Smart and interactive textiles company Eleksen brings to market the first mobile
gaming joystick based on its revolutionary new bend sensor

London, 6th January 2004 – Eleksen today announces the launch of its
new Bluetooth joystick aimed at improving the fun and flexibility of playing
games on mobile devices. The joystick will be on display on Eleksen’s stand
at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, 6th – 9th January 2005.
The all-new flexible joystick is based on Eleksen’s groundbreaking ‘bend sensor’.
Woven from conductive elastic, the bend sensor measures the degree and direction
of flex in 360 degrees making it ideal for controlling games action on mobile
phones and laptops.

The Eleksen joystick fills a gap in the mobile gaming peripherals market for
devices that improve the user interface/playability and usability of games on
small mobile devices like phones and notebook PCs. Phone keypads are still primarily
designed for making calls and can prove frustrating to use for game playing.
Existing controllers are rigid, and lack the pliable nature of Eleksen’s joystick,
which is incredibly tactile and greatly improves the gaming experience.

Being wireless, the joystick offers players even greater flexibility and is
compatible with a wide range of Bluetooth enabled devices. In addition to its
utility as a games peripheral, the joystick can also be used to control mouse
action on bluetooth enabled PCs to allow remote control of PowerPoint slideshows
on laptops. The joystick design supports several versions, which permit additional
finger sensor controls to allow greater control functionality.

“The only limit to the use of Eleksen’s technology is your imagination”,
Nigel Gilhespy, Eleksen’s Chief Technology Officer explains. “This product
has been developed from customer feedback on the need for more innovative gaming
peripherals hardware to accelerate the sales of mobile games capable devices.
The joystick is licensable today for manufacturers eager to take advantage of
the growth of the mobile gaming hardware market.”

Robin Shephard, CEO, Eleksen adds: “The Bend sensor is yet another example
of the many possible applications for our technology and clearly illustrates
how it is enabling a revolution in product design. Our technology is poised
to make a real impact in the mobile phone industry where form and factor are
becoming major differentiators.”

The mobile gaming market is currently worth nearly $2bn worldwide[1][1]. Strategy
Analytics estimates that the business will grow to $8bn in revenues by 2009,
due to the increasing sophistication of mobile phones and game content. In such
competitive conditions Eleksen’s Bluetooth joystick is a great way for mobile
gaming operators to differentiate their services.

About Eleksen

Eleksen Ltd. is the world leader in smart fabrics. Eleksen enables innovative
product development by researching, developing and licensing soft sensing and
switching technology. The company’s core technology, ElekTexTM, is based around
a unique sensing fabric. ElektexTM opens the door to a whole new range of ’soft’
products as both sensor and interconnectivity are fabric and eliminate the need
for external hard components. Eleksen has established a strong customer base
for its solutions in its six core markets: transport, healthcare, toys &
games, consumer electronics, furniture and wearables. Eleksen develops and licenses
its technology. It also has capabilities to do prototyping or production. The
company is backed by an impressive list of investors: 3i, MTI, MVI, Siemens
Venture Capital, Vesta Capital Partners and Wireless Frontiers. Eleksen expects
the company will quadruple its revenues in the coming year.

Eleksen’s headquarters are based in Pinewood Studios near London.

Filed under: Mobile News

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