GM's UV touchscreens: Smudge-free innovation for phones and cars

Fingerprint smudges on touchscreens are a common problem that irritates most smartphone users. Engineers at General Motors, however, decided to find a solution that can be used in cars and other devices such as phones or laptops.

Finger smudges on touchscreens are one of those small but annoying issues we deal with daily. In the era of advanced technologies, where interaction with screens has become standard in both mobile devices and cars, manufacturers have started searching for innovative solutions to eliminate this problem. One of the leading players in this field are automotive manufacturers introducing new technologies and materials that minimize the visibility of fingerprint smudges on car touchscreens. Innovative protective coatings, self-cleaning surfaces, and advanced smudge-eliminating methods are just a few of the solutions that could revolutionize the comfort of using modern multimedia systems.

Modern touchscreens are becoming increasingly ubiquitous, but their surfaces easily get dirty, leaving greasy smudges. Although there are cleaning wipes and foams, they are not an ideal solution. General Motors, however, has a chance to change this, thanks to a patent granted in February 2023 by the United States Patent Office here you can see the patent.

Standard LED screens consist of diodes emitting red, green, and blue light, creating a full colour range. The new feature in General Motors' proposal is the addition of a fourth diode emitting ultraviolet light. Although invisible to the human eye, it is key to activating the self-cleaning screen.

This technology covers the screen with a transparent photocatalyst layer, most likely titanium dioxide, which is already used in self-cleaning photovoltaic panels.

When titanium dioxide is exposed to ultraviolet light, it changes properties from hydrophobic to hydrophilic, beginning to attract moisture from the air. This reaction generates free radicals that effectively break down organic contaminants on the screen's surface, including fingerprint smudges and grease.

Access to sunlight and UV radiation is natural in the case of photovoltaic panels or windows, but inside cars, the situation is different. Therefore, GM engineers envisioned additional UV diodes creating a controlled environment. The self-cleaning process can be activated on demand or automatically when the car is started.

Although the patent belongs to General Motors and is initially intended for car use, this technology could also be used in other devices with touchscreens, such as laptops, tablets, or TVs. UV diodes could also be mounted in the frames around the display, making it a universal solution.

At this stage, it is just a patent, but if the technology proves successful, it could solve the problem of dirty screens for good. Touchscreens are practical but get dirty quickly, affecting their appearance and hygiene. One can only hope that this innovation will hit the market soon.