VERY SENSITIVE GUYS OFFER TURN-ON WITH NEAR TOUCH
WaveOn Technologies Offers High Sensitivity 'Touchless' Sensing at Low Price

Osceola, Wisconsin, Sept 19 -- Using standardized components from WaveOn Technologies, Inc, appliance designers may now add touch, or 'near touch' control features with little or no impact on cost. Using proximity switches and sensors from WaveOn, the human hand can now be easily detected through non metal materials at over 3 inches away. In addition to sensing humans, appliances can now be made to 'see', or detect the presence of liquid, metal, plastic, or virtually any other material. The cost of adding WaveOn sensing technology is comparable to mechanical switches. WaveOn engineers work closely with OEMs to assure design objectives are fully achieved.

Years of research in the arcane science of electric field effect (or capacitive sensing) have finally paid off for WaveOn Technologies, Inc. As a result of this commitment to basic research, WaveOn has overcome environmental effects such as static discharge, EMI, EMC, humidity, and temperature. These patent pending technical advances have paved the way for a line of capacitive proximity sensors and switches that are are several times more sensitive than traditional industrial capacitive sensors costing from $50 to $100. Given this extreme sensitivity and range of WaveOn technology, many new applications and features are now possible. Appliances can be controlled without human contact. Controls can easily be designed to detect the direction of a hand as it moves in front of the control panel. This feature is particularly attractive in the kitchen when hands are messy with food preparation, or in situations when contamination can pose a health risk. Radios can be muted, or the volume raised or lowered with the wave of a hand, and hands free phones can be answered without human contact. Simple metal sensor plates can be positioned behind plastic wall sections up to 10 mm thick. Human presence, as well as liquids, metals, plastics, etc. can be detected from zero to more than 3 inches away. At a time when the appliance industry has never been under greater pressures to reduce cost, and manufacturers are constantly pressed to differentiate their appliances from competitors, WaveOn can address both needs, often at prices comparable to mechanical switches.

As consumers around the world have become reluctant to touch surfaces in public restrooms, or on vending machines, cash machines, light switches, etc., WaveOn is pleased to enable design engineers the affordable option of designing touch free features into their new products. Over the past few years, numerous products have incorporated infra red sensors to detect the user at a distance, such as automatic opening trash containers, and restroom faucets and toilets. These controls work well in some applications, but cannot be used outdoors, often fail to offer adequate battery life, may react at too great a distance, fail to trigger, and can be false triggered by bright lights and reflective surfaces. WaveOn sensors have overcome all of these limitations, and a lower cost that infra red sensors.

Several manufacturers have produced IC chips designed to detect human touch through decals, glass and other relatively thin materials. This type of touch sensing has been gaining in popularity in higher end consumer products, such as flat panel TVs and glass range tops. However, these touch sensing ICs are not capable of 'near touch' sensing, 'seeing' through thicker materials, or handling the environmental disturbances mentioned earlier. Where standard WaveOn switches and sensors cannot be applied, WaveOn engineers can supply the electronics and design assistance to provide a sensor system to solidly meet OEM design objectives.