Force sensing technology has come a long ways in the 38 years since the technology was patented in 1977 for the novel application of musical instrument sound enhancer. Closely tracking Moore's Law, there is a continuing evolution in force sensing resistors (FSR) functionality and innovations in FSR applications brought about by Tangio Printed Electronics and other industry leaders. These innovations have resulted in an explosion of force sensing applications in a variety of industries. Today, some of the many industries actively employing FSR applications include:
- musical instrument manufacturers
- robotics,smart materials
- nano/micro-technologies
- space engineering
- biomedical engineering
- mechanical engineering
- computer-aided manufacturing
- test and measurement instrument manufacturers
Human Machine Interface Market As force sensing technology evolves, so does humanity's ability to interact with it by finding new, even more ingenious ways to use it. Many industry observers claim that FSR technology will be soon found in virtually every industry that involves a human-machine interface (HMI). According to a recent report by Transparency Market Research, the global HMI market is expected to reach a phenomenal $5.579 billion by 2019. The core factor driving the growth of the HMI market is the relentless innovation in FSR technology by Tangio Printed Electronics and other industry leaders. The Transparency Market Research report identifies the following industries as primed to integrate HMI-FSR solutions into their production processes:
- Automotive
- Metals and Mining
- Food and Beverage
- Aerospace and Defense
- Packaging
- Healthcare
- Oil & Gas.
Force Sensing Technology and Consumer Electronics Apple's early 2015 introduction of MacBook notebooks featuring “Force Touch” – a form of FSR technology – lit up the Internet with industry pundits prognosticating over whether Force Touch was Apple's competitive game changer. Then, the Wall Street Journal reported in early July that Apple had instructed its suppliers to assemble 85 to 90 million next generation iPhone 6 models featuring Force Touch for release in late 2015. The jury is still out as to whether Force Touch will be Apple's competitive game changer. However, Apple's full embrace of force sensing technology for inclusion in its best-selling products and a massive Force Touch promotional campaign should clearly be the wake-up call for all consumer electronic products engineers, inventors, product designers and product developers. Force sensing technology is trending in consumer electronics as a promotable product attribute. Although industry pundits are praising Apple's brilliance for integrating Force Touch into its best-selling products, the little secret is that force sensing technology for consumer electronics is a no-brainer. Any electronic product that requires human engagement to control its operations is a candidate for force sensing technology. This is precisely why force sensing technology is already pervasive throughout the consumer electronics universe and will become more so as technologies continue to evolve and as the demand for intuitive devices to facilitate human interaction with these technologies continues to grow.
Tangio Printed Electronics, a technology and manufacturing leader based in North Vancouver, Canada, has assembled a world-class team of professionals obsessed with their mission to develop and manufacture force sensing products that exceed customer expectations and deadlines. Roger Linn, of Roger Linn Design and inventor of the drum machine, is typical of our many satisfied customers: “Tangio has produced force and position sensors for my musical products for a number of years. They currently make the drum pad force sensors and the force/position sensors for my Tempest drum machine, and most recently produce my sensor design for my expressive musical controller LinnStrument, which senses 3 dimensions of movement independently for all simultaneous touches. Over the years they have refined their sensors to be sufficiently accurate and repeatable in production for musical applications— the most demanding market for force and position sensing—so all other markets are a slam dunk for them. I highly recommend Tangio for any force and position sensor needs.”