Mechanical buttons on devices like smartphones, car dashboards and IoT gadgets continue to exist despite the prevalence of touch-based technology already used to navigate and control many device functions. This can be a minor nuisance for users when, say, they press a phone’s power button by accident and turn it off, or a source of major frustration, like when a spilled liquid leaks into a phone through its one mechanical button even when the rest of the device is relatively leak-proof.
UltraSense Systems is looking to replace raised, mechanical buttons on such devices with smart, touch-based interfaces. This week, the San Jose, California-based company unveiled TouchPoint Edge system-on-a-chip, its next-generation multi-mode touch sensing technology.
The company’s previous-generation TouchPoint Z sensor was focused on replacing an individual mechanical button on a device, but the new product is aimed more at migrating clusters of mechanical buttons to smart interfaces that could be embedded in a range of surface materials, such as metal, glass or plastic.
That ability to replace clusters of buttons could make TouchPoint Edge ideal for the rapidly evolving automotive dashboard. “Automotive could be the biggest market opportunity,” said Daniel Goehl, chief business officer and co-founder of UltraSense. “We have seen RFQs out there already where by 2027 companies want every mechanical button to be out of the car design.”
He added that while voice controls are another option for many devices, in the small space of a car’s interior, touch activation often can be faster than voice activation.
Goehl said TouchPoint Edge can directly sense up to eight standalone UltraSense ultrasound and force sensing TouchPoint P transducers, and uses an embedded, always-on Neural Touch Engine to discern intended touches from possible unintended false touches.
That engine’s ability to quickly process touch data is what makes it better and more accurate that the sensor on its own, Goehl said. Nina Turner, research manager of IDC agreed, saying in a statement supplied by UltraSense, “The challenges of replacing traditional mechanical buttons with sensor-based solutions requires technologies such as illumination of the solid surface, ultrasound or capacitive sensing, and force sensing. But those sensors alone can lead to false positives. The integration of machine learning integrated with these touch sensors brings a new level of intelligence to the touch sensor market and would be beneficial in a wide array of devices and markets.”
Goehl said other potential applications for the new product would be the replacement of clusters of buttons on home appliances, smart locks, security access control panels, elevator button panels and others.