EPISODE · Jul 28, 2026 · 4 MIN
The First Touchscreen and the Physicist Who Invented It
from Tech History with Fexingo: Stories of Silicon Valley, Pioneers, and Industry Origins · host Fexingo
In 1971, physicist G. Samuel Hurst at the University of Kentucky built a device that could detect finger touches on a screen. Originally designed for particle accelerator readings, the Elograph led to the first capacitive touchscreen. This episode traces the invention's journey from a university lab to the Elographics company, the resistive touchscreen market, and how it laid the groundwork for every smartphone and tablet. Lucas and Luna explore why Hurst's invention wasn't a consumer hit for decades and how it finally found its way into the iPhone. #Touchscreen #TechHistory #GSamuelHurst #Elographics #UniversityOfKentucky #CapacitiveTouchscreen #ResistiveTouchscreen #Invention #Technology #Engineering #Physics #Smartphone #iPhone #History #Science #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #TechHistoryPodcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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The First Touchscreen and the Physicist Who Invented It
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