Invisible Surfaces, Clearer Inputs

Capacitive touch has long become the standard in automotive interiors, yet its limitations in real driving environments remain unresolved. This interview explores how force sensing combined with transparent sensing layers can enable more intuitive and reliable interactions. Nanomade’s approach focuses on designing surfaces themselves as interfaces. It also highlights a broader shift in automotive HMI - from display-driven interaction to the ability to accurately interpret user intent and execute it reliably.




 
Could you briefly introduce yourself and your company?
Rassou        I am the CEO and Co-Founder of Nanomade. I founded the company in 2019 together with Olivier de Tremaudan, with a focus on industrial applications. I have over 25 years of leadership experience in the technology and telecommunications sectors, including serving as CEO of Motorola Mobility France, where I led large teams in mobile technology development. With a background in engineering and an MBA, I bring expertise in consumer electronics, R&D quality systems, and business strategy.
Nanomade develops and industrializes ultra-sensitive strain sensors that enable any 3D object to sense and generate data. Our core technology is based on a printing process using ink containing nanoparticles, leveraging quantum physics properties. This allows us to achieve performance levels that are difficult to reach with conventional technologies, enabling precise detection of micro-deformations and very weak signals. Our solutions are applicable across a wide range of domains, including HMI, physiological parameter monitoring, and structural health monitoring, serving industries such as consumer electronics, automotive, and defense & aerospace.


Today’s automotive interfaces largely rely on capacitive touch. What do you see as its fundamental limitations, particularly in terms of driver distraction and unintended inputs?
Rassou        Capacitive touch is inherently prone to unintended inputs, such as accidental touches, which can lead to errors or user frustration. This ultimately contributes to driver distraction. In addition, the feedback it provides is limited. Even when haptics are used, they are often reduced to simple binary responses and fail to replicate the tactile richness of physical buttons.
Furthermore, because capacitive sensing relies on changes in electric fields, its performance can degrade under certain conditions. It cannot be used on metallic surfaces, which imposes strong design constraints, and it is less responsive when users wear gloves or have wet hands.
These limitations clearly point to the need for more advanced interaction approaches. Combining force and touch, for example, opens the door to more intuitive interactions with reduced reliance on visual confirmation.


What was the core motivation behind developing a fully transparent Force+Touch solution? At what point did you feel existing HMI approaches were no longer sufficient?
Rassou        We realized that enabling truly invisible yet intuitive interfaces required a fundamentally new approach. To meet industrial constraints while supporting advanced lighting design and improved user experience, we needed a fully transparent, ultra-thin sensing layer combining both touch and force into a single system.
Our Force+Touch foil offers high transparency and can be seamlessly integrated into displays and illuminated surfaces. This enables fully hidden interfaces without compromising visual quality.
Introducing force sensing was a natural step to enable more deliberate and reliable interactions. However, existing solutions are often bulky, non-transparent, or difficult to integrate into sleek designs. Our technology overcomes these limitations by offering a compact, transparent, and easily integrable alternative.
Ultimately, our approach enables more natural and confident interactions, even on seamless surfaces.





Compared to conventional approaches that stack capacitive touch and force sensors, what are the key advantages of your single transparent sensing layer?
Rassou        Our single transparent Force+Touch layer eliminates the need to stack separate capacitive and force sensors. This results in improved optical clarity and reduced thickness, as fewer layers are required and air gaps are eliminated.
System integration also becomes significantly simpler. With fewer components, lamination is easier, and overall reliability improves. This is particularly important for achieving seamless and refined HMI designs.


With touch and force sensing combined, what new types of user experiences become possible that were not achievable before?
Rassou        When combined with haptic feedback and lighting effects, our technology enables a new generation of human-centric and intuitive interactions.
First, it allows multiple levels of input on the same surface. For example, a light touch can be used for navigation, while a press confirms an action.
Second, it extends beyond traditional 2D capacitive touch into true 3D interaction, incorporating pressure as an additional dimension.
It also enables contextual controls, where functions adapt dynamically based on pressure levels or interaction patterns. Users can perform a wide range of gestures - from taps and swipes to trackpad-like inputs - on seamless surfaces.
These interactions can be further enhanced through AI-driven libraries capable of interpreting complex gestures and user intent.


