Novasentis Wins 2018 IDTechEx Award

BERLIN, April 11, 2018 -- Novasentis, a leading developer of film based haptic actuators, announced that it won the IDTechEx 2018 Award for Best New Material for Wearables. The award was presented at IDTechEx’s Emerging Technologies show in Berlin on April 11^th, recognizing Novasentis’ unique and patented polymer based haptic actuators which are being designed into AR/VR controllers, smart watches and other Wearables.

Novasentis has created haptic actuators using Electro Mechanical Polymer (EMP) technology, that are feather lite, paper thin (150 microns), and can vibrate at any frequency (few Hz to KHz).  The Novasentis EMP actuators can be embedded in the surface of any devices to act as a haptic skin capable of providing both localized and meaningful haptic feedback.

Novasentis transitioned from lab to pilot last year and has commenced design activities with several large OEMs on VR/Gaming and Wearable device makers. And its actuators will shortly commence shipping from a mass production factory.

“On behalf of the independent judges and IDTechEx, I congratulate Novasentis on creating a unique haptic materials technology that brings life into AR/VR applications and gaming devices,” said Raghu Das, CEO of IDTechEx. “We have been following Novasentis’ progress over the years and are delighted to see that they are getting traction in Wearables applications that we believe will continue to grow rapidly in the next three years.”

The market for haptic technology is forecasted to grow to nearly $3b by 2027 per James Hayward, Sr. Technology Analyst at IDTechEx, he expects polymer based haptic technologies like that of Novasentis to grow faster than competing technologies.

“We are thrilled to receive the 2018 Best New Materials Award for Wearables from IDTechEx,” said Francois Jeanneau, CEO of Novasentis. “We had been working on perfecting our haptic actuator technology and our work has been validated by customer design wins, investment from key supply chain partners and prestigious industry awards such as this one from IDTechEx. On behalf of our entire team of employees, board of directors and supply chain partners, I thank IDTechEx for this honor.”

About IDTechEx 

IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research and Events services, helping you profit from emerging technologies. IDTechEx Events provide an analytical, commercial outlook, taking into account market requirements, competitive technologies and development roadmaps. Attendees are presented with the full, diverse range of technologies but the main thrust is always on end user needs and commercialization strategies. For more information see http://www.IDTechEx.com

About Novasentis

Novasentis is the supplier of the world’s thinnest and most flexible polymer-based haptic actuators.  The patented electro-mechanical polymer (EMP) technology and products are ideal for creating rich haptic feedback and a completely new user experience for applications including smart watches, AR/VR, gaming controllers and many others.  Founded in 2006, Novasentis is privately held with corporate offices in Berkeley, California and research facilities in State College, Penn.  More information on Novasentis is available at www.novasentis.com. 

Contact: Sri Peruvemba; [email protected]