Specializing in mobile component production, strengths in unit price and after-sales service
Hybrid sensor integrating capacitive and pressure-sensitive sensors
Applied to Prospecs smart insoles, utilizing various pressure information

Numerous companies participated in the 2018 Korea Electronics Show held at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul, and showcased their technological capabilities.

While there were companies that set up large booths to immediately attract the attention of visitors, there were also companies that captivated visitors with specialized technology despite having small booths. Misung Polytech, which showcased Micro Force Sensor technology—specifically pressure-sensitive sensor technology—was one of them.
Misung Polytech, located in Bucheon, is a small but strong company that started in 1988 under the name Misung Electronics. After its founding, Misung Polytech focused on manufacturing keypads using silicon and changed its name to its current name in 1999. Having distinguished itself in the mobile components industry through continuous research and development, technological innovation, stable quality maintenance, and efficient production management, Misung Polytech even ranked first in keypad production share for LG Electronics in 2006.

Misung Polytech, having received tactile sensor technology from the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science in 2008, began mass production of smart TVs and hybrid input devices in 2010 and continues to do so to this day. Misung Polytech primarily produces specialized products tailored to customer requests rather than single finished products. In addition, as a domestic company, it has strengths in unit price and after-sales service.

'3D Touch,' introduced by Apple in the iPhone 6s series in 2015, is a technology that detects the degree of pressure applied when touching the display and performs different functions accordingly. Since then, many companies have been paying attention to the potential applications of this pressure-sensitive sensor technology. The widespread adoption of wearable devices is also accelerating this trend.
Misung Polytech's pressure-sensitive sensor measures the magnitude of force by utilizing the contact resistance of a pressure-sensitive layer (Piezo-Resistive Material) whose resistance changes according to the force. The pressure-sensitive layer is positioned between two sheets of material to detect the force. Misung Polytech's pressure-sensitive sensor can be used in input devices such as touch pressure buttons and pressure pads. It offers excellent positional accuracy, is applicable to various fields, and is suitable for ultra-thin input devices. In addition, multi-directional multi-touch recognition is possible, and it can also be attached to curved surfaces.

Apple's 3D Touch combines two touch sensors, a capacitive sensor and a pressure-sensitive sensor, but the pressure-sensitive sensor showcased by Misung Polytech at KES 2018 is a hybrid sensor that integrates the capacitive sensor and the pressure-sensitive sensor into a single component.

Miseong Polytech also showcased TLI's smart insoles using its own sensors.

Last April, TLI, a company specializing in semiconductors for displays, commercialized a smart insole capable of gait analysis using pressure-sensitive sensors from Misung Polytech. TLI's smart insole, which completed motion analysis testing in collaboration with hospitals, was embedded in smart shoes from LS Networks' sports brand, Prospecs. This smart insole can be embedded in various types of athletic shoes.
It links with a smartphone app to provide real-time analysis of key activities, such as daily activity levels, gait analysis, and behavioral analysis, helping to establish proper walking habits and correct posture. In addition, it is possible to distinguish and measure specific movements, such as running posture analysis, as well as user activities like sitting, walking, running, and standing, making it applicable to rehabilitation services, injury prevention and performance improvement for athletes, and home training.

"Miseong Polytech's hybrid sensor, which integrates capacitive and voltage sensors, can measure not only X and Y axis values but also Z axis values," said Deputy General Manager Jeong Seong-gi of the Central Research Institute. "Application developers can utilize this sensor to create content that effectively uses various pressure information."