4 ms·

Touch screens are great for stuff that needs to be cleaned though so ER doctors are probably stuck with them.

tiedieconderoga 3y ago
I could be wrong, but I think I've seen removable silicone membrane covers over mechanical buttons in some pieces of medical equipment. Silicone is inexpensive and suitable for cookware that gets exposed to heat. I bet that sort of thing could survive an autoclave.
- tomxor 3y ago
  Yeah, those have been around for decades on all kinds of old specialised keyboards and equipment... The real reason stuff trends towards touch screens is people trying to keep the BOM cost low without considering cost to the user. A generic touch screen with dynamic controls is cheaper than a larger custom made keyboard or physical controls. It's the same reason we end up with power inefficient IoT devices that could be made with very cheap and efficient microcontrollers, but developing for those requires expensive expertise, so we end up with huge powerful ARM cores because it's more general and easier to code. The common factor in both of these issues is cost to manufacturer vs cost to user (power, safety etc).
NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
I believe what the OP meant by hatred is that ER doctors and Insurance Companies need to clean up after auto accidents caused by drivers who were distracted by mandatory touchscreen use (which is ironic when mobile phone use, and distracted driving in general, is outlawed in many jurisdictions.) I am sure ER doctors hate to use touchscreens as well, but that's for another thread.
- detuur 3y ago
  I did a project once for a touchless interface using a Leap Motion (remember those?) for use in operating theatres. The software was a 3D viewer for MRI scans. The surgeons attached to the project were excited, because currently they operated the software by telling the nurses how to rotate and zoom, which didn't work so great. In the end it ended up not working well enough (the Leap Motion would often give glitchy positioning data), but I believe it's the way forward.

I could be wrong, but I think I've seen removable silicone membrane covers over mechanical buttons in some pieces of medical equipment. Silicone is inexpensive and suitable for cookware that gets exposed to heat. I bet that sort of thing could survive an autoclave.

tomxor 3y ago
Yeah, those have been around for decades on all kinds of old specialised keyboards and equipment... The real reason stuff trends towards touch screens is people trying to keep the BOM cost low without considering cost to the user. A generic touch screen with dynamic controls is cheaper than a larger custom made keyboard or physical controls. It's the same reason we end up with power inefficient IoT devices that could be made with very cheap and efficient microcontrollers, but developing for those requires expensive expertise, so we end up with huge powerful ARM cores because it's more general and easier to code. The common factor in both of these issues is cost to manufacturer vs cost to user (power, safety etc).

NoZebra120vClip 3y ago

I believe what the OP meant by hatred is that ER doctors and Insurance Companies need to clean up after auto accidents caused by drivers who were distracted by mandatory touchscreen use (which is ironic when mobile phone use, and distracted driving in general, is outlawed in many jurisdictions.) I am sure ER doctors hate to use touchscreens as well, but that's for another thread.

detuur 3y ago
I did a project once for a touchless interface using a Leap Motion (remember those?) for use in operating theatres. The software was a 3D viewer for MRI scans. The surgeons attached to the project were excited, because currently they operated the software by telling the nurses how to rotate and zoom, which didn't work so great. In the end it ended up not working well enough (the Leap Motion would often give glitchy positioning data), but I believe it's the way forward.