SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Immersion Corporation (Nasdaq:IMMR), a leading developer and licensor of touch feedback technology, today announced that it has executed a licensing agreement with Bayer MaterialScience AG (BMS), a haptics technology provider with its affiliate Artificial Muscle, Inc. (AMI). The agreement allows BMS to bundle an Immersion technology license with its actuator (including Bayfol Reflex™ products), providing a total haptics solution to its customers.
“We’re pleased to extend our IP to the innovative, new haptics technology from BMS. This next generation of high-fidelity haptic actuator based on BMS’s electroactive polymer technology can offer our customers an improved solution with rapid response time, extensive customizability and low power consumption,” explains Dennis Sheehan, VP of Marketing at Immersion. “As haptics technologies continue to evolve and gain acceptance in consumer markets, our goal is to work with market leaders to incorporate our IP with innovative haptics technologies to ultimately enable better consumer experiences.”
Immersion’s extensive IP portfolio covers a broad range of fundamental haptics designs as well as critical GUI-based interactions that enable next-generation haptics experiences that deliver realistic touch effects. The company recently announced it had been awarded its 500th patent in its worldwide portfolio of over 1,000 granted and pending patents.
“We are excited to be able to simplify the adoption of our actuators by providing our customers with a bundled solution that includes our Bayfol Reflex™ actuators and a license to Immersion’s extensive IP portfolio,” explains Dirk Schapeler, CEO of AMI. “BMS´s customers are looking to deliver compelling haptics experiences to consumers, and by bundling an Immersion IP license with our actuators, we are delivering a full solution to our customers.”
BMS’s Bayfol Reflex™ actuators enable complete customizability of output effect almost like a high fidelity speaker for the sense of touch. Bayfol Reflex™ opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for user experience designers to create products that captivate consumers. Its very thin design and customizability enable easy integration into mobile phones and gaming devices. The first products with BMS’s Bayfol Reflex™ actuators are scheduled to be launched in the first quarter of 2011.
About Immersion (www.immersion.com)
Founded in 1993, Immersion (NASDAQ: IMMR) is the leading innovator in haptics technology; the company's touch feedback solutions deliver a more compelling sense of the digital world. Using Immersion's high-fidelity haptic systems, partners can transform user experiences with unique and customizable touch feedback effects; excite the senses in games, videos and music; restore "mechanical" feel by providing intuitive and unmistakable confirmation; improve safety by overcoming distractions while driving or performing a medical procedure; and expand usability when audio and visual feedback are ineffective. Immersion's TouchSense technology provides haptics in mobile phone, automotive, gaming, medical and consumer electronics products from world-class companies. With over 1,000 issued or pending patents in the U.S. and other countries, Immersion helps bring the digital universe to life.
About Bayer MaterialScience
With 2009 sales of EUR 7.5 billion, Bayer MaterialScience is among the world’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction and the sports and leisure industries. At the end of 2009, Bayer MaterialScience had 30 production sites and employed approximately 14,300 people around the globe. Bayer MaterialScience is a Bayer Group company.
About Artificial Muscle, Inc. (www.artificialmuscle.com)
Artificial Muscle, Inc. (AMI) was acquired by BMS LLC in March 2010. AMI is a leading developer of Electroactive Polymers (EAPs) for the consumer electronics industry. EAPs enable innovative designs with rapid response time, precise controllability, energy efficiency and a wide range of customizability. AMI saw the emerging need for haptics in consumer electronics driven by the proliferation of touchscreens. After surveying the market further, AMI found that customers were unhappy with the limitations of available haptic actuators. So, in late 2008 AMI chose to leverage the real-time response and versatility of EAPs to create its Reflex brand of haptic actuators. Bayfol Reflex™ actuators are targeted at a wide range of consumer electronics including smartphones and other portable electronics, computer peripherals, gaming controllers, and touchpads, as well as POS kiosks, industrial controls and casino gaming machines.
AMI initially targeted its EAP products for a range of applications including valves, pumps, positioners, power generation applications, and sensors. An extensive qualification program has demonstrated that AMI EAPs offer long endurance and high reliability, as well as stable performance in a wide range of operating environments. AMI currently owns, or has exclusive license to, more than 70 issued patents in the U.S. and other countries. Artificial Muscle, Inc. was acquired by Bayer MaterialScience LLC in March, 2010, and operates within the Bayer MaterialScience LLC organization.
Immersion Corporation Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove incorrect, could cause the results of Immersion Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
All statements, other than the statements of historical fact, are statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the statement regarding haptics technologies continuing to evolve and gain acceptance in consumer markets, the statement regarding our goal to work with market leaders to incorporate Immersion IP with innovative haptics technologies to ultimately enable better consumer experiences, and statements regarding Immersion’s IP portfolio.
Immersion's actual results might differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties associated with Immersion's business, which include, but are not limited to, the inability to successfully negotiate licensing or other agreements with market leaders to incorporate Immersion’s technology, the effects of the current macroeconomic climate; delay in or failure to achieve commercial demand for Immersion's products or third party products incorporating Immersion's technologies; a delay in or failure to achieve the acceptance of force feedback as a critical user experience; and unanticipated difficulties and challenges encountered in product development efforts by Immersion and licensees. Many of these risks and uncertainties are beyond the control of Immersion.
For a more detailed discussion of these factors, and other factors that could cause actual results to vary materially, interested parties should review the risk factors listed in Immersion's most current Form 10-Q and Form 10-K, which are on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements in this press release reflect Immersion's beliefs and predictions as of the date of this release. Immersion disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements as a result of financial, business, or any other developments occurring after the date of this release.
Any use of the word "partner" or "partnership" in this press release does not mean a legal partner or legal partnership.
Immersion, the Immersion logo and TouchSense are trademarks of Immersion Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Bayer MaterialScience Forward-looking Statements
This document may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.
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