xander Soldaat is a Software Engineer and former Infrastructure Architect. He loves building and programming robots. He recently had the opportunity to turn his robotics hobby into his profession and has started working for Robomatter, the makers of ROBOTC and Robot Virtual Words.