Sensel

Last updated
Sensel Inc.
Company type Private
Industry Computer hardware
Musical instruments
Founded2013;11 years ago (2013)
FoundersIlya Rosenberg
Aaron Zarraga
Headquarters
Sunnyvale, California
,
USA
ProductsSensel Morph
Touchpads
Haptic technology
Tactile sensors
Force sensors
Website sensel.com

Sensel is an electronics company based in Sunnyvale, California that builds touch input technologies . It was founded in 2013 by former Amazon engineers Ilya Rosenberg and Aaron Zarraga. [1] Sensel's first product, the Morph, is a pressure sensitive input device for creative applications. [2] In January 2021, it was announced that Sensel's touch technology would be incorporated in the touchpad for Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga laptop. [3]

Contents

History

Sensel co-founder and CEO Ilya Rosenberg met co-founder and CTO Aaron Zarraga while working at Amazon's Lab126. After leaving Amazon, the two founded Sensel in 2013. [1]

Together, the pair invented a new type of force sensor that could be manufactured like a printed circuit board. [1] Sensel used Kickstarter in 2015 to bring its first product, The Morph, to market. [4] The campaign raised $442,648. [5] The Morph began shipping to its Kickstarter backers in 2017, and became available for direct purchase later that year. [6]  

In 2019, Sensel began shipping its first new Morph Overlay since its Kickstarter campaign, the Buchla Thunder Overlay, which was created in partnership with synthesizer and MIDI controller manufacturer Buchla U.S.A. [7]

In 2021, Sensel announced its new touchpad demonstration kit with touch, force, and haptic technologies. [8] It was also announced that Sensel's touch technology would be included in the touchpad for Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga laptop. [3]

In May 2022, Sensel announced that it has discontinued the Morph and would not bring it back into production. The possibility of some new product at some future unspecified time was suggested. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ThinkPad</span> Business laptops and tablets series by Lenovo

ThinkPad is a line of business-oriented laptop computers and tablets, the early models of which were designed, developed and marketed by International Business Machines (IBM) starting in 1992. IBM sold its PC business, including laptops to Lenovo in 2005, and since 2007, all new ThinkPad models have been branded Lenovo instead. The Chinese manufacturer further developed the line, and is still selling new models in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pointing stick</span> Isometric joystick typically mounted in a keyboard

A pointing stick is a small analog stick used as a pointing device typically mounted centrally in a computer keyboard. Like other pointing devices such as mice, touchpads or trackballs, operating system software translates manipulation of the device into movements of the pointer on the computer screen. Unlike other pointing devices, it reacts to sustained force or strain rather than to gross movement, so it is called an "isometric" pointing device. IBM introduced it commercially in 1992 on its laptops under the name "TrackPoint", and patented an improved version of it in 1997. It has been used for business laptops, such as Acer's TravelMate, Dell's Latitude, HP's EliteBook and Lenovo's ThinkPad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Touchpad</span> Type of pointing device

A touchpad or trackpad is a type of pointing device. Its largest component is a tactile sensor: an electronic device with a flat surface, that detects the motion and position of a user's fingers, and translates them to 2D motion, to control a pointer in a graphical user interface on a computer screen. Touchpads are common on laptop computers, contrasted with desktop computers, where mice are more prevalent. Trackpads are sometimes used on desktops, where desk space is scarce. Because trackpads can be made small, they can be found on personal digital assistants (PDAs) and some portable media players. Wireless touchpads are also available, as detached accessories.

Synaptics Incorporated is a publicly traded San Jose, California-based developer of human interface (HMI) hardware and software, including touchpads for computer laptops; touch, display driver, and fingerprint biometrics technology for smartphones; and touch, video and far-field voice technology for smart home devices and automotives. Synaptics sells its products to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and display manufacturers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MIDI controller</span> Device that produces MIDI data

A MIDI controller is any hardware or software that generates and transmits Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) data to MIDI-enabled devices, typically to trigger sounds and control parameters of an electronic music performance. They most often use a musical keyboard to send data about the pitch of notes to play, although a MIDI controller may trigger lighting and other effects. A wind controller has a sensor that converts breath pressure to volume information and lip pressure to control pitch. Controllers for percussion and stringed instruments exist, as well as specialized and experimental devices. Some MIDI controllers are used in association with specific digital audio workstation software. The original MIDI specification has been extended to include a greater range of control features.

