diff --git a/include/puara/descriptors/jab.h b/include/puara/descriptors/jab.h
index 160a561..5564e35 100644
--- a/include/puara/descriptors/jab.h
+++ b/include/puara/descriptors/jab.h
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ class Jab
   Jab() noexcept
       : threshold(5)
       , tied_value(nullptr)
-      , minmax(10)
   {
   }
 
@@ -39,17 +38,16 @@ class Jab
   explicit Jab(double* tied)
       : threshold(5)
       , tied_value(tied)
-      , minmax(10)
   {
   }
 
   explicit Jab(Coord1D* tied)
       : threshold(5)
       , tied_value(&(tied->x))
-      , minmax(10)
   {
   }
 
+#if 0
   double update(double reading)
   {
     minmax.update(reading);
@@ -73,6 +71,18 @@ class Jab
     }
     return value;
   }
+#else
+  //TODO VB: check that this works
+  double update(double reading)
+  {
+    const auto [min, max]{minmax.update(reading)};
+
+    if(max - min > threshold)
+      value = (max < 0 && min < 0) ? min - max : max - min;
+
+    return value;
+  }
+  #endif
 
   int update(Coord1D reading)
   {
@@ -89,6 +99,7 @@ class Jab
     }
     else
     {
+      // should we assert here, it seems like an error to call update() without a tied_value?
       return 0;
     }
   }
@@ -104,7 +115,9 @@ class Jab
 private:
   double* tied_value{};
   double value = 0;
-  puara_gestures::utils::RollingMinMax<double> minmax;
+
+  /** Keep track of the min and max values over the last 10 times Jab::update() was called. */
+  puara_gestures::utils::RollingMinMax<double> minmax{};
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/include/puara/descriptors/touch.h b/include/puara/descriptors/touch.h
index fbabafd..08861a3 100644
--- a/include/puara/descriptors/touch.h
+++ b/include/puara/descriptors/touch.h
@@ -18,8 +18,12 @@ class Touch
   float touchTop{};                 // f, 0--1
   float touchMiddle{};              // f, 0--1
   float touchBottom{};              // f, 0--1
+
+  /** brush: direction and intensity of capsense brush motion in ~cm/s (distance between stripes = ~1.5cm) */
   float brush{};                    // f, 0--? (~cm/s)
   double multiBrush[maxNumBlobs]{}; // ffff, 0--? (~cm/s)
+
+  /** rub: intensity of rub motion in ~cm/s (distance between stripes = ~1.5cm) */
   float rub{};                      // f, 0--? (~cm/s)
   double multiRub[maxNumBlobs]{};   // ffff, 0--? (~cm/s)
 
@@ -46,39 +50,25 @@ class Touch
    * the size of the array
    */
   void updateTouchArray(int* discrete_touch, int touchSize)
-  { // raw_touch
-
-    // touchAll: get the "amount of touch" for the entire touch sensor
-    // normalized between 0 and 1
+  {
+    //update the "amount of touch" for the entire touch sensor, as well as the top, middle and bottom parts.
+    //All normalized between 0 and 1.
     touchAll = touchAverage(discrete_touch, 0, touchSize);
-
-    // touchTop: get the "amount of touch" for the top part of the capsense
-    // normalized between 0 and 1
     touchTop = touchAverage(discrete_touch, 0, touchSizeEdge);
-
-    // touchMiddle: get the "amount of touch" for the central part of the capsense
-    // normalized between 0 and 1
-    touchMiddle
-        = touchAverage(discrete_touch, (0 + touchSizeEdge), (touchSize - touchSizeEdge));
-
-    // touchBottom: get the "amount of touch" for the botton part of the capsense
-    // normalized between 0 and 1
+    touchMiddle = touchAverage(discrete_touch, (0 + touchSizeEdge), (touchSize - touchSizeEdge));
     touchBottom = touchAverage(discrete_touch, (touchSize - touchSizeEdge), touchSize);
 
-     // 1D blob detection: used for brush
+    // 1D blob detection: used for brush
     const auto movement = blobDetector.detect1D(discrete_touch, touchSize);
 
-    // brush: direction and intensity of capsense brush motion
-    // rub: intensity of rub motion
-    // in ~cm/s (distance between stripes = ~1.5cm)
     for(int i = 0; i < movement.size(); ++i)
     {
       if(movement[i] == 0)
       {
         if(brushCounter[i] < 10)
         {
-          brushCounter[i]++;
           // wait some time before dropping the rub/brush values
+          brushCounter[i]++;
         }
         else if(multiBrush[i] < 0.001)
         {
@@ -87,32 +77,16 @@ class Touch
         }
         else
         {
-          //   multiBrush[i] = multiBrushIntegrator[i].integrate(
-          //       movement * 0.15, multiBrush[i], 0.7, leakyBrushFreq, leakyBrushTimer);
-
-          //   multiRub[i] = multiRubIntegrator[i].integrate(
-          //       (std::abs(movement * 0.15)), multiRub[i], 0.7, leakyRubFreq,
-          //       leakyRubTimer);
-          //
           multiBrush[i] = multiBrushIntegrator[i].integrate(movement[i] * 0.15);
           multiRub[i] = multiRubIntegrator[i].integrate(std::abs(movement[i] * 0.15));
         }
       }
       else if(std::abs(movement[i]) > 1)
       {
-        // multiBrush[i] = multiBrushIntegrator[i].integrate(
-        //     0, multiBrush[i], 0.6, leakyBrushFreq, leakyBrushTimer);
-
         multiBrush[i] = multiBrushIntegrator[i].integrate(0);
       }
       else
       {
-        // multiBrush[i] = multiBrushIntegrator[i].integrate(
-        //     movement * 0.15, multiBrush[i], 0.8, leakyBrushFreq, leakyBrushTimer);
-        // multiRub[i] = multiRubIntegrator[i].integrate(
-        //     (std::abs(movement * 0.15)) * 0.15, multiRub[i], 0.99, leakyRubFreq,
-        //     leakyRubTimer);
-
         multiBrush[i] = multiBrushIntegrator[i].integrate(movement[i] * 0.15);
         multiRub[i] = multiRubIntegrator[i].integrate((std::abs(movement[i] * 0.15)));
 
@@ -123,7 +97,7 @@ class Touch
     rub = utils::arrayAverageZero(multiRub, maxNumBlobs);
   }
 
-  float touchAverage(float* touchArrayStrips, int firstStrip, int lastStrip)
+  static float touchAverage(float* touchArrayStrips, int firstStrip, int lastStrip)
   {
     int sum = 0;
     for(int i = firstStrip; i < lastStrip - 1; ++i)
@@ -132,7 +106,7 @@ class Touch
     return ((float)sum) / (lastStrip - firstStrip);
   }
 
-  float touchAverage(int* touchArrayStrips, int firstStrip, int lastStrip)
+  static float touchAverage(int* touchArrayStrips, int firstStrip, int lastStrip)
   {
     int sum = 0;
     for(int i = firstStrip; i < lastStrip; i++)