Sensors for interfacing with consumer electronics

Purpose - The paper aims to describe the sensors used for interfacing with consumer electronic devices. Design/methodology/approach - The paper describes the types of sensors employed in user-interface devices such as trackballs, mice, touch pads, touch screens and gesture-based systems. It concludes with a brief consideration of brain-computer interface technology. Findings - It is shown that a diverse range of sensors is used to interface with consumer electronics. They are based on optical, electrical, acoustic and solid-state (MEMS) technologies. In the longer term, many may ultimately be replaced by sensors that interpret thought by detecting brain waves. Originality/value - The paper provides a timely review of the sensors used to interface with consumer electronics. These constitute a very large and rapidly growing market.