Innovobot, TDK, Microchip and BOE Varitronix team up on automotive haptics display
Tech innovation and R&D design house Innovobot Labs is is teaming up with three technology companies to develop a next-generation reference design for automotive displays.
TDK will supply its patented PowerHap actuators, for sharper-feeling haptics. BOE Varitronix, one of the largest manufacturers of electronic displays, will provide the screen and related controllers, while smart, embedded control solutions provider Microchip Technology, will add its haptics electronics system, including amplifier and microcontroller. For its part, Innovobot Labs is responsible for overall system design and integration.
The project comes as a response to a need for more cost-effective haptic technology in the automotive industry. Large dashboard screens that lack good tactile feedback are challenging to use. Providing enhanced haptics to displays in cars and trucks lets designers add "feel and texture" to buttons, as well as sliders to touchscreen elements, a press release reads.
Currently, tier-level suppliers quote haptics at high prices because the currently available technology is challenging and risky. The product proposed by the project partners will lower the adoption barrier, allowing a broader number of suppliers to quote haptics more aggressively, with increased confidence in their ability to meet performance specifications.
"This collaboration is a perfect illustration of our open innovation model, where companies from diverse backgrounds come together to move the human experience forward. We are very happy to be working closely with TDK, Microchip and BOE Varitronix. It is a great feeling to know that together, we are making such a positive impact on the automotive industry," says Guy Lafond, Chief Commercial Officer at Innovobot, in the press release
