Somatic Digital turns printed pages into digital content with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) eTouchBooks contract

Somatic Digital's eTouchBook(TM) platform embeds touch and intelligence with Freescale's MC33794 proximity sensor and MC9S08SH8CTG MCU

ROSEMOUNT, Ill. (Sensors Expo) – June 10, 2008 – Somatic Digital, a developer of innovative products for the publishing and print industries, has chosen Freescale Semiconductor's 8-bit microcontroller (MCU) and 9-electrode proximity sensor components for its eTouchBook™ platform, which the company is providing to the NASA Goddard Flight Center through a U.S. Government contract.

The eTouchBook platform is built on Somatic Digital's award-winning Touch User Interface (TUI) technology, which is enabled by Freescale's MCU and sensor components. TUI technology is to the printed page what graphical user interfaces (GUI) are to the computer screen. The eTouchBook enables readers of normal and Braille printed materials to touch a printed page and retrieve linked digital content or launch communication applications on a computer.

"The eTouchBook created by Somatic Digital will allow NASA to provide a powerful multimedia tool that will make Earth science and any other science content come alive for students with different learning styles and abilities including those who are blind or deaf, or who require a combination of sensory inputs to grasp important concepts,” said Dr. Elissa Levine, a scientist in the Biospheric Sciences Branch at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

With the eTouchBook, the regular printed page acts as a touch screen user interface. In doing so, the printed page becomes a portal to the digital environment. This direct linking of print and digital assets creates a new ecosystem of contents and services for publishers, authors and content creators.

“Freescale's microcontrollers and proximity sensors are technology touchstones for our eTouchBook platform,” said Jason E. Barkeloo, founder and president of Somatic Digital. “In addition to providing key enabling technology, Freescale has been an exceptional partner throughout the design process. Their technical assistance during the tedious research and development phase significantly streamlined our time to product launch.”

Providing a versatile platform for both consumer electronics and industrial applications, the eTouchBook integrates Freescale's 8-bit MC9S08SH8CTG microcontroller and 9-electrode MC33794EGR2 proximity sensor components. The MC33794EGR2 proximity sensor can be multiplexed to achieve variations in the number of touch points for a natural and intuitive interface. Freescale's cost-effective MC9S08SH8CTG microcontroller is ideal for general-purpose consumer applications in the 2.7 V to 5.5 V range. The sensor-based system is housed in the eTouchBook hardware platform where the cover and spine in a hardback book resides.

“Freescale's innovative microcontroller and proximity sensor solutions bring to life next-generation platform designs to meet the ever-growing need for digital content and connectivity in the consumer and industrial markets,” said Henri Richard, senior vice president and chief sales and marketing officer at Freescale. “Somatic Digital's eTouchBook platform, built on Freescale's MCU and sensor technology, is a revolutionary breakthrough in digital communications that transforms printed pages into versatile, easy-to-use touch screens for myriad applications.”

About Touch User Interface (TUI) technology
TUI technology enables books to be customized to prescriptively meet the particular needs of the reader. Properly designed TUI-based eTouchBooks should meet the requirements outlined in the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) and the inclusive learning requirements of laws such as the Individuals with Disabilities Act, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, and Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1979.

eTouchBook demonstrations
Attendees at the 2008 Sensors Expo, June 9-11 in Rosemont, Ill., can experience the eTouchBook based on Freescale's 8-bit microcontroller and 9-electrode proximity sensor technology at Freescale's booth #801.

The eTouchBook also will be presented at Freescale's Technology Forum (FTF) June 16-19, 2008 in Orlando, Fla., at the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Conference Center by Freescale's Chairman and CEO Rich Beyer.

About the Freescale Technology Forum
Created to inspire innovation and collaboration, the Freescale Technology Forum (FTF) has become the developer event of the year for the embedded semiconductor industry. The Forum, which debuted in 2005, has drawn nearly 20,000 attendees at FTF events worldwide since its inception. For more information about FTF events, go to http://www.freescale.com/ftf.

About Somatic Digital
Somatic Digital, LLC is a developer of the Touch User Interface (TUI) technology and the tools for implementing the technology into publishing workflows. The TUI technology creates a "touch screen" experience with the regular printed page. By connecting paper directly to services and digital content that can reside on optical media, the Internet, or hard-drives, an entire ecosystem is created around the ordinary printed page. Through its unique licensing product (Partner Program), entrepreneurs, marketers, publishers, and anyone wishing to create products around linking print and digital assets are able to do so very inexpensively. As a designer of universally-designed TUI technology, Somatic Digital's technology can be used for inclusion and persons with disabilities, including interactive tactile images and Braille.

About Freescale Semiconductor
Freescale Semiconductor is a global leader in the design and manufacture of embedded semiconductors for the automotive, consumer, industrial, networking and wireless markets. The privately held company is based in Austin, Texas, and has design, research and development, manufacturing or sales operations in more than 30 countries. Freescale is one of the world's largest semiconductor companies with 2007 sales of $5.7 billion (USD). www.freescale.com.

Somatic Digital Media Contact:
Laura Fairbanks
Somatic Digital
(513) 322.5101
(888) 322.5121
info@somaticdigital.com

Freescale Media Contacts:
 
Americas
Dale Weisman
Freescale Semiconductor
(512) 895-2795
dale.weisman@freescale.com

Emilie Harris
Lois Paul & Partners
(512) 638-5321
emilie_harris@lpp.com

Asia-Pacific
Gloria Shiu
Freescale Semiconductor
(85-22) 666-8237
gloria.shiu@freescale.com

Europe, Middle East and Africa
Laurent Massicot
Freescale Semiconductor
(33-16) 935-7712
laurent.massicot@freescale.com

India
Sanjeeth Boloor
Freescale Semiconductor
(91-80) 4149-4685
sanjeeth.boloor@freescale.com

Japan
Masako Tanikawa
Freescale Semiconductor
(81-3) 5437-9128
masako.tanikawa@freescale.com

Reader Inquiry Response
Freescale Semiconductor
P.O. Box 17927
Denver, CO 80217 USA

Freescale and the Freescale logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 2008