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New technology from Bayer MaterialScience for consumer electronics: -- Mobile games now give HD haptic feedback -- ViviTouch™ adds a new sensory dimension to tablet PCs and smartphones / Headphones provide an intense, live sound experience(M2 PressWIRE Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Leverkusen -- An invention from Bayer MaterialScience adds a new sensory dimension to consumer electronics: "Artificial muscles" made of polymers open up a world of highly realistic feel in mobile games on tablet PCs and smartphones, and a totally new and alive audio experience with headphones. The innovative technology called ViviTouch(TM) will be presented for new applications at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona from February 25 to 28, 2013. The market for mobile gaming is growing at a rapid pace. Until now, mobile devices have offered only a very limited range of uniform vibratory signals that do not give players differentiated tactile feedback. ViviTouch(TM) provides access to a virtually unlimited spectrum of precise and simultaneous tactile effects. Aligned with sound and visual, they take the game experience to a new dimension: A rolling pinball feels different to the hand than a running engine or the human heartbeat. Moreover, users can play longer before having to plug in their devices to charge them: ViviTouch(TM) uses up to 70 percent less energy than conventional vibratory motors. A new dimension in sound In the near future, headphones incorporating ViviTouch are also to be introduced to the market. They bring an entirely new dimension to the audio-video experience that is about to change how people listen to their music, games and movies: "Once listeners experience fully alive audio, their old headphones will feel obsolete. ViviTouch provides a much more intense, alive audio experience, but without raising the actual volume to ear-damaging levels," explains Dirk Schapeler, head of the ViviTouch TM team. The effect is most noticeable at deep bass frequencies. The new technology does not influence the sound waves themselves, but rather functions through direct contact with the scalp, conducting sound through the bones of the skull. "The effect is comparable to a major live concert, where fans can feel the bass tones over their whole body," Schapeler says. "The only difference is that ViviTouch does not produce any sound pressure, and the live effect is mobile, you can enjoy it anywhere you go." The technology behind it involves thin polymer films that turn energy into motion: They stretch when exposed to an electric voltage and then contract again in an instant, like a muscle. Developed by Bayer MaterialScience, these electroactive polymers, as they are known, generate controlled motions within milliseconds, making it possible to simulate HD haptic effects. About Bayer MaterialScience: With 2011 sales of EUR 10.8 billion, Bayer MaterialScience is among the world's largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction and the sports and leisure industries. At the end of 2011, Bayer MaterialScience had 30 production sites and employed approximately 14,800 people around the globe. Bayer MaterialScience is a Bayer Group company. This news release is available for download from the Bayer MaterialScience press server at www.press.bayerbms.com. Find more information at and . Forward-Looking Statements This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at . The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments. ((M2 Communications disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to [email protected])). (c) 2013 M2 COMMUNICATIONS |