Synaptics and Valeo to Launch Tech for Sensing Touch and Force in Cars

French automotive supplier Valeo and US-based touchscreen technology manufacturer Synaptics are now all geared up to roll out an innovative technology designed to make controlling an automotive touchscreen easier.

Aside from enabling a touchscreen in a car, the Synaptics ClearForce technology blends touch, haptic feedback and force sensing. Displayed at the recently held 2016 CES, this redefines the way electronics is controlled in an increasingly contemporary automobile.

According to Synaptics, the enhancement in the human-machine interface (HMI) enables drivers and passengers to more safely control car cabin applications by applying variable force on a touchscreen. If the user presses hard on a button on the touchscreen, they can make something happen that a single tap on the screen would not do.

Speaking at the CES, Rick Bergman, president and CEO at Synaptics, said that the technology is designed to be used side by side with others and users don’t have to interrupt their music to start navigation.

Synaptics is combining its ClearForce touch, ClearPad and force-sensing technology into a single chip for automotive applications. Some of its chips are used in vehicles today, but the company anticipates that it will be a bigger market opportunity in the coming years as car technology moves into the 21st century.

Moreover, users do not have anything to worry about spilling their drink all over the screen. Bergman noted that this is the great thing about capacitive touch. “We have what we call ‘moisture performance’ for phones and can use that in the automobile environment.”

At CES, Synaptics also unveiled a technology that adds haptic feedback to the buttons on a steering wheel, which enables the user to control things without taking their eyes off the road.

The technology is in its early phase of assessment from OEMs. Valeo is one of the companies anticipated to bring it to the market next year.