Novares, an automotive supplier that specializes in plastic parts, recently unveiled its latest demo car, Nova Car 2. Designed for automotive-industry stakeholders, the car showcases the latest innovations to make cars more interactive and user-friendly. This most recent incarnation of the demo car packs in fifteen patented innovations, two of which were developed by CEA Tech institutes.

The first, developed by List, is a rotating piezoelectric button with haptic feedback integrated into the center console. The reprogrammable button can be used to move from one system to another (radio, air conditioning, etc.), giving the driver relevant and personalized haptic feedback on the system being controlled.

The second, developed by Leti, is found at the core of a door locking and unlocking system on the door handle and rear panel. Based on thin-layer piezoelectric sensors with a purpose-built design, the system is much more sensitive and reliable than what is currently available on the market. This innovation resulted in a CEA spinoff, WORMS, that will be founded by September and that will have exclusive rights to commercialize the technology.

Novares will kick off its Nova Car 2 world tour in July and also plans to pursue its partnership with all three CEA Tech institutes. Leti, Liten, and List are already working on new and innovative proof-of-concept prototypes for Nova Car 3.