Can a traditional tablet screen be made to sense light?

[GlobusDiablo]

Here's a question for all you techies out there.

Can a traditional tablet touch screen sense light, and if not, can it be made to?

My initial thinking is that the screen can emit light. But can it also, through software, be made to register light?... Hm...

Thanks in advance

[Feldspar]

You could possibly build one especially to do that, but you cannot through software make it do something that needs specialist hardware.

[GlobusDiablo]

You could possibly build one especially to do that, but you cannot through software make it do something that needs specialist hardware.

Indeed. So a regular tablet touch screen isn't in any way capable of registering light sources. Edit: only touch.

Thanks Feldspar. Fly safe

[TorTorden]

But most tablets and smart phones has light sensors, not in the screen but near it. Mostly used to dim the screen in low light conditions to save on battery power and vice versa.

How sensitive or hoe detailed and responsive that sensor is I wouldn't know but I'm sure you could use it for something.
But then again I'm sure you can probably get more use out of the actual camera.

They mostly look like very tiny camera's (which is probably what they are) and if i put my thumb over on this very tablet the screen will dim a few seconds later, as if I turned the lights off.

[GlobusDiablo]

But most tablets and smart phones has light sensors, not in the screen but near it. Mostly used to dim the screen in low light conditions to save on battery power.

How sensitive or hoe detailed and responsive that sensor is I wouldn't know but I'm sure you could it for something.
But then again I'm sure you can probably get more use out of the actual camera.

Yeah, I read something along those lines somewhere too. Thanks TT.

[TorTorden]

[GlobusDiablo]

...

Yeah, but I'm wanting the touch screen itself to emit and register light sources. Not only touch. Oh well.

[Schmobius]

Why would the screen itself registering light be of any benefit?

[TorTorden]

I was never truly certain but I think the never really in production first Microsoft surface had a screen capable of this. Granted it was basically a camera inside in each pixel and horrendously expensive .

By surface I don't mean the tablets but the big ass table.http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/20/micr ... ass-table/

[GlobusDiablo]

Why would the screen itself registering light be of any benefit?

I was wondering if it was possible to use a tablet as a scanner.

I was never truly certain but I think the never really in production first Microsoft surface had a screen capable of this. Granted it was basically a camera inside in each pixel and horrendously expensive .

By surface I don't mean the tablets but the big ass table.http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/20/micr ... ass-table/

Excellent link TT. I reckon we'll have them a few years down the line eh?