Magna Electronics develops 'Touchskin' concept [w/video]

Electronics firm Magna is working on a new technology it calls 'Touchskin concept' that has the potential to eliminate traditional switches and instruments inside vehicles.

As part of its ‘Intelligent Surface Technology', the Touchskin concept is set to be an integral part of a system that allows the user to control the car via intuitive gestures – such as pinching, tapping and swiping – as we've become so familiar with when using smartphones.

The potential design implications are easy to see with the large amount of space made available by removing the traditional instrument cluster and its wiring and the removal of wired-in switches and buttons.

Magna has also developed an Integrated Device Molding Procedure (IDMP) that uses a Qi transmitter (pronounced chee), which uses a near-field connection to charge gadgets placed on the interior surfaces, while it is also allows the transfer of data between the gadget and the car.

The electronics firm expects the first automotive applications by 2014.

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By Rufus Thompson