Product category: Reference Designs
News Release from: Synaptics | Subject: Boomerang
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 23 January 2008
Capacitive sensing turns to all-in
remote control
The Boomerang design concept demonstrates how capacitive technology and gesture recognition can improve the function of universal remote controls.
New from Synaptics, Boomerang is a completely buttonless and keyless universal remote control concept Designed as a command control centre for all home digital entertainment, Boomerang demonstrates the functionality and industrial design possibilities of Synaptics' core capacitive sensing technology
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 2 Oct 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
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The concepts integrated into Boomerang are available to OEMs interested in converging home and entertainment controls with an intuitive easy-to-use remote that features the benefits of incorporating capacitive buttons, scrolling, cursor navigation and advanced gestures, while also enabling unique and appealing industrial design without the clutter of mechanical buttons and keys.
Using the same technology behind Synaptics' market-leading TouchPad for notebook PCs, the Boomerang remote control concept demonstrates how capacitive sensing technology can be applied to future designs, allowing more functionality and easy access to, and control of, a home entertainment system's numerous features.
Boomerang uses direct cursor-control to navigate anywhere on the surface of the remote.
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This type of remote design can also employ Synaptics' advanced gestures - Pinch, ChiralMotion and Momentum - for commands such as volume, zoom and scrolling.
Capacitive sensing technology also has no moving parts to wear out and is virtually immune to both dirt and moisture.
Users don't have to worry about damaging the remote's buttons after constant usage - capacitive buttons never wear out.
"Today, most universal remotes allow control of standard home equipment such as TVs, DVDs and stereos - Boomerang goes one step further to control equipment and functions, such as pausing a TV show to purchase an item shown on the screen and transferring data between multiple devices", says Mark Vena, Vice President of Synaptics' PC business unit.
"Our customers in this space are excited by the possibilities of this type of remote - they can visualise how the user interface can transform the design and function of universal remote controls".
Synaptics' dynamic user interface solutions allow a variety of layout options and adaptive menus.
The Boomerang demonstrates how capacitive technology and gesture recognition can improve the function of universal remote controls.
Examples include: DualMode, which highlights images of living areas on the remote TouchPad to help control home devices; proximity sensing, whereby the remote activates and illuminates as user approaches and powers down when user moves away; the remote provides visual, audio and tactile feedback to indicate when the user's command is recognised; and the gesture-based control pad customised to take full advantage of the digital home.
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