Senseg develops solid‑state haptic technology that delivers precise tactile sensations to users’ fingertips, based on Ph.D. research at Helsinki University of Technology. Its solution adds tactile effects to touch interfaces, enabling users to feel locations, edges and textures on smooth glass screens—creating so‑called “feelscreens.” The company plans to integrate the technology into a new generation of touch interface devices. To bring its initial product to market, Senseg intends to hire a software lead and Android application developers, especially those with mobile game development experience. Senseg is led by CEO Paul Costigan and was founded in 2006 by CTO Ville Makinen. The company is based in Espoo, Finland, and also maintains offices in the U.S., Japan and China. It recently raised funding to support these go‑to‑market hires and product integration efforts. Senseg is a Finnish startup that developed E‑Sense, a virtual tactile‑interface technology that generates the feel of virtual buttons on smooth surfaces. E‑Sense produces localized tactile sensations without mechanical motors by embedding a thin, flexible film into surfaces, enabling precise “tixels” and avoiding wear from moving parts. The company plans to sell the technology as a combined hardware and software platform with several software elements providing content. Senseg says the film can be added to many surfaces—including phone and computer screens, game controllers, car GPS screens, and textiles—and gives examples such as guiding fingers on a GPS or providing feedback in games and Microsoft Surface tables. The technology has several patents pending, and Senseg was recently funded by Ambient Sound Investments and Seed Fund Vera; the amount of the investment was not revealed. Senseg said the technology would be available to a select group of manufacturers in the second half of 2008, with first products expected to launch early the following year.

Total raised

$6M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Apr 2014