Groundbreaking piezoelectric innovation improves user experience with realistic tactile sensations

Kyocera Corporation (President: Hideo Tanimoto; “Kyocera”) announced today that HAPTIVITY^®, its proprietary tactile technology that replicates realistic touch sensations, has been integrated into the Sigma BF, a full-size mirrorless camera to be released this month. This is the first application of HAPTIVITY^® in a mirrorless camera.

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“Sigma BF” full-size mirrorless camera with recessed buttons incorporating Kyocera’s HAPTIVITY® technology (image courtesy of Sigma)

HAPTIVITY® is a groundbreaking technology that harnesses Kyocera’s piezoelectric ceramic vibrating elements to create truly immersive tactile sensations. Biomechanically engineered vibration waveforms provide tactile feedback by stimulating neural receptors in the user’s fingertip, providing physical verification when a button is depressed and released — or even simulating the feel of a physical button where none exists.

Kyocera’s HAPTIVITY® technology integrates seamlessly into Sigma BF’s three recessed rear buttons (Function Dial, Options, and Playback — including the dial’s up, down, left, and right touchpoints), for accurate, comfortable, intuitive operation. Haptic feedback ensures reliable performance by enhancing user confidence and avoiding duplicate commands.

Kyocera envisions a future where HAPTIVITY® becomes a ubiquitous, high-performance tactile technology. With its piezoelectric ceramic vibrating elements, HAPTIVITY® has the potential to revolutionize consumer and automotive applications as an essential component of the next-generation human-machine interface. It can improve the user experience for any device having physical buttons, or having screens and panels designed to provide tactile feedback.

*HAPTIVITY is a registered trademark of Kyocera Corporation. Kyocera's patented tactile transmission technology optimally controls pressure detection, reproduction of the feeling of pressing a mechanical button, and vibration activation using a combination of piezoelectric elements, vibration amplification mechanisms, control circuits, and software.

Features of HAPTIVITY^®

1. Excellent vibration response

HAPTIVITY® uses a piezoelectric ceramic vibrating element with excellent touch-response, delivering physical feedback that instantly confirms user input and eliminates duplicate commands.

2. Realistic tactile feeling

A mechanical button delivers two sensations: on press, and on release. Conventional tactile technology generates a single sensation (when pressed), which differs from the tactile feeling of a button. In contrast, HAPTIVITY® generates an initial vibration when pressed, and a second vibration when released, providing a more realistic button sensation.

3. Tactile confirmation improves operation

Immediate tactile feedback confirms user input instantly, ensuring reliable operation and eliminating ambiguity. This makes HAPTIVITY® ideal for demanding applications, including mobility, telemedicine, and industrial equipment.

4. Recessed buttons save space, increasing design freedom

HAPTIVITY® facilitates compact, thin, flat designs, allowing recessed buttons that promote space-saving and greater freedom of design.

Details of "HAPTIVITY"

https://europe.kyocera.com/products/lcds_glass_glass_touch_panels/prd/haptivity/index.html

About Kyocera

Kyocera Corporation (TOKYO:6971, https://global.kyocera.com/), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of fine ceramics (also known as “advanced ceramics”). By combining these engineered materials with metals and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of industrial and automotive components, semiconductor packages, electronic devices, smart energy systems, printers, copiers, and mobile phones. During the year ended March 31, 2024, the company’s consolidated sales revenue totaled 2 trillion yen (approx. US$13.3 billion). Kyocera is ranked #874 on Forbes magazine’s 2024 “Global 2000” list of the world’s largest publicly traded companies, and has been named among “The World’s 100 Most Sustainably Managed Companies” by The Wall Street Journal.

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