Does anyone know how an interactive panel (Smartboard) is made?

[hibbard_pcc]

I am working on a project for a beginning electronics class.  I was trying to find out how a touch panel is made for things like a smartboard.  It dosn't seem like a very complicated thing in theory.  However it must be something major or they wouldn't cost so much.  Well that is unless "the man" is just trying to make some money off of businesses and the education system...lol

So anyone got some information let me know...Thanks

[Blunderboy]

Are you referring to a touch screen minitor or a circut board with buttons. I would try the site howstuffworks.com or watch the science channel show How It's Made. touch screens are pretty simple and so are circut boards to understand but just check those two sources.

[TrinitronX]

If by smartboard, you mean these: http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Products/SMART+Boards/

I think it is a touch sensitive display, we have some of the projector type models at my college.  We were playing around with it, and you can draw with your fingers, or the "markers" that are there on the tray.  Depending on which you pick up, it changes the color.  The actual color of the marker does not matter, you can mix them around, for example, put the red marker in the blue slot... then pick it up, it writes blue.  The eraser kinda sucked for us though... it was way too touchy and jumpy.  Precision erasing was impossible for us... it would randomly jump from place to place around the general vicinity of where we had the "eraser".

Kinda funny though after someone was doing a presentation when people started randomly poking the display, taking control of his mouse, as he was at the PC.