Immersion

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Immersion Drives Automotive Design Innovation with First-Ever Auto-Grade Haptic Touchscreen Technology


Empowers Immersion Licensees to Easily Add Touch Feedback to Vehicle
Controls

SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec 17, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Immersion Corporation (NASDAQ:IMMR), the leading developer and licensor of touch feedback technology (http://www.immersion.com/corporate/), today announced the first-ever automotive-grade actuator that enables fast integration of advanced touch feedback (haptics) into touchscreens and touch surfaces for the global automotive industry. Immersion's haptics technology dramatically elevates the automotive user experience. With haptics, users experience more intuitive interactions, reduced glance time for improved safety, and more elegant space-saving designs.

Immersion, as well as global automotive supplier Visteon Corporation and other automotive design companies, will be demonstrating potential applications of Immersion's haptics technology at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, January 8-11, 2009.

"The auto industry represents a tremendous international opportunity for touch feedback as manufacturers address an increasing number of features and controls that must be implemented to very rigorous design standards," said Chuck Joseph, Immersion's senior vice president and general manager, Touch Interface Products. "We believe haptic touch controls bridge a critical gap in next-generation automotive interiors and create a fast-growing demand that Immersion is ready to meet.

"Immersion has a number of automotive design wins for our haptic rotary technology, and today we're bringing haptics to other types of controls and a much broader range of applications in the car," continued Joseph. "With the new A110 actuator, we provide TouchSense(R) technology to touchscreens, touch surfaces, and button clusters so that now every vehicle manufactured could have some form of affordable touch feedback technology."

Because of its manufacturing competency and commitment to quality, Johnson Electric was selected to manufacture the new Immersion TouchSense A110 actuator. One of the world's largest suppliers of actuators and electric motors to the automotive industry, Johnson Electric has shipped billions of motion components, such as motors, solenoids, and switches, for hundreds of applications to more than 30 countries around the world. Its world-class integrated manufacturing systems and facilities boast an annual production capacity of over one billion systems and subsystems. The company's national and international certificates for quality, environmental management, and product safety underscore its capabilities for adhering to stringent automotive industry standards.

"Johnson Electric's key objective is to make our customers successful by providing quality products that give them a competitive advantage," said Doug Eberle, vice president of sales and marketing, Johnson Electric's Automotive Products Group. "We believe that the haptics technology embodied in Immersion's A110 actuator represents the future direction of the automotive industry, and Johnson Electric is glad to be a partner in the supply chain that brings a new technology to the market."

Specifically designed for automotive applications, the TouchSense A110 actuator is intended for use with 8- to 17-inch touchscreens and touch surfaces. The actuator meets automotive specifications for temperature, humidity, corrosion, reliability, and performance.

A design kit including new A110 actuators is now available. Contact Immersion for actuator specifications or ordering information.

About TouchSense (http://www.immersion.com/corporate/technology.php)

TouchSense technology delivers the unmistakable confirmation of touch feedback, enabling innovative designers to deliver intuitive user experiences that satisfy and delight. TouchSense solutions incorporate hundreds of patented technologies including mechanical, electrical, software, and firmware elements. They are used in touchscreens, touch panels, touch surfaces, programmable rotary technology, and handheld products. Applications include automotive, consumer electronics, gaming, machine control, mobile phone, and office automation product interfaces. Immersion can assist licensees with development and integration to make achieving the benefits of tactile feedback fast and easy.

About Immersion (www.immersion.com)

Founded in 1993, Immersion Corporation is the recognized leader in developing, licensing, and marketing digital touch technology and products. Using Immersion's advanced touch feedback technology (http://www.immersion.com/corporate), electronic user interfaces are more compelling, entertaining, and in many applications, safer and more productive. Immersion's technology has helped manufacturers develop innovative and creative solutions for products such as hundreds of video games and leading video console gaming systems, medical training simulators installed around the world, driver controls for automotive manufacturers, and mobile phones, such as those from LG and Samsung. Immersion's patent portfolio includes over 700 issued or pending patents in the U.S. and other countries.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove incorrect, could cause the results of Immersion Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

All statements, other than the statements of historical fact, are statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements, including the statements regarding the automotive industry representing a tremendous international opportunity; haptic touch controls bridging a critical gap in the next-generation automotive interiors and creating a fast-growing demand; providing touch feedback technology to every vehicle and haptics technology representing the future direction of the automotive industry. Immersion's actual results might differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties associated with our business, which include, but are not limited to, delay in or failure to achieve commercial demand for our products or a delay in or failure to achieve the acceptance of force feedback as a critical user experience.

For a more detailed discussion of these factors, and other factors that could cause actual results to vary materially, interested parties should review the risk factors listed in our most current Form 10-Q, which is on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements in this press release reflect our beliefs and predictions as of the date of this release. We disclaim any obligation to update these forward-looking statements as a result of financial, business, or any other developments occurring after the date of this release.

Immersion, the Immersion logo, and TouchSense are trademarks of Immersion Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE: Immersion Corporation

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Copyright Business Wire 2008

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