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]
The original Touchstream Fingerworks by Wayne Westerman was created around 2001 if not a bit earlier…. A jewel indeed, gracious and really doing its job the way it promised.
Wayne did not *INVENT* the multitouch *CONCEPT* per se, but created this marvel — probably the first commercially viable, mass-produced standalone multitouch keyboard/mouse, i.e. computer input device. He should be as famous and great as
Engelbart, the inventor of the computer mouse, as Sutherland, Berners-Lee, Thompson and Ritchie, Strousup, Thorvalds, Knuth and other giants.
Just plug it in ANY USB-enabled computer (Windows, Mac, Unix, etc.) and that’s it ! No drivers, no mess, no nothing. Plus configurable, for anyone desiring, with a Java application to anyone’s liking: gestures mapped to key sequences. ANY. Long live Wayne, you and your pals at Fingerworks did such a wonderful job.
Very easy to use after a few days, with very few typing errors, absolutely acceptable compared to the huge gain in physical comfort. Very affordable — $300. (A Microsoft ergonomic keyboard goes for $250, for instance).
So sad that Apple refuses to sell anything comparable to it. The IPhone, the multitouch pad for MacBooks, etc…. these are 1/50 if not 1/100 compared to the original Touchstream. So sad. Wake-up, Apple people, don’t miss the real thing.
Can you guys be once more as great and revolutionary as you used to be ?… I had such tremendous respect for the whole Apple team for so many years.
Hey Apple people, there have been phone calls, acknowledged by front-desk people at your place, about this matter. There have been letters… Why refusing to sell it once more, while grabbing all patents possible and clutching onto them ?
There are many programmers and computer-using people who need that device… Many. MANY.
“Apple is working on more advanced gesture technology”……. why did they shut down the thing which WAS WORKING in the first place ?…. WHY ?…
Apple is going to the dark side of the force. No good. Apple, come back !… Either you or someone else will end up selling such an affordable device once again, and it’s going to be huge. Let us just hope it happens rather soon.