GREENVILLE, S.C., Feb. 01, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KEMET Corporation (NYSE:KEM), a leading global supplier of passive electronic components, and Novasentis, a leading developer of film based haptic actuators, today announced that KEMET Electronics Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of KEMET, has invested in Novasentis’s Series-D round of funding. Novasentis makes the world’s thinnest, electro mechanical polymer based actuators that provide rich haptic feedback for a variety of applications including AR/VR and Wearables. Novasentis supplies its “smart” film and KEMET applies its expertise in manufacturing film capacitors, to the development and commercial production of the actuators.

Dr. Philip Lessner, KEMET’s Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, commented, “The Novasentis technology allows for unprecedented functionality in haptic actuators, both due to its ultra-thin profile and small size, which allows it to be incorporated into the widest variety of wearables and virtual reality applications, and its ability to provide a variety of tactile sensations.” KEC will now be represented on Novasentis’ board of directors.

“We have been working with KEMET since 2015, to commercialize our haptic technology and they have been delivering high quality pilot scale volume since last year.” Says Francois Jeanneau, President and CEO of Novasentis. “KEMET’s investment in our company is a testament to the value being created by our unique technology.”

“Our Novasentis investment illustrates how we can utilize our strong balance sheet to create new opportunities for increasing shareholder value,” stated Per Loof, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. “Novasentis provides us with the opportunity to participate in the commercialization of a groundbreaking new actuator technology, which will benefit from our expertise in manufacturing film capacitors and further service and support our customers around the globe.”

About KEMET

The Company’s common stock is listed on the NYSE under the ticker symbol “KEM” (NYSE:KEM). At the Investor Relations section of our web site at http://www.kemet.com/IR, users may subscribe to KEMET news releases and find additional information about our Company. KEMET offers our customers the broadest selection of capacitor technologies in the industry, along with an expanding range of electromechanical devices, electromagnetic compatibility solutions and supercapacitors. Our vision is to be the preferred supplier of electronic component solutions demanding the highest standards of quality, delivery and service. Additional information about KEMET can be found at http://www.kemet.com.

About Novasentis

Novasentis is the supplier of the world’s thinnest and most flexible polymer-based haptic actuators. The patented electro-mechanical polymer (EMP) technology and products are ideal for creating rich haptic feedback and a completely new user experience for applications including smart watches, AR/VR, gaming controllers and many others. Founded in 2006, Novasentis is privately held with corporate offices in Berkeley, California and research facilities in State College, Penn. More information on Novasentis is available at www.novasentis.com.