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]
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]
![[icon]](#/media/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2024) |
History
USI was launched on April 23, 2015, by a group of prominent OEMs, stylus and touch controller manufacturers.
- September 22, 2016: Release of the USI 1.0 Stylus and Device Specification
- September 26, 2019: Announcement of the first 14 companies with products using the USI 1.0 Specification
- June 10, 2020: Launch of the USI active stylus certification program
- February 28, 2022: Release of USI Version 2.0 specification
Features
USI 1.0
- Two-way communication protocol
- Support for multiple simultaneous styluses on a single device
- Pressure sensitivity (up to 2048 levels in USI 1.0)
- Button presses and eraser functionality
- Tilt detection
USI 2.0
- NFC wireless charging capability
- Support for in-cell display panels
- Expanded tilt functionality
| This section needs expansion with: certification, certification testing and licensing. You can help by adding to it. (August 2020) |
See also
References
External links
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