Japanese firm demos tech that makes any object a capacitive touch surface — stuffed cat on display, works with wood, ceramic, and plasterboard, too

Japan Display Inc. (JDI) has been demonstrating its ZINNSIA technology, which can convert a very wide range of materials into capacitive touch surfaces. Earlier in the week, at its exhibition at CEATEC 2024 at Makuhari Messe near Tokyo, it invited visitors to interact with a multitude of interactive touch experiences featuring materials such as wood, stone, plasterboard, fabric, and even ‘fur.’ That isn’t the full extent of the touch-friendly fun to be had, though, as exhibits shared in a MyNavi report included a furry stuffed animal and a house plant that made a range of noises when touched.

We have seen any-surface-can-be-a-touch-surface style technology before. However, some of those technologies use cameras (like the Xbox Kinect) to detect user/surface interaction, with all the drawbacks that entails. JDI’s ZINNSIA tech uses a capacitive sensor that can remain accurate and sensitive, even through thick materials, and even when the object has an irregular shape.

The headlining ‘stuffed cat’ exhibit consisted of a furry object which visitors could touch and stroke. In response, a cute cat on a computer screen would respond in a cutesy appropriate manner.

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Another part of the JDI exhibit included a wide array of touch materials using the firm’s ZINNSIA tech. Six samples were set up with the exhibit visitor being able to interact with any of them to turn a light on and off, or to dim it by varying degrees. Apparently, ZINNSIA tech can be adjusted so that a user doesn’t have to actually touch the surface – this could be welcome for using lighting controls and doors in bathrooms, or where a surface may be abrasive, for example.

Last but not least, the flexibility of ZINNSIA was showcased by making a houseplant touch-sensitive. The leafy plant reportedly emitted sounds when a user touched its leaves. This was disconcerting enough to give the reporter “a strange feeling.” Did they only now realize that plants have feelings too?

With JDI’s tech now sounding quite mature, it will be interesting to see if and how ZINNSIA becomes commercialized. To us, it sounds like it could be great for smart pets, smart home controls, kiosks, and more.

CEATEC is an exhibition that claims to represent the best in digital innovation, and in 2024 the theme was to move people “towards Society 5.0” by balancing economic development and solving social issues. Stuffed cats with capacitive touch sensing will surely have a pivotal role, or we might as well stick with Society 4.0.