… and the Car HMI Europe Award 2021 in the category “Most Innovative Application of Machine Learning & AI in Automotive HMI + UX” goes to:

… Candera’s “Smart AI-based graphics Importer”!

The Smart Importer is the highlight feature of Candera’s latest CGI Studio 3.10, which had just been presented at the Car HMI Europe for the first time. Candera’s Smart Importer enables all users (including those without programming skills) to automatically generate full functioning HMIs using their designs from any graphics software – opening the door to faster, more efficient HMI creation: https://youtu.be/7RaKP-Pyb7c

The Car HMI Europe Award exclusively honours exceptional projects in the automotive industry. It celebrates outstanding solutions, innovations and unique development processes in automotive user experience, UIs and HMIs. Luxoft, Mercedes-Benz and Candera are the winners of the 2021 edition.

“The winners have set a new standard for innovation and creative technology within the automotive industry,” said Swetlana Torosyan, Producer of the Car HMI Europe 2021. “This award is a testament to the skill, ingenuity, and vision of the creators. Being able to present the future in real time is an absolute privilege.”

Among all applications, the best 6 projects were nominated by an internal jury of experts. The criteria for the nomination are:

• How easy is the project to realize and to maintain?
• How innovative or unique is the approach?
• What is achieved through the implementation?
• Is the function ready to use?
• Cost efficiency – what is the balance of development costs and savings?

At the Award Ceremony during the Car HMI Europe event, all nominees presented their solutions in a short video. Via live voting, the Car HMI Europe community voted for their leaders and projects that show outstanding efforts to bring user interaction and UX to the next level. Congratulations to Luxoft, Mercedes-Benz and Candera for winning the CAR HMI Europe Award 2021!”

Candera wins with Candera’s AI assisted Smart Importer the category ‘Most Innovative Application of Machine Learning & AI in Automotive HMI + UX’. Runner up is Mercedes-Benz with their “MBUX Zero Layer”.

“The automotive industry is going through exciting changes right now, and the winners of this award is clearly at the frontline of their game. We are already looking forward to next year’s event and awards to see what they can come up with next”, concludes Swetlana Torosyan at the Car HMI Europe Award Ceremony.

The “Smart Importer” now also permits direct import from PSD, Sketch or Axure RP. It helps designers save precious time and costs.

About Candera

Candera, is a leading HMI tool provider and development partner for worldwide automotive and industrial customers. It supports its customers with the CGI Studio tool environment as well as provision of software services mainly in the areas of HMI development and embedded software. Candera GmbH in Linz, Austria and Candera America Inc. are part of KAGA FEI Co., Ltd., situated in Yokohama / Japan.

February 15, 2021 – Linz/ Austria – Candera is excited to announce that it has been accredited as first certified partner within Infineon’s HMI Tool Certification Program. Infineon has designed this special evaluation program in order to ensure the best customer satisfaction and experience when using HMI software with the TRAVEO™ II Graphic Controllers.

Picture 1 Candera to be certified as first HMI tool partner for Infineon’s Traveo II-C

Since many years Candera, a leading HMI-tool provider, has been cooperating with Cypress, an Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / QTCQX: IFNNY) company in order to create the perfect HMI solutions for the TRAVEO-series, starting with the reference board Amber S6J3200 up to TRAVEO II Graphic MCUs (CYT4DNxxx). So, there was no hesitation for Candera in participating at Infineon’s latest HMI Tool Certification Program and to successfully implement the defined requirements: setting up a full virtual animated dashboard as well as a warped dual Head up Display using CGI Studio and the TVII-C CPU boards, while leveraging all the HW features that the GPU offers.

A special challenge within the virtual dashboard was the implementation of the animated media coverflow between the 2 gauges. Since all media graphics of the dashboard were only available in 2D, the whole coverflow has been realized in 2.5D, allowing a similar depth perception than 3D. For this 2.5D implementation Candera had to provide the possibility to dynamically change the transformation matrix of all objects.

Furthermore, cluster and HuD were based on 3 different layer types: IBO (Image-based operation) for traditional frame buffer drawing, LBO (Line-based operation) Increased BLIT engine performance and reduced memory and OTF (On-the-fly mode) to reduce VRAM memory consumption. All of them implemented successfully by the Candera team.

The head-up display had to be accomplished in two different modes, warping off (for projection on planar surfaces) and warping on (for projection onto the windscreen). Similar like the transformation matrix of the 2.5D use case, the distortion for the warping has been created by using the display warping feature in order to simulate the bending of the windshield.

Within this HuD use case, CGI Studio also supports the text rendering by Traveo II draw engine.

Picture 2: Full virtual instrument cluster and warped dual Head-up display created with Candera CGI Studio on TRAVEO II

Candera is very excited to be the first certified HMI tool partner for Infineon’s TRAVEO™ II Graphics Controller.
“Infineon’s TRAVEO series has always been the perfect match for our HMI design tool CGI Studio, says Reinhard Füricht, general manager of Candera. “As certified tool partner we are more than happy enabling our mutual customers to create powerful HMI solutions with a special focus on low-memory footprint.”

Also, Sven Natus, Senior Director of the Automotive Microcontroller Business Unit at Infineon showed his appreciation “The implementation of compelling and cost competitive HMI solutions has ever been a challenge. We have been partnering with Candera for many years on the TRAVEO series. This certification now takes our partnership to the next level and enables customers to quickly and easily implement their HMI design while getting the best performance out of the system.”

About Candera

Candera, is a leading HMI tool provider and development partner for worldwide automotive and industrial customers. Candera supports its customers with the CGI Studio tool environment as well as provision of software services mainly in the areas of HMI development and embedded software. Candera GmbH in Linz, Austria and Candera America Inc. are part of KAGA FEI Co., Ltd. , situated in Yokohama / Japan.

