Data911 introduces in-vehicle touchscreen display that includes safety features, works with gloved hands

Stealth mode is “a component where a user could press a single button on the display and essentially black out the video portion of the display—completely turn off the backlight to the video display, as well as all power and indicator LEDs,” he said.

“This is a safety concern for officers when they are driving around at night and don’t want to find themselves in the crosshairs of a suspicious person. They can simply press a button and black out the display and all of the components related to the computer.”

From an operational standpoint, the M7+ Multi-Touch Display has improved audio capability, so users can hear alert and notification tones amid oft-loud ambient noises that typically accompany an emergency environment, particularly on a fireground, Wise said.

Data911’s new display also supports the five-finger multi-touch functionality that Microsoft is requiring for its future touchscreen applications—even if the user is wearing gloves, Wise said.

“Some of our EMS customers wear nitrile or latex gloves. Some of our cold-weather users have winter-time, warm gloves,” Wise said. “This new display will now accommodate all gloved fingers, as well as a touch stylus.”

When asked whether the technology—known as projected capacitance—would work if the user was wearing thick firefighter gloves, Wise said it would.

“Absolutely,” he said. “That’s specifically one of the components that we designed for—the thick, leather firefighter gloves.”

Data911 currently is shipping a 12-inch version of the M7+ Multi-Touch Display. The company is in the process of developing a 15-inch version of the display, primarily to meet the requests of its fire customers, Wise said.