Universal Stylus Initiative

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The Universal Stylus Initiative (USI) is a non-profit alliance of companies promoting a technical standard for interoperable active pen styluses on touchscreen devices such as phones, tablets, and computers. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

It defines a two-way communication protocol between the stylus and the computer and allows the stylus to remember user preferences for ink color and stroke. It support 9-axis inertial measurement. [4]

Products started coming to market in 2019 including one stylus and several Chromebooks from different manufacturers. [1] By 2019, there were over 30 members, including Google and 3M, but some major players like Apple and Microsoft had not joined. [4] As of 2022, the promoters include Google, Intel, Lenovo, Samsung, and Synaptics. Dell, Sharp, and Wacom are contributors.

While USI promotes itself as an open standard, [5] access to detailed specifications is restricted to paying members. [6]

History

USI was launched on April 23, 2015, by a group of prominent OEMs, stylus and touch controller manufacturers.

Features

USI 1.0

  1. Two-way communication protocol
  2. Support for multiple simultaneous styluses on a single device
  3. Pressure sensitivity (up to 2048 levels in USI 1.0)
  4. Button presses and eraser functionality
  5. Tilt detection

USI 2.0

  1. NFC wireless charging capability
  2. Support for in-cell display panels
  3. Expanded tilt functionality

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Schoon, Ben (2020-05-12). "Hands on: Chrome OS works well w/ a USI stylus". 9to5Google . Retrieved 2020-05-14.
  2. ↑ "Google and Amazon Release Tablets Supporting USI 2.0 Stylus |". 2023-06-20. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  3. ↑ "https://universalstylus.org/" . Retrieved 2025-01-29.{{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  4. 1 2 Ong, Thuy (2018-02-01). "Google and 3M have joined an initiative working toward an open standard for styluses". The Verge. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
  5. ↑ "Research Shows Global Stylus Pen Market To Reach $24 Billion by 2027 |". 2022-09-08. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  6. ↑ "Membership Benefits |" . Retrieved 2024-10-08.


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