Electronic Products interviewed Philip Lessner, Ph.D., Kemet’s senior vice president and chief technical officer (CTO). Lessner said he is starting to see real-world uses for VR in industrial settings, including Kemet’s factory locations to help train workers on complex equipment.
Kemet Corp. was acquired by Yageo Corp. in 2019, transforming the companies into a $3 billion interconnect, passive, and electromechanical powerhouse in the electronics industry. The electronic components manufacturer, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2019, has been expanding its product portfolio over the past several years in order to grow and innovate for next-generation technologies.
Historically, Kemet has been known as a major capacitor manufacturer for high-reliability applications, such as automotive, medical, military and aerospace, industrial, and telecom. But in recent years, the emergence of technologies such as the internet of things (IoT), 5G, automotive electrification, wearables, and augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR), has led the company to expand beyond passive components to play a bigger role in these growing markets and to continue on a growth path.
The interview with Dr.Lessner covered the following topics and questions:
- What are the basic building blocks, at the component level, for AR/VR devices?
- What differentiates Novasentis’s haptic technology from competitors?
- What makes polymer tantalum capacitors a good dielectric for these applications?
- Do you think that sensors, in general, is the biggest area of innovation for VR applications?
- Does the capability to feel different textures open up new opportunities?
- What are the most important technology improvements/specifications for sensors in these applications?
- Is Kemet primarily targeting industrial-type applications?
- Designers tend to forget about the passives and the interconnects, but these components also have to shrink, so there has to be innovation in these areas, too?
- Do you see any emerging applications for VR — outside of training or machine maintenance or virtual gaming?
- What do you think are some of the biggest technology challenges today associated with XR?
Read the full interview at Electronics Products article link below
