The famous FAO Schwarz toy store in New York City is now featuring ThruGlass, a touch technology developed by Methuen, Massachusetts-based MicroTouch Systems Inc which turns the store’s window into a 24-hour interactive multimedia merchandising tool. C ustomers outside the store can touch a picture in the store window to shop for products in various categories, including Barbie dolls and accessories, books and corporate gifts. The ThruGlass touch technology is incorporated with a Toshiba Corp multimedia computer and television monitor into a merchandising system developed by Berlin, Connecticut-based Targa Systems Corp. Dubbed the Targa WindowShopper, the interactive system enables retailers to attract and communicate with customers outside the store 24 hours a day. All the components of the system are entirely protected inside the store, so retailers can use the interactive display to advertise products in locations where vandals roam. ThruGlass detects a touch through glass up to 2 thick. It is based on MicroTouch’s projected capacitive technology, which enables proprietary sensors to project a low-voltage field through glass or any other non-conductive material. ThruGlass TouchPads can be affixed to the back of photos or graphics placed inside a store window. When a user touches the glass in frontof the graphics, minute changes in the voltage field are detected by the ThruGlass controller and the selection is reported to the computer. The system also includes ThruGlass Speakers, which use proprietary projected audio technology to project sound through glass and other protective materials, making it possible to offer a complete sight, sound, and touch multimedia application through standard shop windows or through toughened glass.
