Touch screen: The on demand Human Interface Device

Touch screens has become the most demanded piece of device in the market in these few year. If I go back in time line, I saw the first touch screen device being used as a product in the market were the ATM machines of State Bank of India, which were built by NCR. Today if you see, you can find a touch screen device almost every where- phones, kiosks, ATMs, Malls, ticket counters, public display systems, iPhones, iPad and many more.
   What is the reason behind this device becoming so popular? What I think the reason behind the popularity of these devices are the ease to use them. You don't need to have peripheral like a mouse or a pen to interact with a computer. The other reason being the ability to interact with the output system directly. You, interact with the display directly. When you a touch screen it like you are doing the job not a machine sitting behind the screen.
   With all the success stories behind the touch screen I would still mark the technology as nascent. There is ample scope of development in this field. Well, guys you know you can build your own touch screen display. Its no big deal!! I am working on one now. I would post after its finished.
   What would be the market scenario if everybody can make a touch screen of their own. Well companies like Apple and Microsoft, will not like this at all. But to be very frank this is very possible. There are may ways to create your own touch surface. There are some standards which govern the interaction of application with a multi-touch device. Any device you build, just make it follow the protocol and you are done. You can now enjoy a lot of multi-touch based applications which are freely available in the net.
   Well, to speak more, have any body thought of having a whole computer in a piece of glass. I see no problem in creating one. Pure glass is silicon oxide. It can behave like the input as well as an output device. In the corner of the glass you can build you chip on it. It is possible. All we need some pure silicon there. Let see if we can have some device similar to the one used by the scientists in Pandora....