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On August 4,2020, in response to the impact of COVID-19 on businesses around the world, Freetouch™ announced a new patent-pending product that enables anyone with a smartphone to remotely interact with shared touchscreens, eliminating the need for physical contact with kiosks, ATMs, and other interactive displays.

With the world adapting to a new pandemic reality, there is a critical need for an immediate and easy upgrade to enable the safe use of existing shared displays, from wayfinding and ordering kiosks, to ticketing and payment stations, to museum interactives and educational experiences. Freetouch adds a visible cursor overlay to existing PC applications, effectively turning a smartphone into a trackpad for contactless remote control of touchscreens. Users simply snap a QR code to connect to a shared display. No app download or registration is required, and the user’s information remains secure and anonymous. A highly responsive interface lets users click, drag and scroll and perform multi-touch gestures safely on their own device to interact with touchscreen applications.

Freetouch was conceived and developed by San Francisco-based Stimulant, an award-winning experience design agency that has been developing touch-based applications for nearly 15 years; the idea was born out of countless conversations with clients concerned about their current touch-based installations. Current potential solutions include gestural interfaces which might require complex hardware and software changes and can be difficult for users to learn and operate. Freetouch is designed to be a frictionless 'set-and-forget' solution that can be installed in minutes.

“We’ve determined that the best solution to address this challenge must be intuitive and frictionless for a business’ customers and visitors, without a steep learning curve like gestural input or an obstacle like an app download,” said Darren David, Freetouch founder & CEO. “It should be incredibly easy to install and maintain, obviating the need for new hardware purchases, content development, or software programming, and 100 percent contactless without requiring expensive and wasteful PPE or other consumables.”

A wide variety of businesses that depend on touchscreens for optimal customer experience, like the Reagan Ranch Center, are struggling with the question of how to reopen safely while preserving customer experience. They recently installed Freetouch for their 3,500 square foot gallery, which features seven touchscreen-based interactives and hosts visitors from around the world. “Our touchscreens were fully contactless in minutes, and the user experience is faster and more seamless than I imagined was possible," said Andrew Coffin, executive director. 

360 Chicago, the observation deck located at the top of the iconic John Hancock Building in Chicago, IL, recently reopened to the public with enhanced safety measures in place. Touch-based interactives are front-and-center for visitors, providing detailed information about the panoramic views. "Freetouch protects the significant investment we've made in our digital visitor experience by providing an elegant, contactless interface for our interactive experiences." said General Manager, Nichole Benolken. 

Visit getfreetouch.com for more information.