In a University of Delaware news article from way back in October 2008, Wayne Westerman, the engineer credited as the lead inventor of multi-touch, described his inspiration for the technology.
Westerman explains how his bout with tendonitis played a major role in the development of touch-sensitive technology:
“I had an ergonomic problem and I paired it with a motivation,” Westerman said of the early inspiration. “I’d always felt that playing the piano was so much more graceful and expressive than using a computer keyboard, and I thought how great it would be if I pulled some of that expression from the piano to the computer experience.”
Westerman started the touch-screen project as his doctoral thesis while at the University of Delaware. The technology led to the founding of his company, Fingerworks, with his friend John Elias in 1998.
Apple acquired Fingerworks in 2005 and eventually used the technology in the iPhone. Wayne Westerman is currently a senior engineer at Apple.
Apple is currently continuing research in multi-touch technology. They have been hiring multi-touch specialists for about a year, and we have seen evidence that Apple is working on more advanced gesture technology.
Anyone else excited for three, four and five finger swipe gestures?
[via MacRumors]
