Methode Electronics, Immersion Corp. sign touchscreen technology agreement

A recent licensing agreement gives Methode Electronics Inc. the opportunity to use Immersion Corp. ’s TouchSense haptics technology. The move is expected to lead to new, innovative products for automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and non-automotive customers in a variety of markets, including industrial controls, aerospace, exercise equipment, and marine. Haptics technology is considered to be a growing advancement in HMIs for automotive and other industries.

Methode, a global designer and manufacturer of electronic component and subsystem devices, and Immersion Corp., a developer and licensor of touch feedback technology, announced that Methode has licensed a broad range of the technology. Under the agreement, Methode receives a license to use Immersion’s patented development tools as well as technology transfer services, and non-recurring engineering services. Methode’s global engineering team will work with Immersion’s research and development teams to bring Methode rotary control, joystick, touchscreen, and touch surface products with the programmable touch feedback feature known as haptics to market. The products are said to provide a broad spectrum of touch sensations to help inform the user, reduce distraction in the automobile, and improve control precision and speed in a variety of applications.

“The technology will help Methode redefine the driver experience,” said Mike Zuckerman, senior vice president and general manager of Immersions’s industrial business unit. Said Donald W. Duda, president and chief executive officer of Method Electronics, “We believe that controls inside automobiles, as well as on a number of other industrial and consumer products, will advance over the next few years, and Immersion’s technologies will be an important component of Methode’s ability to benefit from these changes.”

—Jeanine Katzel, senior editor, Control Engineering, jkatzel@reedbusiness.com

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