Minalogic, worldwide competitive cluster dedicated to micro and nanotechnologies and embedded software, today announced the results of a four-year collaborative R&D project, NOMAD (Navigation on Mobile Objects and 3D Access).

The project was created to provide practical technology solutions to help small and mid-sized companies meet the increasing challenges for improved user experience in the consumer electronics market. These solutions include new human-machine interaction techniques for future smartphones, tablets etc, adapted to more complex usages and sophisticated applications.

The partnership explored new kinds of interfaces for mobile devices – by using MEMS motion sensors and 3D graphics – while also creating hardware and software platforms and an open-source community to further develop the resulting technology.

"To remain competitive and consolidate their leadership in this battle of mobility, companies are working on new human-machine interfaces that enrich the use of smartphones and tablets,” said Minalogic CEO Jean Chabbal. “The combination of skills within the NOMAD project allowed the partners to capitalize on their different expertise, to develop innovative technologies and thus remain leaders in their markets.”

The project has enabled the development of several technological solutions for future human-machine interfaces on embedded systems:

• “Interaction” software toolbox that allows the creation of innovative user interfaces with integrated 2D and 3D graphics rendering to create alternatives to the traditional window, icon, menu and pointing-device interfaces
• “Motion” software toolbox that uses motion sensors (accelerometers, magnetometers, gyroscopes) for implementing new “in-air” cursor control and gesture-based media content navigation
• Hardware and software platform (Linux & Android) for the development of future smartphones
• A development kit, "Snowball", (from the platform) accompanied by an open- source web community, Igloo (www.igloocommunity.org)

The partners explored several innovative interaction techniques. Demonstrators were developed following a user-centric approach, based on technological building blocks from the project.

NOMAD also contributed to the creation of nationally and internationally recognized local industrial ecosystem by leveraging synergies between large companies, research laboratories and SMEs. Innovative SMEs in the project, such as Calao Systems and Movea, have gained competitive advantages using these technologies in consumer and industrial electronics.

Partners in the project include Myriad Group and ST-Ericsson (large companies), Calao Systems and Movea (SMEs), as well as CEA-Leti and LIG – Grenoble Informatics Laboratory (Research institutes).

About Minalogic

Created in 2005, the Minalogic global competitive cluster in Grenoble is a public/private partnership with more than 200 members dedicated to supporting integration of hardware and embedded software. Minalogic’s collaborative projects are focused on developing products and services that capitalize on the potential of better combinations of micro- and nanotechnology and embedded software. The cluster encourages and supports industry research-training collaborations with companies in Europe, Asia and the U.S., while responding to the global high-tech community's need to identify new value-added services that can be integrated into existing products in health care, the environment, mobility, the media, the textile industry and other areas.

http://www.minalogic.org