Touchy Subject: Motorola Invests In Sensitive Object
| by Rob Jackson on December 3rd, 2009 |
Motorola just issued a press release announcing their investment in a company called Sensitive Object who focus on multi-touch platforms with a bit of a twist:
The company was created in October 2003 with an innovative and patent-protected technology capable of “tactilizing” any surface. This unique software technology leverages acoustics to analyze sound waves departing from the point of a touch to precisely and cost-effectively transform any product into a touch device. Sensitive Object’s ReverSys® software can be deployed in any product benefiting from “touch-based” user interfaces including touch screen and touch control in various markets such as mobile devices.
A few of the key words in the paragraph:
- patent-protected
- any product
- mobile devices
I haven’t seen anything from Sensitive Object in action but the concept sounds pretty amazing. If Motorola can leverage this in the development of their own Android Phones they are going to have an incredibly powerful combination. Right now the Motorola Droid doesn’t have multi-touch support for default Google Apps and Apple has been suing the heck out of anyone trying to use pinch and zoom stuff and other multi-touch-goodies in the United States.
With Sensitive Object, Motorola may be onto a competitive advantage that they could keep from Apple. Whether or not we’ll see the fruits of this investment ripen is another question altogether, but it seems like good timing to make an acquisition like this.
1. Brian wrote on December 3, 2009
Great. So, your buttons and touch screen stop working when you are at a concert or loud party or something.
2. Ryan wrote on December 3, 2009
F**ck Apple!
3. Brent wrote on December 3, 2009
Oh Brian boy, don’t be such a dope, acting like you know everything about this product and it’s limitations at this time. Have you already used it? WANKER!
4. steve wrote on December 3, 2009
sounds like blocking patents maybe to allow them to enable full multitouch on their devices in the US (thats my hope at least)
5. Robin wrote on December 3, 2009
Maybe one of the patents of this company includes pitch and zoom (at the very least it looks like they hold soem multi touch patents) If these patents cover the same matter as Apple’s but are older then Motorola can a) Sue Apple for using multi touch b) use it themself in all their devices
6. MonkeyCheese wrote on December 3, 2009
@Brian i’ll help you out here. This is taken straight from Sensitive Object’s website.
“- ReverSys® uses 2 piezo electric sensors to pick-up acoustic bending waves generated by Touch.
- These waves are digitalized and compared to pre-recorded waves.
- A set of algorithms converts these waves in X, Y coordinates.”
Here’s a hint Brian its based on the soundwaves generated by….your TOUCH. Not the stuff in the air.
Look up “How sound travels” and maybe you’ll get what they are trying to do. Just trying to help.
7. ari-free wrote on December 3, 2009
I don’t get what they mean by 3D touch. This is not about playing with your fingers like Minority Report in front of your phone.
8. asqwerth wrote on December 3, 2009
Seems like a new-fangled theramin.
9. mirmit wrote on January 7, 2010
It’s now embeded in backflip I guess