About Infineon

Infineon Technologies AG is a world leader in semiconductor solutions that make life easier, safer and greener. Microelectronics from Infineon are the key to a better future. In the 2020 fiscal year (ending 30 September), Infineon reported revenue of more than €8.5 billion with a workforce of some 46,700 people worldwide. Following the acquisition of the US company Cypress Semiconductor Corporation in April 2020, Infineon is now a global top 10 semiconductor company.

Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX) and in the USA on the over-the-counter market OTCQX International Premier (ticker symbol: IFNNY). Further information is available at www.infineon.com.

Linz/Vienna/Munich – 16/02/2021 – Candera, a leading provider of HMI design tools, next system, a renowned expert of customized haptic hardware solutions and DATA MODUL, a leading partner for display technologies have been cooperating on the development of an innovative HMI solution, supporting intuitive touch feedback technology. Featuring different use cases in application fields like industry, nautics, medicine and many more, the solution also includes a haptic pin pad, that supports person with visual impairment. This innovative haptic HMI will be presented at (digital) Embedded World, from 1-5 March, 2021.

Candera’s, next system’s and DATA MODUL’s haptic Multi-Scene HMI solution supports intuitive touch gestures for multiple use cases

Following several studies about the hierarchy of human senses, touch is often named as one of the most important ones after visual and auditory impulses. Therefore, it is not surprising, that not only our physical but also the artificial world can be enriched from an enhanced input of touch stimuli. The incorporation of haptics and touch feedback technology into displays and touch screens is no future trend, it has already found its way into many application fields like automotive, industry or medicine. Adding these intuitive operating concepts to static devices transforms standard UI solutions into immersive and living HMI experiences.

Based on these insights, Candera GmbH, a leading HMI tool provider, next system, a renowned expert in haptics, displays, computers and motors together with DATA MODUL, a leading partner for display technologies have merged their expertise in order to create a modern Multi-Scene-HMI solution with intuitive and haptic touchscreen support. The result is a highly perceptive User Interface that combines the best out of 2 worlds: perfect HMI design and enhanced haptic technologies.

Intuitive touch feedback of displays and devices is no longer a privilege of the automotive industry. It has already found its way into multiple application fields like industry, medicine, entertainment and many more. This is why Candera, next system and DATA MODUL have highlighted several different use cases across various industries, among them a 2D/3D excavator UI, a nautic sea map, an ultrasonic control unit, a dynamic cashpoint pin pad and more. Indeed, this pin pad supports persons with visual impairment, who can successfully interact with the UI purely based on the haptic and auditory feedback they receive from the device.

Intuitive Cash Point Pin Pad with haptic and auditory feedback to support persons with visual impairment

All of these use cases have been created with Candera’s HMI design tool CGI Studio, a highly intuitive and user friendly GUI design software. Thanks to Candera’s powerful render engine, the scenes not only feature pin sharp graphics but also 3D elements and animations. CGI Studio’s automated workflows, like the ready-to use controls, integrated state machines but especially the Smart Photoshop Importer have helped to rapidly turn the flood of images and animations linked to these multiple scenes into living HMIs – and this within only a few weeks instead of months.

next systems innovative hardware technologies were the perfect match to Candera’s HMI solutions. As a pioneer in haptic touch solutions, next systems target was to create a state-of-the-art haptic touch demonstrator for several applications. The device includes two 10,1“ touch screens with haptic feedback support based on electrostatic- and piezo-technology. Both screens include force-sense (Force measurement for targeted and safe triggering on the user interface) in order to ensure high quality user experience. The integrated haptic touch technology can be tailormade applied to almost all touch sensitive applications.

“With Candera, as a specialist in HMI UI design, next system found the perfect partner to realize this very versatile project in a very short time frame,” says Michael Nussbaumer, Product Manager for Display & Haptic Solutions at next system “The scenes, screens and functions where quickly created and integrated on the target hardware. The efficient cooperation enabled a quick and cost-efficient execution of the overall project.”

DATA MODUL provided the custom refined cover glass including the latest version of their SITO projective capacitive touch unit. Additionally, the display expert was taking care of the fine tuning mostly for touch adjustments and TFT driving. This set-up of all included components ensured the perfect combination and integration of Candera´s HMI and next system´s haptic touch solution.

The new haptic HMI solution will be presented the first time at Embedded World 2021 at the virtual booth of Candera as well as during Candera’s speaker presentation at the exhibitor forum on March 2, 2021 at 11.25 AM, in which David Aberl, Head of Product Management will talk about the Next Generation of HMI development tools.

About Candera

Candera, is a leading HMI tool provider and development partner for worldwide automotive and industrial customers. It supports its customers with the CGI Studio tool environment as well as provision of software services mainly in the areas of HMI development and embedded software. Candera GmbH in Linz, Austria and Candera America Inc. are part of KAGA FEI Co., Ltd. , situated in Tokyo / Japan.

About next system

next system is an Austrian owner-managed company and leading provider of solutions and products in the areas of Motors, Embedded Computers, Displays & Touch, Medical Solutions and Haptic Touch Solutions. Long-standing and selected partnerships with established manufacturers, deep technical know-how and a strong understanding of our customers are the foundations of our success.

About DATA MODUL

DATA MODUL AG is one of the world’s leading specialist providers of display, touch, embedded, monitor and panel PC solutions. Since it was established in 1972, it has consistently pursued the objective of providing its customers with state-of-the-art, tailor-made and individually customized complete solutions for display technologies. The extensive distribution portfolio of displays, touchscreens and embedded solutions and the increasingly innovative in-house developments complete the unique modular product portfolio.