Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) for Appliances

Human Machine Interface for Appliances

The proliferation of IoT-enabled appliances has dramatically increased expectations for ease-of-use. When user controls(traditional buttons and switches) transform into touchscreens and voice commands, brands enhance the customer experience and sales increase. Also, when there’s a choice between traditional interfaces and gesture recognition or talking to Alexa/voice assistant, younger demographics choose what’s innovative.

The most-recognized brands worldwide partner with Jabil for its deep expertise with interactive components for HMI, such as touchscreens, sensors, WiFi connections and developing technologies such as Touché swept frequency capacitive sensing (SFCS). From design through manufacturing and supply chain management, from microwaves to washing machines, Jabil helps integrate these diverse technologies into products that feature user-friendly HMI.

Haptic technology is a particularly critical advance in HMI. Haptics enable an appliance to receive a touch command, but they also provide feedback. For example, a user may feel an increasing vibration as they slide their fingertip across a control to raise the water temperature. To both react to and guide user responses, touchscreens can use a variety of haptic technologies including ultrasonic vibrations, electroactive polymers and microfluidics.

Jabil focuses on the development of these and other HMI technologies while implementing them with innovative design and cost-effective manufacturing techniques.

Jabil HMI Expertise

• Capacitive/discrete/resistive touchscreens
• 3d gesture recognition lasers and optics
• Voice recognition microphones and acoustic testing
• Haptic feedback (touch-based signals and responses)
• Sensors — light, proximity, current/power, environment, motion, flow and others
• IoT architecture