Eggplant as a Human Interface Device

Touchpads operate by sensing the capacitance of a finger, or the capacitance between sensors. Capacitive sensors are laid out along the horizontal and vertical axes of the touchpad. The location of the finger is determined from the pattern of capacitance from these sensors. This is why they will not sense the tip of a pencil or other similar implement. Gloved fingers may be problematic (such as in a cleanroom environment) but can sometimes work. Moist, sweaty, or calloused fingers can be problematic for those touchpads that rely on measuring the capacitance between the sensors.
In an eggplant there are two conducting electrodes which are insulated from one another. The charge on the electrodes is +Q and -Q, and V represents the potential difference between the electrodes.
The eggplant (or aubergine), and in particular the specimen used in this experiment has the right weight, the right size and it is easily and uneffortly balanced.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• eggplant
• aubergine
• greens
• mouse
• trackpad
• trackball
• touchscreen
• multitouch
• Macbook
• iPhone
• liquid
• cat

[dirrtybird23]

so uh, how is the eggplant charged? i assumed that your finger would always have charge reassembly from ur body, but wouldn't the eggplant capacitance just discharge? The metal around the eraser side of my pencil will work, but only when my finger's touching a part of the metal. the screen side of my cell phone works perfectly, but I don't want to damage the battery or screen so I try not to use it. Is there anything that can be used as a stylus that's shaped like a pen?

[clintrock]

that's one scrambled egg plant.