Trondheim, Norway, 10^th March 2023 – Supporting the next generation of automotive user interfaces and experiences, TouchNetix is delighted to announce its aXiom technology now supports smart surfaces.

The unique aXiom user interface chip technology seamlessly and cost efficiently integrates underneath materials and fabrics. With the market leading signal-to-noise ratio, aXiom facilitates features such as touch, force-sensing, haptic feedback, and 3D proximity and hover sensing, even when the sensor and the user area is separated by an air gap. This technology can be implemented through all types of wood, plastic, glass, and fabric, and even in combination with one another.

Car manufacturers are increasingly looking to redefine automotive user experiences by providing intuitive, safer, and more modern user interfaces at lower costs. Backlit icons directly behind the dashboard fabric can be activated upon power-up or by the user utilizing aXiom’s 3D proximity sensing gesture technology. Combined with aXiom patented touch and force-sensing technology, this allows for a modern and low-cost implementation of key functions directly on the dashboard. The aXiom single-chip technology supports curved shapes, finger guides and sliders as well as buttons, either directly on the dashboard fabric, or on a touch display or pad.   

Vegard Wollan, CEO of TouchNetix added, “Customers can integrate market leading touch, force-sensing and touchless technology beneath a multitude of fabrics and materials by using aXiom. This enables modern cockpit designs with more intuitive and safer user experiences at a lower cost than the traditional mechanical designs.”

The aXiom family of user interface chips (AX54A, AX80A, AX112A and AX198A) are in production and available now. Demo, evaluation, and development kits for all chips are also available.  aXiom chips are qualified according to AEC-Q100, and the family is being ASIL ready certified.