Printed touch sensor for interactive packaging and display

In this work we present a study on the performance of printed touch sensor fabricated using conductive ink on paper substrates. The sensor system is intended to add values in surveillance of packages or in interactive point-of-purchase displays. The printed sensor changes its capacitance when it is touched or manipulated. The capacitance variations are readout using either a wireless or wired communication link. The most advanced system will utilize RFID or ZigBee readout technology while the simplest systems utilize a simple analog wire solution. The sensor technology has been developed to be easily integrated into high quality prints targeting applications such as large area touch sensitive commercial stands, flat keyboards at point-of-purchase and touch and manipulation surveillance in logistic chains.