Buchla Thunder is one of many in the family of MIDI controllers consisting of tactile control surfaces, which are manipulated by hand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dual-touchscreen</span>

A dual-touchscreen is a computer or phone display setup which uses two screens, either or both of which could be touch-capable, to display both elements of the computer's graphical user interface and virtualized implementations of common input devices, including virtual keyboards. Usually, in a dual-touchscreen computer or computing device, the most persistent GUI elements and functions are displayed on one, hand-accessible touchscreen alongside the virtual keyboard, while the other, more optically-centric display is used for those user interface elements which are either less or never accessed by user-generated behaviors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Input device</span> Device that provides data and signals to a computer

In computing, an input device is a piece of equipment used to provide data and control signals to an information processing system, such as a computer or information appliance. Examples of input devices include keyboards, computer mice, scanners, cameras, joysticks, and microphones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ThinkPad E series</span> Series of laptops by Lenovo

The ThinkPad E Series is a notebook computer series introduced in 2010 by Lenovo. It is marketed to small and medium-sized businesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ThinkPad X series</span> Series of laptops by IBM and Lenovo

The ThinkPad X series is a line of laptop computers and convertible tablets produced by Lenovo with less power than its other counterparts. It was initially produced by IBM until 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IdeaPad U series</span> Series of laptops

The first laptop in the IdeaPad U series was the U110 launched in 2008 by Lenovo. Showcased at CES 2008, the laptop also launched the IdeaPad series itself, and received the Best of CES 2008 award. The IdeaPad U series was a line of Lenovo's consumer line of laptops, combining Lenovo's traditional engineering with design changes that were significantly different from ThinkPad products.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 is a convertible laptop created by Lenovo and first announced at the International CES 2012 in January. The Yoga 13 gets its name from its ability to take on various form factors due to its screen being mounted on a special two-way hinge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenovo Yoga</span> Line of consumer-oriented laptop computers and tablets

Lenovo Yoga is a line of consumer-oriented laptop computers, tablets, and all-in-one computers designed, developed and marketed by Lenovo, named for their ability to assume multiple form factors due to a hinged screen. The line currently competes against other 2-in-1 PCs such as the HP Spectre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ThinkPad X1 series</span> Series of laptops by Lenovo

The ThinkPad X1 series is a line of high-end ThinkPad laptops and tablets produced by Lenovo.

The ThinkPad Twist is a 2-in-1 convertible tablet, that can function as a laptop and tablet released in 2012. The Twist is designed for business users and runs Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro</span> Ultrabook-class convertible device

The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2 Pro is an Ultrabook-class convertible device that can be used as both a tablet and laptop computer in the IdeaPad series. Lenovo unveiled the Yoga 2 Pro at the 2013 IFA in Berlin, Germany. It went on sale in the United States in October 2013. It comes in two colors, silver gray and clementine orange, and is designed for flexibility—allowing the user to use it in a variety of situations. Because of the durable hinge that allows the screen to swivel 360 degrees, the Yoga 2 Pro is able to fully utilize Windows 8 and its emphasis on touchscreen integration. The Yoga 2 Pro is the first laptop to earn a Green Mark certification from TUV that recognizes Lenovo for environmentally friendly manufacturing processes and low energy consumption.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ThinkPad Yoga</span> 2-in-1 convertible business tablet by Lenovo

The ThinkPad Yoga is a 2-in-1 convertible business-oriented tablet from Lenovo unveiled in September at the 2013 IFA in Berlin, Germany. It was released in the United States in November 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ThinkPad P series</span> Series of mobile workstations by Lenovo

The ThinkPad P series line of workstation laptops produced by Lenovo and was introduced by the company as a successor to the previous ThinkPad W series. With 15.6" and 17.3" screens, the ThinkPad P series saw the reintroduction of physically large laptops into the ThinkPad line. Marketed largely as portable workstations, many P series laptops can be configured with high-end mobile workstation-class Intel processors as well as error correction code (ECC) memory and a discrete Nvidia Quadro GPU. The P series offers independent software vendor (ISV) certifications from software vendors such as Adobe and Autodesk for various computer-aided design (CAD) software.

Orba is an electronic musical instrument developed by the American music technology company Artiphon. It is a small synthesiser released in 2020 via a successful Kickstarter campaign. Orba has been used as a tool for musical education in various capacities.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "How Two Ex-Amazon Engineers Invented a New Type of Customizable Force Interface". Gizmodo. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  2. "The Sensel Morph trackpad is a digital creative's dream". Engadget. 31 May 2018. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  3. 1 2 "Here's why haptic touchpad tech is the future of modern computing". Windows Central. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  4. "This Modular Touchpad May Be the Future of Input Devices". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028 . Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  5. "Ten Of The Best MIDI Keyboards - Page 6 of 10". Attack Magazine. 2018-07-27. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  6. Arblaster, Simon (2 November 2017). "Sensel Morph wants to be the last controller you'll ever need and is available now". MusicRadar. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  7. Arblaster, Simon (25 April 2019). "Sensel's Morph controller now comes with an official Buchla Thunder overlay". MusicRadar. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  8. "Sensel haptic touchpad hands-on". Engadget. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  9. "News". morph.sensel.com. 4 May 2022.