Capacitive touch on your smartphone's screen (like the ones on your iPhone) is neat, but you know what's REALLY neat? Sensing touch interactions on every day objects.
Here's Touché from Disney Research (yes, that Disney): Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] - via Wired
I know nothing about this particular technology, but if it's using capacitive sensing, it means it's measuring how much electricity is conducting along something. This can be altered if you touch it, because our skin is slightly conduction due to the salts in our tissue fluid. This alters the conductivity of the surface, which is picked up by the sensors.
Regards
Biometric data from your household indicates that you are not active enough and sensors have automatically reclassified you as Sedentary. In accordance with this change, your monthly insurance rates will now be raised by 40 percent.
Should sensors register Active househould readings for a period of six months, your rate will return to normal."
Regards,
it will make you breakfast and buy you cigarettes