Senseg

Senseg Oy, a Finnish company founded in 2006 by Ville Mäkinen, specialized in haptic feedback technology for touch interfaces. Mäkinen, who served as the Chief Technology Officer, has a background in cognitive science, which informed the development of the company's core technology. The firm's main offering was E-Sense, a technology that used an electrostatic field to simulate textures and physical sensations on touch screens without any moving parts. By modulating an attractive force, E-Sense could create a variety of tactile effects, such as rough surfaces, edges, and vibrations, directly on a glass display.

The technology required a hardware modification, integrating a special layer and electronics into the device. Senseg's business model focused on licensing this technology to manufacturers of consumer electronics, particularly targeting the Android tablet market. The company aimed to enhance the user experience by making on-screen elements, like keyboard keys or graphical objects, physically palpable. Throughout its operation, Senseg secured a total of $6 million in funding over two rounds. Its investors included NXP Semiconductors, Finnvera, and Ambient Sound Investments. The initial seed funding was raised in 2008, followed by a Series B round in 2014.

In February 2016, Senseg was acquired by O-Film Tech, a Chinese technology company, for approximately $1.59 million. Following the acquisition, Senseg operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary, and its website indicates that its innovations continue to be developed elsewhere. There is a separate entity, Senseg Inc., registered in Delaware, which appears to be unrelated to the original Finnish company and was reported to be shutting down in 2023 after pivoting from a different business focus.

Keywords: haptic feedback, electrostatic technology, touch screen technology, E-Sense, tactile feedback, user interface components, consumer electronics, feel screen, Ville Mäkinen, O-Film Tech, NXP Semiconductors, haptic display, surface haptics, electro-sensory, texture simulation, mobile device technology, electrostatic field, human-computer interaction, digital textures