Electric Field Sensing: Beyond PCAP
Projected capacitive (PCAP) touch becomes increasingly challenging as the distance between the finger and sensor grows. Even advanced PCAP controllers specify operation through up to about 10 mm of glass with a bare finger, dropping to around 6 mm when thick gloves are introduced. HoverTap™ takes electric field sensing much further.
The HoverCore™ board projects a low-frequency electric field through the cover material and into the space above it, reaching up to 150 mm. As a fingertip enters the field, it changes its shape. HoverTap measures that change to determine where the finger is and how far it is from the surface.
The result goes beyond conventional PCAP: precise fingertip position through up to 20 mm of glass, polycarbonate, armor glass and air gap combined, with gloves, through sterile drapes, in rain, and into the third dimension. Because the field extends above the surface, HoverTap can determine fingertip height as well as X and Y position, enabling touch, hover and in-air gestures from the same sensor.
AI and machine learning on the HoverCore™ board transform the raw field measurements into position, taps, swipes and gestures.
The animation shows this interaction in real time: the coloured surface represents the electric field, bending as the fingertip moves through it in three dimensions.
