The summary of ‘Face it, Apple. You lost. – Sensel Force Haptic Touchpad’

This summary of the video was created by an AI. It might contain some inaccuracies.

00:00:0000:12:36

The video discusses Sensel's innovative force touch technology integrated into the trackpad of the Thinkpad X1 Titanium. Sensel's technology marks a significant advancement by using Force-Sensitive Resistors (FSRs) that detect the amount of applied force, enhancing touchpad accuracy and functionality compared to older resistive and capacitive touchpads. The technology's mechanics involve high-density sensors and a unique incorporation of a printed PCB coil and magnets to provide haptic feedback, which is more efficient than traditional methods. Sensel's touchpads show promise for broader applications in both commercial and industrial devices due to their accuracy, even in challenging conditions such as usage with gloves. This touchpad technology, measuring only 3mm in height, supports various feedback settings and is notably more streamlined. The Thinkpad X1 Titanium, though compact, exemplifies this sophisticated tracking system, with ongoing collaborations between Sensel and OEMs hinting at a transformative impact on future laptop designs. The video also briefly promotes services and products from CableMod and Micro Center, including professional PC assembly and an online tech community, suggesting further resources for tech enthusiasts.

00:00:00

In this segment of the video, the speaker introduces Sensel’s groundbreaking force touch technology incorporated in the Thinkpad X1 Titanium’s trackpad. This technology offers a novel way to interact with devices, surpassing traditional trackpads. The speaker explains that Sensel’s trackpad innovates by detecting the force applied, rather than relying on the electrical conductivity of a user’s finger like traditional capacitive touchpads. They provide a historical comparison, highlighting the drawbacks of older resistive touchpads and capacitive touchpads, thereby emphasizing the superior and more versatile functionality of Sensel’s force-sensing approach. Additionally, there’s a brief sponsorship mention of CableMod, which offers customized PC cable solutions.

00:03:00

In this segment, the video explains how Force-Sensitive Resistors (FSRs) work and their application in touchpads. It describes how applying force to a polymer containing electrically conductive particles results in numerous electrical pathways, effectively creating short circuits that reduce resistance. This change in resistance correlates to the amount of force applied. The concept of quantum tunneling is introduced as a potential mechanism, although there’s debate among experts. Sensel’s advanced touchpads use FSRs that are only one millimeter in size, allowing nearly 6,000 sensors in a small trackpad, vastly improving tracking accuracy compared to traditional capacitive touchpads. This high sensor density results in a more accurate and linear output, which reduces the need for complicated tuning like Apple’s trackpads require.

00:06:00

In this segment, the video explains the mechanics behind 3D Touch and Force Touch technologies. 3D Touch uses capacitive sensors to measure the distance between the phone’s front glass and the backlight, while Force Touch employs solenoids to simulate a clicking feel through vibrations. Sensel developed an alternative by incorporating a printed PCB coil and magnets to convert the whole touchpad into a speaker, achieving haptic feedback more affordably and compactly. The Sensel trackpad, with only a 3mm Z height, can be finely tuned via its configurator to adjust tactile feedback. The segment also highlights a webcam test on the Thinkpad X1 Titanium, showcasing the trackpad’s various feedback settings, and notes that the technology is more common in industrial and medical devices due to its accuracy, especially through gloves. Further details on the technology are pending patent approval.

00:09:00

In this segment, the discussion revolves around Sensel’s integration of their advanced FSR (Force-Sensing Resistor) technology into capacitive touchpad electrodes, achieving a size of one millimeter for enhanced accuracy. They combined this with FSRs around the edges and a voice coil in the center, creating a sophisticated two-layer PCB touchpad system. The integration underscores the advantage of having a single supplier for consistent performance. The Thinkpad X1 Titanium’s touchpad, although small, showcases exceptional tracking and functionality despite its compact size and third-party haptic solution. The potential of this technology is highlighted, including its application across the full width of a laptop, improved palm rejection, and integration of modular interfaces. Sensel’s ongoing collaboration with OEMs suggests a significant future impact on laptop interfacing. The segment concludes with an endorsement for Sensel’s technology and a brief promotion for Micro Center’s custom PC building service.

00:12:00

In this segment of the video, the presenter discusses the option of same-day professional assembly services offered by Micro Center for a fee. They also mention the new online Micro Center community, a space to discuss tech and get advice on custom gaming PC parts. Additionally, they highlight a link in the description for a free pair of wireless Bluetooth headphones. The segment wraps up by recommending another detailed video on how motherboards work, targeted at those passionate about tech.

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