Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

CategoryEngineering

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Businessman analyzing data with a touch screen

Defending a Patent: Lessons from Tech Entrepreneur Hal Philipp

In Part 2 of a 3-part interview, Philipp — inventor of the modern touchscreen — tells Robert J. Marks and Bradley Norris about his struggles with Apple

When we swipe a phone or tap a touchscreen, few of us realize how much engineering — and legal grit — underlies that simple gesture. In an interview with Mind Matters podcasting, inventor Hal Philipp traces the path from lone tinkerer to successful founder, and finally to weary veteran of patent warfare. Philipp, a key inventor behind modern capacitive sensing and touchscreens, delivers a sober message for innovators: invention is only half the battle; defending your invention can define your company’s fate. From Single-Point Touch to a Full Touchscreen Philipp’s early work focused on single-channel capacitive sensors — one-button touch or proximity detection. The breakthrough came when he generalized the idea into linear touch sliders and then into a circular Read More ›

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Glowing light bulb stands out. Photo generative AI.

Cold Calls to Touchscreens: Hal Philipp’s Entrepreneurial Journey

Philipp’s remarkable story illustrates seven core entrepreneurial principles
His business grew — not from grand design — but from a series of smart, well-timed responses to opportunity. Read More ›
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Luxury cruise ship sailing to port on sunrise

The Human Body From an Engineer’s Perspective

My late father was a naval engineer. There are fundamental ways an engineer must think about any designed system. Let’s apply them to the body
The design of the human body, as Your Designed Body (2022) shows, offers many times more complex challenges than those of a ship. Read More ›