TDR technology could sense touch

Time-domain reflectometry, the technology used to find breaks in cables and to characterize transmission channels at high frequencies, could find use as a touch application, according to an article in Technology Review. Researchers at the University of Munich and the Hasso Plattner Institute have used the decades-old technique to sense touch in wires by sending a pulse and measuring reflections with an oscilloscope. Reflections are caused by a change in capacitance as a finger approaches or touches the wire. Researchers claim that the technology could be used to sense touch in everyday items such as clothing and coffee tables, although I’m not sure how that could be useful.