 
Where do you see the most meaningful applications of this technology in automotive interiors?
Rassou        We see strong potential in high-interaction zones where robustness, aesthetics, and user experience must coexist.
One key area is transparent or decorative dashboards. Combined with backlighting, our solution enables fully hidden interfaces behind glass or trim, supporting minimalist interior designs without compromising usability or safety.
High-use control areas - such as center consoles, steering wheels, and door panels - are also highly relevant. Here, traditional mechanical buttons or touch-only interfaces can be replaced with clean, premium surfaces while maintaining intuitive and safe operation through combined force and touch interaction.
In addition, premium materials such as wood, leather, and metal can be transformed into interactive surfaces, opening new design possibilities.


How does force sensing help distinguish intentional input from accidental touch, improving safety?
Rassou        Our technology enables a three-step interaction model. Capacitive sensing first detects proximity, then light contact or finger presence, and finally force sensing confirms a deliberate press.
This approach clearly differentiates accidental touches from intentional inputs, significantly improving system reliability.


Many OEMs are moving toward “Shy Tech” or “hidden-until-lit” designs. How does your technology support this trend?
Rassou        These design approaches require interfaces to remain completely invisible until activated, without compromising usability.
Our sensors are integrated beneath surfaces, with around 85% transparency and an ultra-thin profile of approximately 0.2 mm. This allows them to be embedded behind glass, plastic, or decorative materials without visible electrodes or markings. Electronics can also be positioned away from the active area, preserving optical quality and design freedom.
We also support a two-step interaction model: capacitive sensing activates and reveals the interface, while force sensing confirms intentional input. This ensures both invisibility and usability.




How does your technology enhance haptic feedback when combined with force sensing?
Rassou        Our force sensors provide high-resolution, continuous pressure measurement. Unlike traditional capacitive input, which is binary, our system can detect multiple levels of pressure with precision.
This enables more expressive and progressive haptic feedback, creating a tactile experience similar to pressing a mechanical button, even on flat surfaces. It also allows users to interact without needing to look at the interface, reducing driver distraction.
Nanomade is working with MinebeaMitsumi to combine our Force+Touch technology with ultra-thin automotive-grade resonant haptic devices, enabling precise and localized high-quality feedback.


What are the biggest challenges in meeting automotive-grade requirements such as durability and reliability?
Rassou        Automotive requirements are extremely demanding. Our sensors have already been tested under harsh conditions, including temperature ranges from -40°C to +85°C, high humidity at 85% RH, and up to 10 million mechanical cycles, with promising results.
The next challenge is bridging the gap between validated performance and full compliance with automotive standards, while scaling production to meet industry volumes with consistent quality.
We are currently establishing our production line, targeting a capacity of up to one million sensors by the end of 2026.


What key value do OEMs see in your technology?
Rassou        Our technology provides significant design freedom, enabling controls to be integrated into surfaces that were previously difficult to use.
At the same time, OEMs value its practical benefits. It enables safer interaction compared to large touchscreens, reduces system complexity by minimizing mechanical components, and supports software-defined flexibility. For example, HMI layouts can be adapted between left-hand and right-hand drive configurations without hardware changes.


How do you see automotive HMI evolving over the next 5 - 10 years?
Rassou        Automotive HMI will evolve toward fully integrated, context-adaptive intelligent surfaces. Interaction will no longer be limited to screens or discrete controls, but embedded across materials throughout the vehicle.
We expect a shift toward multimodal interfaces combining touch, force, haptics, light, voice, and AI-driven adaptation, reducing cognitive load and improving safety. Interiors will also become more minimalist, with interfaces that remain hidden until needed.
In this context, force sensing will play a critical role, enabling invisible surfaces to function as reliable interaction systems.


Are you also considering exterior applications?
Rassou        Yes, we are exploring use cases such as touch interaction on doors and integration into exterior panels. Our technology can be embedded under virtually any material, including metal.
Exterior applications introduce additional challenges, particularly in terms of environmental exposure, which we are addressing as part of our roadmap. We have already developed solutions for impact detection on aircraft structures, enabling the monitoring of ground-handling incidents directly on the fuselage.

AEM(오토모티브일렉트로닉스매거진)

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