Google has recently employed Touchbot, its latest innovation in device programs, to weed out lags in smartphones and take steps to alleviate the problem.

Basically, Touchbot identifies input lag, or the amount of time it takes a smartphone to register a touch command like taps or swipes. The higher the touchscreen latency, the greater the lengths of time between input and output; in this case, phones feel sluggish and even downright unwieldy. These factors may be minor, but in the long run, it makes for a really inconvenient phone.

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Enter Chrome Touchbot, Google's first line of defense against annoying lags. This robot was developed by Finnish design company OptoFidelity. Its main components include various high-speed cameras and a mechanical arm. The cameras measure the time delay between the input and response, whereas the dexterous arm mimics a user's touch commands, like swipes, taps, and presses, and simulates typical smartphone user behavior.

The arm has a conductive cylindrical tip that allows Touchbot to identify the exact moment the mechanical 'finger' touches the screen, so as to accurately calculate the extent of lag. Should it be longer than average, or if the screen completely fails to register the command, the phone is set aside for further analysis.

According to Google's Francois Beaufort, the touchbot's movements and actions are then recorded by the high-speed cameras that show how "drawing a line on a screen is actually drawn in segments that fade in slowly."

Touchbot can simulate a wide array of test cases, so as to properly identify which parameters are likely to cause lag and how to prevent them. OptoFidelity has launched the Touchbot operations to the public, allowing any average smartphone user to define their parameters, simulate long-term product use, and in the process, catch sensor and software faults. Touchbot's source code is open and available for use.

Of course, it doesn't take a robot to figure out that one of the most common sources of lag is overloading the system with resource-hungry apps. Fortunately, there are a wide array of solutions and simple fixes available for this, ranging from cleaning out a cluttered storage system to purchasing apps that could identify the heaviest apps and helps the user decide which ones to uninstall.

TagsChrome, touchbot, touchscreen