Multitouch software: features and benefits for businesses

Areas of application for our multi-touch software

Multitouch software is used wherever complex content needs to be conveyed in an accessible way, visitors need to be actively engaged, and brands need to be brought to life. The combination of intuitive touch controls and interactive media content gives rise to bespoke applications that go far beyond traditional forms of presentation. Multitouch software has proved particularly effective in showrooms, visitor centres and for digital product presentations.

Multitouch software for showrooms

In modern corporate showrooms, multi-touch software serves as the central interface between the company, its products and visitors. Instead of static displays or linear PowerPoint presentations, guests can explore content independently and delve deeper into it at their own pace. Product portfolios, key business figures, case studies, locations and innovation processes are presented interactively and brought to life in an intuitive way.

Multitouch software offers the opportunity to visualise complex relationships in an understandable way, particularly for products and services that require explanation. 3D models, interactive maps, timelines and multimedia content create a modern visitor experience and support sales, marketing and recruitment processes in equal measure.

Multitouch software for visitor centres

Visitor centres run by companies, research organisations or public institutions face the challenge of presenting large amounts of information in a way that is accessible to different target groups. Multitouch software enables knowledge to be conveyed in a way that is both engaging and informative, allowing visitors to decide for themselves which topics they wish to explore in greater depth.

Several people can interact with the content at the same time, which encourages discussion amongst groups of visitors. This creates lasting experiences that remain in the memory for much longer than traditional information media.

Interactive product presentations

Another key area of application is digital product presentation. Multitouch software enables companies to present products, processes or services in a clear and interactive way. Visitors can rotate products, zoom in, explore individual components or visualise technical functions.

Interactive 3D visualisations offer significant added value, particularly for large-scale facilities, complex production processes or products that cannot be physically displayed. Sales staff are provided with a powerful tool for client meetings, whilst visitors can explore the content at their own pace. This is particularly useful for B2B presentations.

By combining product information, media content, real-time data and interactive features, a modern form of product communication is created that not only conveys information but also brings it to life. This is precisely where the particular strength of bespoke multitouch software lies: it combines information, interaction and experience to form a compelling, all-round solution.

Tried-and-tested software modules, customised to suit individual needs

Garamantis develops multi-touch applications based on a tried-and-tested software library. Media maps, 3D models, maps, timelines and other features form the building blocks. These are combined to create an application featuring your design, your content and the interfaces required for your project.

The key is the workflow: Which topics do guests choose themselves? When does your team take over the hosting? What information should appear on a second screen? We use this to develop clear user flows and test them on the intended hardware.

Our complete showroom solution demonstrates how the software is integrated into an entire room. We also provide a suitable CMS for the subsequent management of the content intended for this purpose.

Multitouch software modules for bespoke business applications

All of Garamantis’s multi-touch software is developed individually in Unity 3D for each client. Depending on the specific use case, different modules, forms of interaction and interfaces can be combined. The result is interactive applications that convey complex content in an accessible way and actively engage visitors.

Interactive visualisations

3D Globe: Explore
locations, projects and markets on an interactive 3D globe. We tailor the visual presentation, data scope and user interface to your application and the intended hardware. Locally stored content can be displayed without needing to access external services.

Product presentations using 3D models: Present
products, machines and systems using interactive 3D models. Users can rotate objects, zoom in, explore individual components or visualise technical functions – even where real-world insights are not possible.

Animated infographics and
POIs: Complex products, processes and interrelationships are presented in an accessible way through interactive infographics and 3D visualisations. Visitors can discover information independently via Points of Interest (POIs) and explore interrelationships intuitively.

Gigapixel images: Showcase ultra-high-resolution images with virtually unlimited zoom levels. Visitors can discover even the smallest details – from vast landscapes to tiny objects.

Interactive
maps: Maps, aerial photographs and geographical information can be explored intuitively via touchscreen. Thanks to our many years of experience working on projects for research institutions and space agencies, we have extensive expertise in the field of interactive mapping systems.

Storytelling and Presentation

Interactive timelines: Present your company’s history, innovation processes or future strategies using an interactive timeline. Images, videos, documents or other media content can be linked to each milestone.

Information cards and media objects: Images, videos, documents and other content are displayed as freely movable, rotatable and scalable information cards. The intuitive interface enables a natural and collaborative user experience.

Presentation modes: Control
content centrally via a tablet or smartphone, play back pre-prepared presentations or move content between different screens. This allows you to combine free interaction with professional presentation.

