Force Sensitive Remote Controls In Consumer Products

Peratech and SMK Electronics (SMK) have announced their collaboration to incorporate Peratech’s pioneering and award-winning Quantum Tunnelling Composites (QTC) technology in SMK’s remote control products, consumer products and automotive modules.

Peratech’s QTC technology enables better human-machine interfaces through the use of accurate force sensing and has already been successfully integrated into SMK’s remote control prototypes.

Incorporating QTC force-sensing technology into a remote control improves the experience of using capacitive buttons, touchpads or directional pads, by requiring a press-with-force to send commands to the receiver. This eliminates the accidental input that capacitive buttons and touchpads can be prone to. QTC also enables new, richer ways of interacting with the machine’s interface: for example, a light press to fast forward at two times speed, medium press to fast forward at four times speed, and hard press to skip to the next episode. Peratech’s 3D Force Touch Matrix sensors are highly energy-efficient, enabling battery lives of two to five times longer, when compared to capacitive touchpads.

QTC force-sensing technology is also ideal for automotive applications, as force touch controls can be integrated under virtually any surface found in the cockpit including glass, wood, plastic, metal and leather to create a ‘smart surface’. 3D touch sensors can be mounted under flat or curved surfaces and objects, enabling richer interactions with the car’s systems and ensuring buttons only respond when there’s genuine intent to press them.

Mike Levin, CCO at Peratech, said: “Many of us have already experienced the benefits of force-sensing technology in our smartphones and laptop trackpads. It’s a natural next step to extend this to remote controls, cars and other products that we spend a lot of time using. QTC is robust, reliable, performs predictably and can be precisely tuned to determine what constitutes a light press and a firmer press.”

Paul Evans, President of SMK Electronics added: “At SMK Electronics, we are always looking for innovative ways to improve the experiences people have when using our products. Peratech’s QTC force-sensing technology is enabling us to offer some exciting new capabilities that are already generating significant interest from our customers. We’re looking forward to helping more of our customers experience the benefits of force-sensing technology over the coming months.”