Atmel Showcases Next-Generation Capacitive Touch Sensing Technology at CES 2016

SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 5, 2016  /PRNewswire/ — Atmel^® Corporation (NASDAQ: ATML), a leader in microcontroller (MCU) and touch technology solutions, today announced it is sampling its next-generation force sensing technology in the latest maXTouch U series for smartphones. Atmel’sforce sensing technology expands the superior touch experience for maXTouch device users by bringing 3D interactions to enable users more intuitive control of their devices based on the pressure of their touch. The new technology differentiates next-generation smartphones by bringing an intelligent and exceptional experience for the user to preview, zoom, play game, text and much, much more, simply by applying various pressure to the screen with the touch of a finger.

Atmel’s force sensing technology can detect how much pressure a user applies to the screen and respond accordingly. For instance, a user can apply variable force to the glass on the touchscreen to activate various commands with their finger: slight pressure can be applied to the screen to select a gaming app and more pressure can be applied to start the game. maXForce technology will expand to multi-finger force sensing in the near future.

Atmel’s force sensing technology is available on the company’s latest generation of maXTouch U series devices. This well-received maXTouch U series addresses all the requirements for next-generation touchscreens including force-enabled screens and is built from the ground up with the company’s proven ultra-low power MCU and leading touch technology. These devices also support differentiated features for a variety of touchscreen applications including 1.0mm passive stylus, water rejection with stylus operation, multi-finger glove touch, hover and ultra-low power modes and wearable applications.

“As a leading supplier of the latest touch technology, we are excited to bring another depth of the human interface experience to smartphone users for their everyday devices,” said Brian Daly, Vice President of the Touch Business Unit, Atmel Corporation. “Atmel’s force sensing technology opens up a new element of touch that will quickly be adopted by next-generation smartphone devices. We are continuing to lead the touchscreen market with the latest innovative solutions and look forward to bringing new technologies to set apart our customers’ products.”