Microsystems and Smart Devices
Integrated Electronic Devices And Accessible Technologies
The smartphone has made computing resources that were once only available in specialized environments open to everyone. At PARC, we believe the next generation of technologies to follow will provide people with capabilities that were once accessible only in laboratories.
To make our vision a reality, PARC scientists take important hardware systems, like sensors, actuators, displays and cameras, and reinvent them to be accessible and versatile for use in a number of different advanced technologies that make a difference to our lives. Every piece of hardware is designed with size, form, factor, affordability, manufacturability and usability in mind, often combined with smart analytics.
Together, these innovations will drive the electronic products that consumers, businesses and governments use today and tomorrow. And, as many of these applications require their own sets of technologies and innovations, PARC uses its deep Competencies in optical systems, microfabrication and materials integration, and its extensive infrastructure that includes cleanrooms with materials growth facilities, to tackle challenges that might prevent wider use. We’re advancing existing and new technologies, opening the door for the creation of exciting applications in our homes, offices, factories and schools, without the need for billion-dollar manufacturing budgets.
News
News release
“Lately, everyone is focused on the value of data and analytics. Those are important, but in the end physics still matters – you need to get the right kind of data from sensors in the real world, and often act on that data using physical actuators. Making sensing ubiquitous is one of the ways that PARC is inventing a future where all devices are smart and connected.”
Sean Garner, Vice President and Director, Hardware Systems Lab, PARC
Additional information
Our work is centered around a series of Focus Areas that we believe are the future of science and technology.
We’re continually developing new technologies, many of which are available for Commercialization.
Our scientists and staffers are active members and contributors to the science and technology communities.