Page 9 - EE Times Europe Magazine | April2019

EE|Times EUROPE 9

SPECIAL REPORT: AUGMENTED/VIRTUAL/MIXED REALITY
Kemet’s CTO Talks Virtual Reality

By Gina Roos

emet Corp. was acquired by Yageo Corp. in 2019, transforming eccentric rotating mass (ERM) motors and linear resonant actuators
the companies into a US$3 billion interconnect, passive, and (LRAs), with more recent developments around piezoelectric actuators
electromechanical powerhouse in the electronics industry. and drivers.
KThe electronic components manufacturer, which celebrated its Thanks to the NEC TOKIN acquisition, Kemet already had entry into
100th anniversary last year, has been expanding its product portfolio the piezoelectric market. In 2016, Kemet began a collaboration with
over the past several years in order to grow and innovate for next- Novasentis Inc., a developer of haptic and sensory feedback technology
generation technologies. for wearable devices. Kemet acquired Novasentis in July 2019. The two
Historically, Kemet has been known as a major capacitor manufac- companies are working to develop and commercialize electromechani-
turer for high-reliability applications, such as automotive, medical, cal polymer (EMP)-based haptic actuators for wearable and VR devices.
military and aerospace, industrial, and telecom. But in recent years, the The collaboration leveraged Novasentis’s haptic actuator film and
emergence of technologies such as IoT, 5G, automotive electrification, core technology and Kemet’s expertise in film-based capacitor manu-
wearables, and AR/VR has led the company to expand beyond passive facturing. The film-based haptic actuators offer an ultra-thin profile
components to play a bigger role in these growing markets and to and small size for haptic feedback in VR and wearable applications,
continue on a growth path. providing a variety of tactile sensations.
In order to enhance its market position, Kemet needed to develop The thin, flexible actuators deliver piezoelectric effects at lower
new technologies and products. The company’s move into new com- operating voltages compared with traditional piezoelectrics. They can
ponent segments started in 2013 with its alliance with NEC TOKIN. It also produce audible sound when they vibrate in response to audio
acquired the company outright in 2017, gaining entry into a range of signals, similar to speakers, simultaneously providing haptic and audio
new products and solutions, including temperature sensors, current feedback. With the Novasentis LiveTouch haptic skin technology,
sensors, piezoelectric actuators, current transformers, inductors, filters, designers can add touch to the surface of products, providing localized
and supercapacitors. and natural authentic touch sensations, as well as programmable and
One emerging technology that Kemet had its eye on was haptics, customizable effects for a range of sensations.
or tactile feedback, which improves the user’s touch experience on all In an interview with EE Times Europe sister publication Electronic
kinds of devices, from smartphones to headsets. With the addition of Products, Philip Lessner, Ph.D., Kemet’s senior vice president and CTO,
haptics and some software, OEM designers can create a different user said that he is starting to see real-world uses for VR in industrial set-
experience while differentiating their products. tings, including Kemet’s factory locations, where VR is helping to train
Traditionally, the two key technologies used for haptic actuators are workers on complex equipment. Excerpts appear below.

ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS: What are the EP: What differentiates Novasentis’s for 25-V and 35-V parts for the input power,
basic building blocks, at the component haptic technology from competitors? similar to what you would see in high-end
level, for AR/VR devices? Lessner: Most haptics are done via an laptop computers. Apple, is, of course, a big
Philip Lessner: I’ll talk primarily about the electromagnetic coil or something similar, so user of polymer tantalum for the MacBooks.
two technologies that we have. One building they’re fairly bulky and intrusive. We have a It’s about getting the most capacitance into
block for these very advanced computers is polymer film that when you apply a voltage the smallest constrained space as possible.
coming up with the lightest power- signal to it, it vibrates and provides that
conversion components. It really means haptics experience. How we’re differentiated EP: In terms of sensors — the second
capacitors, and from traditional devices are the advantages building block that you offer — do
in our case, it’s of miniaturization and better integration into you think that sensors, in general, are
polymer tantalum end products like a glove or vest. the biggest area of innovation for VR
capacitors. The original work for the polymer film applications?
So it’s the came out of Pennsylvania State University. Lessner: Yes, I think [they] will be. In
portability and Novasentis bought the patent, along with general, you need a lot of sensors on these
wearability aspect other add-on patents after that. We don’t devices, and of course, a lot of them take
of it — provid- believe anybody else in the world can make a advantage of the sensors that have been
ing high-power device quite like this. incorporated into smartphones and other
Philip Lessner computing in a very devices, as part of continuing cost reductions.
confined space. EP: What makes polymer tantalum We believe the haptic ones, in particular, give
The other is the sensory experience. We’ve capacitors a good dielectric for these a differentiated experience.
had a long-term partnership with Novasentis applications? I’ve done a few demonstrations using the
to make flexible, lightweight, and minia- Lessner: We’ve done some designs into Oculus headset. With our polymer haptic
turized haptic devices that give you a sense various headsets, and what makes it a good sensors, you can actually simulate different
of touch. And the first market penetration dielectric is the high capacitance and the textures and feelings. For example, if you’re
we’re seeing for these devices — what we call retention of capacitance with bias. We’re in a VR environment and you’re running your
polymer actuators — is in the VR/AR commu- seeing a lot of use of the polymer tantalums hand across a brick wall or you pick up a ball,
nity for use in gloves and vests and in other on 3.3-V and 5-V rails where they need some- you can actually feel not only the sensation
applications in which they want to provide thing either for filtering or for power holdup. of touching, but you can actually simulate the
some type of touch or tactile feedback. There are a few applications and requests different textures, so it makes it very realistic.

www.eetimes.eu | APRIL 2020