Have you ever tried pushing really hard on your touch screen display hoping that your extra effort would get your message sent faster, or your call connecting quicker?

It is an instinctive effort in vain, but pretty much understandable –some people even press hard on elevator buttons in hopes for the car to ride up faster. We all know it will not work, but we still press as hard as we can.

This instinct is not lost on engineers who constantly design and redesign the gadgets and gizmos we use today. In fact, pressure sensitive controls are already present in today’s society and in a very unlikely medium. Video games are some of the most interesting pastimes, hobbies and lifestyles that people have, and it makes sense that many players find themselves eagerly pressing hard on those plastic buttons while playing. More often than not, pressing lightly on a button and jamming it hard achieves the same result.

Playstation 2 players however, actually get a little more reward for the effort, games like Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and Ace Combat Zero take advantage of the pressure sensitive buttons on the Dualshock controller, controlling depth of zoom and even complex moves (such as tackles or CQC as it is called in MGS) according to the pressure applied. In MGS, lightly holding down the square button will let you grapple an enemy, press it hard and you can permanently incapacitate the target.

This is done with pressure sensitive buttons –a mechanism not possible on touch screens. Fortunately, UK based researchers at Peratech hare currently working on a new form of technology that would allow users to use pressure sensitive commands on touch screens. The material is thin and can (theoretically) be fitted into any touch screen.

Will this be the start of a new era for user input technology? Hit the link to learn the rest of the details.