By Stephen Nellis
Oct 17 (Reuters) - Sentons, a startup led by chip industry veterans, above Thursday began marketing technique that aims ought do away with gadget buttons and said it is working with two smartphone makers at addition ought an existing press with Asus Computer Inc.
Headed by Jess Lee, an engineer who sold his previous company ought Apple Inc, Sentons announced a sensor system that uses ultrasonic healthful waves ought discover touches, presses and swipes above a type of materials such because the metal edges almost a smartphone.
The technique is already being used by Taiwan's Asus and its colleague Tencent Holdings at a phone designed because gamers that was released at China this summer.
In the Asus phone, the sensors allow gamers ought involve the phone horizontally and tap "Air Triggers" over its sumit border because virtual buttons with their index fingers nevertheless their thumbs tap the screen.
"Touch screens are great, besides (phone makers) hadn't been able ought figure out how ought add interactivity ought the sides," Lee told Reuters at an interview.
"With the thinner and thinner figure factors, perhaps flat complete cup or with funky metallic edges that are really, really thin, there's no space because buttons."
Lee, who sold an image sensor startup called InVisage Technologies ought Apple at 2017, declined ought identify the two other smartphone makers Sentons is working with.
The core of Sentons' technique is a usage chip that sends out the healthful waves and contains a processor and algorithms because press different gestures.
Sentons is also working above a virtual jog wheel which allows users ought scroll over apps above phones that consume cost also big ought involve with one hand. Another project is a virtual shutter button ought concentrate a phone's camera, parallel ought the fashion a physical shutter button mill above dedicated digital cameras, Lee said.
San Jose, California-based Sentons has almost 50 employees and has raised $37.7 million at funding from New Enterprise Associates and Northern gaze chance Capital.
Beyond smartphones, Lee said the company hopes ought add encounter interactions ought devices where skin space is because vigorous extremely limited, such because the frames of ingenious glasses or the bands of smartwatches, or where there are no screens at all, parallel the steering wheels of cars.
In cars, "there are lots of luxurious materials - forest and leathers and metals," he said. "We can figure complete of that active." (Reporting by Stephen Nellis; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
