The US subsidiary of Bayer MaterialScience (BMS, Leverkusen / Germany; www.bayerbms.com) has acquired electroactive polymer specialist Artificial Muscle Inc (AMI, Sunnyvale, California / USA; www.artificialmuscle.com) for an undisclosed sum. The specialist in touchscreen panels for consumer electronics was spun off from Stanford Research Institute International in 2004 for the purpose of commercialising the technology.

BMS said the deal will give it access to a broad portfolio of patents for films as well as adding complementary technology and putting it at the forefront of a new market. The takeover by a potent multinational player also will accelerate the launch of the technology, within the next two years. All AMI employees, including president and CEO Scott Metcalf, will remain with the company.

Polymers produced by Artificial Muscle are used in the development, design and manufacture of actuators and sensing components. BMS said the technology has “significant application potential” for electronic devices such as smartphones, gaming controllers and touchpads, especially as it offers certain advantages compared with some traditional processes and applications. The “EPAM” technology used in AMI’s “awareness through touch” touchscreen panels is said to create “authentic tactile feedback,” in other words reproduce the feeling of conventional keyboards.