A Touch Panel is a sensor type device fabricated by forming a transparent electrode on a substrate of glass or film.

There are different types of touch panels such as capacitive, resistive, IR, etc.Futaba only develops/produces Capacitive Touch Panel which recognizes the touched coordinates by a change in the touch capacitance.

The touch panel is typically used in conjunction with a display device such as a LCD.

When you touch the screen of the touch panel, the position coordinates/operation information is processed by a microprocessor and related software.This provides an intuitive user interface by directly touching the screen without any input devices required such as a keyboard or mouse.

Touch panels have become a part of daily life

A touch panel is a piece of equipment that lets users interact with a computer by touching the screen directly. Incorporating features into the monitor like sensors that detect touch actions makes it possible to issue instructions to a computer by having it sense the position of a finger or stylus. Essentially, it becomes a device fusing the two functions of display and input.

It's perhaps not something we think of often, but touch panels have integrated themselves into every aspect of our lives. People who enjoy using digital devices like smartphones interact with touch panels all the time in everyday life—but so do others, at devices like bank ATMs, ticket vending machines in railway stations, electronic kiosks inside convenience stores, digital photo printers at mass merchandisers, library information terminals, photocopiers, and car navigation systems. 

A major factor driving the spread of touch panels is the benefits they offer in the way of intuitive operation. Since they can be used for input through direct contact with icons and buttons, they're easy to understand and easily used, even by people unaccustomed to using computers. Touch panels also contribute to miniaturization and simplification of devices by combining display and input into a single piece of equipment. Since touch panel buttons are software, not hardware, their interfaces are easily changed through software.