iAHC 2025: Uniting Global Intelligence – How Will Haptics Shape the Future?
From September 23–25, 2025, iAHC 2025—the International Forum on Haptics—was successfully held in Hamburg, Germany, hosted by GREWUS GmbH, the German subsidiary of BESTAR. The forum brought together leading experts, scholars, and corporate representatives from around the world to explore the latest advances and future directions in haptic technology.
Industry Leaders Gather to Shape a New Blueprint for Haptics
The event welcomed distinguished guests including R&D experts from Porsche, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi; project leaders from major Tier-1 and Tier-2 automotive suppliers such as Valeo, DIRAC, Marquardt, BHTC, BROSE, PRE, Qorvo, and Innovobolt; as well as chief scientists from global consumer electronics leaders including Google, Microsoft, and Logitech. Academic voices were represented by specialists from the University of Waterloo in Canada and Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Germany.
The three-day program featured 16 keynote presentations, covering themes such as “Creating the BMW Neue Klasse Haptic Experience,” “A New Chapter for Touchpads,” and “Smart Haptics: Enabling Immersive and Intuitive User Experiences.” These sessions showcased breakthrough applications of haptic technology in automotive smart cockpits and consumer electronics.
Technical Highlights: From Actuators to Sensors
A major theme of the discussions was the innovative transformation of vibration-based haptic actuators into sensors. Widely used in wearable devices for tactile feedback, these miniature components can also provide valuable positional data through basic modeling—and, with advanced approaches, function as genuine impedance-coupled sensors. This breakthrough opens new possibilities for bidirectional interaction in haptic devices.
During the interactive session hosted by GREWUS GmbH, experts shared research insights into haptic feedback technologies. These industry-driven discussions provided academia with practical perspectives for advancing future research.
Haptics: A Sensory Revolution in Human–Machine Interaction
While traditional human–machine interfaces rely primarily on vision and sound, haptic technology introduces a third sensory dimension. BESTAR’s new haptic actuators deliver precise full-surface press sensing and highly responsive bidirectional feedback. In the automotive field, BESTAR’s seat haptics combine sensors with intelligent algorithms to provide optimized feedback across a variety of driving scenarios.
The applications are vast—spanning industrial manufacturing, medical rehabilitation, consumer electronics, and automotive interfaces. As virtual reality and augmented reality technologies advance, the importance of high-fidelity haptic feedback is becoming increasingly evident.
Haptics on the Global Stage
As a vital branch of human–machine interaction, haptic technology is gaining worldwide momentum. From iAHC 2025 and the IEEE World Haptics Conference to other dedicated forums, research and applications in this field are flourishing. These global exchanges offer researchers and industry leaders a valuable platform to share achievements and discuss future trends, fueling innovation and breakthroughs.
The collaboration between BESTAR and GREWUS is set to accelerate the widespread adoption of haptic solutions in automotive electronics and consumer devices. In the near future, haptics may become as ubiquitous as today’s visual and auditory technologies, forming a standard component of human–machine interaction. With continuous innovation, haptic feedback will play a transformative role in unlocking new possibilities across countless scenarios.
As a founding member of the InterActive Haptics Alliance, GREWUS is committed to providing immersive HMI solutions for its partners worldwide.
For more information, please visit BESTAR’s official website at https://site_2f354c94-e8d8-461f-8810-27cde27d18c2/ or contact your local business representative.