NEWS ANALYSIS HAPTIC FEEDBACK
Boréas Technologies, a developer of ultralow
power haptic technologies, chose
to demonstrate the BOS1211, a low-power
high-voltage piezoelectric driver integrated
circuit (IC) to enable high-definition (HD) haptic
feedback in automotive human machine
interfaces (HMIs) at this year’s Consumer
Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
Boréas’ BOS1211 is seen as playing a
critical role in satisfying growing demand
for clear tactile feedback in automotive
environments.
“Haptic feedback is as old as the human
experience, which is why we find it so
satisfying to know that an object responds
to our touch,”
said Simon
Chaput, founder
and CEO, Boréas
Technologies.
“The advent of
the digital world
has increased our
need for haptic
feedback, and
that’s why we’re
seeing multiple
Tier 1 automotive
manufacturers
replacing buttons and touchpads with
haptic-feedback touchscreens as well as
top automotive suppliers embedding haptics
into their new display products. Our piezo
haptic solutions are intended to provide
automotive manufacturers and suppliers with:
performance, small size, enduring reliability,
and unparalleled power efficiency.”
According to Chaput the push for haptics in
cars is mostly about safety.
“This is in part being driven by research
that shows touchscreens as the most
effective input device in many situations,
Delivering better cockpit design
A NEW PIEZO DRIVER CHIP LOOKS TO ADVANCE REALISTIC HAPTIC FEEDBACK IN
AUTOMOTIVE HMIS. NEIL TYLER REPORTS
with haptic significantly reducing the glance
duration required to operate this type of
interface. As such, haptics increases car
safety. It’s a big reason why we are working
with so many automotive manufacturers on
haptic user interfaces for touchscreens and
steering wheels.”
Chaput believes that there has been a
significant shift
when it comes
to conversations
about automotive
design/
performance.
“Ten years ago,
that discussion
was focused on
car performance
such as engine
power. Today,
car commercials
are all about
“Haptics
increases car
safety. That’s
why we are
working with so
many Tier One
companies”
Simon Chaput
technology integration in cars, which is where
Boréas comes in. We allow car manufacturers
to create better cockpit industrial design
while providing a natural and much safe
user experience for both the driver and
passengers.”
Boréas is partnering with TDK, a leading
supplier of piezoelectric haptic actuators and
its IC has been designed to support TDK’s
family of 120V PowerHap piezo actuators.
“Touch HMIs in cars are evolving,” said
Stefan Benkhof, head of product marketing
at the TDK Piezo Business Unit. “From the
knobs and buttons of one-hundred years ago
to the flat screens that came to market over
the last twenty years, clear and responsive
haptics marks the next important interface
advancement in automobiles.”
“Piezo actuators, in theory, are the most
efficient mechanisms for converting electrical
to mechanical energy but they require a highvoltage
(e.g.60V or 120V),” explained Chaput.
“Current solutions are bulky and inefficient. At
Boréas, we have created a very efficient driver
that is small, low-power and can generate the
high voltage required by piezo actuators.”
More than 52.8 million automotive touch
panels will be on the market by 2020,
according to IHS Markit’s Center Stack Display
Production Forecast.
At the same time, however, more drivers
are using voice commands to make phone
calls and send texts, and are receiving
navigation instructions via audio. Although
handsfree HMIs sound safer for drivers,
research from Stanford University has
concluded that drivers receiving haptic
feedback respond better than those receiving
audio feedback.
There’s a biological reason for this in that
haptic feedback represents a smaller cognitive
load than audio cues when driving, when
drivers can be aurally or verbally distracted.
While research on whether tactile vs.
auditory or visual stimuli leads to more
distracted driving is on-going, it does suggest
that the cognitive load on the human brain is
less when that feedback is tactile.
10 14 January 2020 www.newelectronics.co.uk
/www.newelectronics.co.uk