Through a collaboration with three technology companies, Innovobot Labs is to develop a next-generation reference design for automotive displays. The solution is currently on display at CES 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
For the project, electronic solutions provider TDK will supply its patented PowerHap actuators for sharper feeling haptics and BOE Varitronix will deliver a screen and the related controllers. Microchip Technology will provide its haptics electronics system which includes an amplifier and a microcontroller. Innovobot Labs will be responsible for designing and integrating the overall system.
The project was started as a response to the automotive industry requiring more cost-effective haptic technology. At present, certain larger screens lack good tactile feedback making them harder for consumers to use. By enhancing and improving these haptics and displays in vehicles, OEMs and designers are able to create feel and texture for invisible buttons in addition to sliders for touchscreen components.
To date, tier-level suppliers charge higher prices for haptics because of the technology being challenging and risky to produce. The proposed product aims to lower the adoption barrier, enabling more suppliers to quote haptics at increasingly better prices, with more confidence in their ability to meet the required performance specifications.
“We are thrilled to be collaborating with Innovobot on the development of a new High-Definition Haptic Display to experience the advantages of the PowerHap piezo technology,” said Harald Kastl, executive vice president, TDK Electronics. “At the same time, we are strengthening our integration know-how to support our customers in the automotive and industrial segments.”
“We are very pleased to be working closely together with Innovobot, TDK and Microchip Technology,” added Jack Su, CEO, BOE Varitronix. “Each company is contributing expertise and resources from our unique diverse backgrounds to achieve new creative technological breakthroughs and co-create new value. We believe that working together, we will soon bring forth more high-end, diversified and integrated vehicle display products and solutions to the market and advance our development and promotion of smart automotive solutions.”
“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,” concluded Guy Lafond, chief commercial officer, Innovobot.