PDF and PowerPoint integration: Existing presentations and documents can be integrated into the multi-touch application. Content is optimised for touch control and can be intuitively zoomed, moved and viewed collaboratively.

Multi-user applications and gamification

Multiplayer games and interactive
applications: Collaborative games allow users to experience the possibilities of genuine multi-user software first-hand. Several people can interact with the application at the same time and explore content together.

Multitouch walls and large displays
: Our software supports smooth display on individual touchscreens as well as on large-format media walls and video walls at native resolution. This creates impressive experiential spaces for showrooms and visitor centres.

Sensors and smart interaction

Products and markers as control elements

Pre-configured products or markers can open content and change settings. Depending on the system, capacitive object recognition enables the detection of an object’s identifier, position and angle of rotation on the touch surface. RFID and optical recognition can handle other identification tasks. We select the appropriate method based on the intended objects and interactions.

Scanning leaflets and cards

An integrated camera or scanner unit can match suitable print media to known templates or capture them as images. Depending on the configuration, this takes place at a scanner bay or another defined scanning point. We test the capture conditions and templates using your actual materials.

Respond to an approach

Occupancy sensors can detect guests within the designated area and activate the application. Greetings and content can be displayed according to the detected position. The underlying laser-based environmental sensing technology used with multi-touch screens is described in the Garamantis patent specification DE102018124452B4. The system detects positions; this does not result in any automatic identification of a person’s identity.

Enter contact details

Contacts can be captured via input forms or an agreed-upon scanning solution. Image capture, text recognition and transfer to a CRM are distinct functions. We define data fields, validation, approval and interfaces to suit your desired workflow.

Data integration and interfaces

Interfaces and APIs
: The multi-touch software can be integrated with CRM, ERP, CMS or third-party systems. Content, product data and real-time information can be automatically imported, updated and processed.

Browser integration:
Where required, web applications, dashboards or existing business systems can be integrated directly into the multitouch software. In doing so, we optimise usability, display and performance specifically for large touchscreens and multitouch systems.

Demonstrators and specialised applications: Existing software solutions, research systems or technical demonstrators can be seamlessly integrated into interactive presentation environments. This enables complex technologies and research findings to be communicated clearly.

Real-time graphics, live data and offline operation

Real-time graphics means that the application renders images and animations whilst it is being used. You can rotate a product, change a parameter or adjust a scene instantly. This does not automatically require an internet connection.

Live data, on the other hand, comes from a connected source – such as a dashboard or an external calculation system. Whether an internet connection is required depends on this source and the agreed architecture. Locally stored media can be used even without a connection; external services, however, remain dependent on their availability.

Analysis and performance measurement

User behaviour and
statistics: Analyse which content is accessed most frequently and how visitors interact with your application. Customised KPIs provide valuable insights for showrooms, visitor centres and trade fair appearances.

Advanced technologies

Real-time physics and simulations
: Thanks to modern 3D technologies, physical processes, animations and interactive simulations can be displayed in real time. This enables particularly vivid and easy-to-understand presentations of complex topics.

Virtual Reality (VR)
Multitouch applications can be combined directly with virtual reality experiences. Visitors switch seamlessly between touch interaction and an immersive experience, whilst content is controlled and synchronised centrally.

Rolls-Royce

Garamantis develops bespoke multi-touch tables with capacitive object recognition and real-time 3D scenarios for Rolls-Royce Power Systems. Visitors can explore complex propulsion and energy solutions in an interactive way within a 3D diorama, whilst sales staff can transfer content from the table to the screen and present it clearly to even larger groups.

Deutsche Telekom

In the Telekom Experience Showroom, Garamantis’s multi-touch software, screen wall, lighting, sound, sensor technology and central control system combine to create an immersive presentation environment. Complex topics such as 5G, network infrastructure and disaster recovery are presented in an accessible way through interactive 3D scenarios and can be individually tailored and controlled for specific groups of visitors.

FFT Production Systems

An interactive showroom was created for FFT at the company’s headquarters in Fulda, bringing complex production systems, digital services and automation solutions to life. A multi-touch scanner table, a high-resolution screen wall, dynamic lighting control, sound and a CMS combine to create a presentation environment in which all of the company’s products and services are presented entirely digitally.

Wack Group

Garamantis created an interactive corporate showroom for the Wack Group, which brings the company’s history, product range and precision cleaning to life across several digital stations. At its heart is a newly developed 3-layer display that combines transparent OLED touchscreens, LED film and physical effects, thereby blending analogue materiality with interactive software.