Revolutionising Industrial and Military Interfaces: How Review Display Systems Harnesses Advanced Touch Solutions

Revolutionising Industrial and Military Interfaces: How Review Display Systems Harnesses Advanced Touch Solutions

By Daniel Burke, Marketing Manager at RDS.

In the demanding worlds of industrial automation, rugged field operations, and military deployments, reliable human-machine interaction is non-negotiable. Harsh environments—plagued by electromagnetic interference, extreme temperatures, moisture, and UV exposure—demand touch solutions that don’t just work but excel under pressure. Review Display Systems (RDS), a leading specialist in industrial displays and embedded hardware, delivers cutting-edge projected capacitive (PCAP) touch technologies tailored for these sectors. By integrating innovative touch control boards, water-resistant buttons, and ePaper display solutions, RDS empowers engineers to build intuitive, durable interfaces that enhance operational efficiency and safety in industrial and military applications.

Robust Touch Control for High-Stakes Environments

At the heart of RDS’s offerings is a powerful PCAP touch control board designed for smart manufacturing, human-machine interfaces (HMI), and military-grade systems. Paired with PCAP touch panels, this board addresses the chaos of industrial and battlefield settings where strong electromagnetic interference (EMI) can disrupt operations. Its multi-mode, high-speed anti-noise mechanism boasts a superior signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), automatically adapting to environmental noise to prevent false touches and ensure stable performance—even in factories buzzing with heavy machinery or vehicles humming with electronics.  

For military uses, where precision can mean mission success, the touch control board supports ten-finger multitouch at a blistering 130 points per second (pps), delivering real-time gesture recognition for tactical HMIs. It accommodates cover glass thicknesses from 1.1mm to 4.0mm, ideal for armored enclosures, and scales resolutions up to 16,384 x 16,384—perfect for 4K displays in command centers or drone control stations. Compatibility with legacy boards allows seamless upgrades in existing military hardware, minimising downtime during field retrofits.

RDS enhances these capabilities with industrial-grade bonding options, like tape or optical bonding, to fuse touch panels with LCDs. This creates fully integrated displays that withstand -40°C to 85°C operating temperatures and -50°C to 90°C storage—crucial for Arctic patrols or desert deployments. UV protection meets MIL-STD-810H and ASTM G154 standards for 1,000 hours, shielding against solar degradation in outdoor military signage or industrial kiosks. Additional features like EMI shielding and anti-IR coatings further fortify these solutions against infrared jamming or radiant heat in combat zones.

Waterproof Precision: Water-Resistant Buttons for Wet and Wild Operations Water—whether from rain, splashes, or tactical swims—poses a unique threat to touch interfaces. RDS counters this with redesigned PCAP touch buttons that eliminate false activations under heavy water flow (up to 12.5 liters per minute, akin to IPX5 rating). Using self-capacitance sensing and optimised firmware, they maintain pinpoint accuracy in submerged or streaming conditions, making them indispensable for naval vessels, car washes in industrial yards, or rain-soaked field command posts.

In military contexts, these water-resistant buttons support up to 14 configurable buttons with slide gestures, light-touch activation, and integration with LEDs or buzzers for haptic feedback—vital for gloved operators in CBRN suits. Their automotive-grade IC endures -40°C to 85°C extremes, complying with IEC 61000 standards for EMI resilience. RDS deploys these in EV charging stations or gas pumps for industrial logistics, but their true mettle shines in military bus stops or digital signage at forward operating bases, where users flip pages or adjust brightness amid monsoons without a glitch.

When combined with full PCAP panels, these buttons enable hybrid wet-environment controls, ensuring soldiers or technicians interact seamlessly with ePaper-integrated maps or control panels.

Sustainable Durability: ePaper Solutions for Eco-Conscious Deployments Sustainability meets ruggedness in RDS’s ePaper (EPD) display solutions, which consume power only during image changes—ideal for battery-powered military wearables or remote industrial sensors. Reflective technology ensures readability in blinding sunlight without backlights, expanding to low-light scenarios via RDS’s front light guides boasting 70% uniformity for even illumination in night ops or  dimly lit factories.

Addressing ePaper’s vulnerabilities, RDS applies optical bonding with UV-resistant materials up to 42 inches, preventing moisture ingress and structural fragility per MIL-STD-810H tests. This fortifies displays against yellowing, cracking, or ghosting in humid jungles or dusty workshops. Integrated water-resistant buttons allow touch operations in rain, solving wet-environment woes for outdoor military briefings or factory digital signage.

From smart bus stops to EV stations, these solutions reduce carbon footprints while delivering reliability—proven in RDS deployments for energy-efficient military logistics and industrial monitoring.