World’s First Transparent Force & Touch Foil

Nanomade, a pioneer in ultra-sensitive quantum-based deformation-sensing technology, announced a new product developed in collaboration with PolyIC, a leading provider of printed electronics solutions. 

Together, they introduced the world’s first fully transparent film combining capacitive touch and ultra-sensitive force sensing.

This innovation marks a major milestone in Human-Machine Interface (HMI) technology, enabling transparent, flexible, and illuminated control surfaces without compromising performance, aesthetics, or industrial scalability.

PolyIC produced a transparent, flexible capacitive film with printed transparent and conductive electrodes. Nanomade then added its proprietary nanoparticle-based ink to integrate ultra-sensitive force detection directly onto the same substrate.

This resulted in the world’s first fully transparent, flexible film combining capacitive touch and force sensing in a single ultra-thin stack, without compromising optical clarity or light transmission.

Force sensing adds a new dimension of interaction, allowing manufacturers to differentiate between simple contact and deliberate press. This significantly improves safety, reliability, and enhances user experience thanks to the combination of force sensing with gradual haptic feedback.

The solution also enables:

• Reliable operation with gloves
• Robust performance in humid or wet environments
• Reduced false activations
• Enhanced intentional input detection

Target applications include:

• Consumer Electronics: Laptops, wearable devices, and transparent or edge-to-edge displays requiring seamless interaction. 
• Automotive Interiors: Backlit dashboards, center consoles, door panels, and transparent decorative surfaces with integrated hidden controls. 
• Home Appliances & Smart Home: Glass-based control panels, illuminated appliance interfaces, and smart home control surfaces combining design elegance with robust usability. 
• Medical devices: Control panels, diagnostic equipment, or patient interfaces requiring intuitive, hygienic, and glove-compatible interfaces.

The flexible stack can be laminated under current display or interface assemblies, avoiding any redesign or complex components integration.

Manufacturers can also now create fully transparent or “hidden-until-lit” control surfaces, integrate sensing directly into interactive displays, and design curved or 3D-shaped interfaces with uninterrupted aesthetics.

By combining transparency, illumination effects, and precise force detection, the technology enables premium, minimalist interfaces that were previously difficult to achieve.

The proof of concept has been successfully validated, and the product is now in the industrialization phase. Samples will be available in Q3 2026, with a first demonstration currently underway with a leading OEM as part of an ongoing project.