"As a leading provider of smart, connected devices with sophisticated, easy-to-use HMI, Atmel is committed to delivering a state-of-the-art connected experience in the automobile," Rob Valiton, SVP and GM of Automotive, Aerospace and Memory Business Units, Atmel Corporation. "Atmel's AvantCar 2.0 showcases the connected car and delivers a futuristic center console showcasing our latest technologies in a sleek, slim center console with increased performance and fully connected throughout the car. We are excited to bring this next-generation concept to the public demonstrating the future of HMI in the connected car."

"The AvantCar 2.0 is a true reflection of what's to come in next-generation center consoles," said Jason Greene, Product Marketing Manager, Silicon Image, Inc. "Integrating MHL as the connectivity solution for the connected car and infotainment units enables drivers to navigate GPS and music apps or passengers to enjoy movies and games from the phone. We are excited to team with Atmel on this next-generation demo."

The Connected Car

With up to a hundred million lines of code, at least 30 MCU-controlled devices—and some with as many as 100—the vehicle is the ideal application to bring smart, connected devices in the era of the Internet of Things (IoT). Automotive technologyis quickly becoming an integral part of the digital lifestyle as consumers want to bring their mobile devices seamlessly into their vehicles.

The next-generation AvantCar 2.0 showcases connectivity to the vehicle through an advanced  HMI console connected to a concept car highlighting car access, car networking, MCUs, audio-over-Ethernet and security technologies. The 2.5D (two-and-a-half dimensional) car showcases several of Atmel's automotive technologies in a car access simulation for the Passive EntryGo, LIN communication in a car network and Car Area Network (CAN) communications—all systems that use Atmel MCUs, LIN transceivers and SBCs.  Additionally, AvantCar2.0demonstrates audio streaming over Ethernet-AVB, based on several Atmel products being announced at CES 2015.

AvantCar 2.0 Delivers Next-Generation HMI Experience

Tomorrow's drivers are demanding a more modern HMI experience in the automobile, especially in the center console, with no mechanical buttons or clunky knobs. Atmel delivers these features with its modern and futuristic AvantCar 2.0 which includes active touchscreens, curved form factors, personalized color schemes and navigation menus via touch buttons and sliders in a cutting-edge sleek center console.

Atmel's AvantCar 2.0 includes curved TFT displays to offer a slimmer form factor, along with improved touch performance powered by Atmel's maXTouch touchscreen controllers and XSense flexible touch sensors. The curved touch sensor offers a radius of less than 1 meter which is realized with Atmel's maXTouch and XSense touch technologies to provide the highest accuracy, linearity and glove touch support. Other technologies include Atmel's QTouch™ with proximity sensing and capacitive touch buttons and sliders, along with LIN networking for ambient lighting controls. The LIN solutions feature the company's RF and automotive-qualified AVR MCUs.

Technical details about Atmel's AvantCar concept can be found at: http://www.atmel.com/images/Atmel-45061-AvantCar-Centerstack.pdf.

The demo was defined and designed in conjunction with Germaneers GmbH, an automotive design house in Germany.

More Information

Atmel maXTouch Solutions: www.atmel.com/maxtouch
Atmel XSense Solutions: www.atmel.com/xsense
Atmel Automotive-qualified MCUs: http://www.atmel.com/products/automotive/default.aspx
Atmel QTouch Technologies: http://www.atmel.com/products/touchsolutions/bsw/default.aspx
Embedded Design Blog: www.atmelcorporation.wordpress.com
Atmel YouTube Channel at www.atmel.com/youtube
Twitter: www.atmel.com/twitter
Facebook: www.atmel.com/facebook
Linked In: www.atmel.com/linkedin

About Atmel
Atmel Corporation (NASDAQ: ATML) is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of microcontrollers, capacitive touch solutions, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry's broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is able to provide the electronics industry with intelligent and connected solutions focused on the industrial, consumer, communications, computing and automotive markets.

© 2015 Atmel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Atmel®, Atmel logo and combinations thereof, XSense®, QTouch™, CryptoAuthenication™, AVR®, maXTouch® and others are registered trademarks or trademarks of Atmel Corporation or its subsidiaries. Other terms and product names may be trademarks of others.

Press Contact:                           
Agnes Toan, Sr. Communications Manager
Tel: (+1) 408-487-2963 
agnes.toan@atmel.com