Investors from Shanghai have joined a completed $5.5 million Series A round for AI business Cambridge Touch Technologies which aims to build on hard-won attraction in Asia.

CTT is developing AI-driven, 3D multi-touch sensing technologies for smart devices. Existing investors – Parkwalk Advisors, Cambridge Enterprise and Amadeus Capital Partners – participated in the round and were joined by new investors China Materialia of Shanghai and Downing Ventures of London.

Ascendant Corporate Finance provided advice to CTT on the fund raising.

The Cambridge UK company’s technology uses what is regarded as the world’s simplest architecture to deliver an all-screen, multi-finger 3D touch solution that can scale to all device sizes at a fraction of the cost of existing approaches.

CTT technology sits above or on the display due to its high transparency, not underneath as with current opaque approaches. It is fully compatible with OLED and LCD conventional or bezel-less ‘infinity’ screens, including flat, curved and newly emerging foldable and flexible devices.

Due to sophisticated software algorithms and artificial intelligence, CTT’s next-generation solution is regarded by the investors as the world’s simplest 3D Touch architecture, employing just a single, piezoelectric based sensor for combined force and capacitive location sensing. First-generation competitor solutions require separate sensors and are said to be more complex to manufacture.

CTT was spun out of the University of Cambridge in 2011 to commercialise next-generation 3D multi-touch technology for smart devices such as smartphones, tablets, automotive and industrial applications. 3D Touch is an enhanced user interface which is now being deployed by all leading mobile and smart device makers.

CTT says it has attracted strong market interest and is engaged with leading OEMs, touch and display panel manufacturers, touch controller IC makers and auto component suppliers for mass adoption of its technology in the near future.

CEO Corbin Church said: “We’re delighted to welcome China Materialia and Downing Ventures, both highly-respected funds, who join our existing investors in backing the rapid growth of the business.

“In particular, we are pleased that the progress we have made in key elements of the technology, and with major customers in Asia, has allowed us to attract investment from that region, which is highly strategic for our commercialisation plans and roll-out.

“The company has a number of opportunities to exploit with its technology, IP and first-class team, and this new funding will allow us to accelerate business, product and market development over the next 18 months. We look forward to continuing to work with our customers and partners towards mass production, which is expected in the near future.”

Dr Patrick Berbon, managing partner of China Materialia, added: “We are excited to invest in CTT and join its board. We are attracted by the simplicity and elegance of CTT’s solution for 3D Touch sensors in smart devices.

“We feel that CTT’s AI-based signal processing algorithms and specialised Piezoelectric Force Films, could enable a simple low-cost sensor architecture that delivers superior functionality, and scales to all device sizes, shapes and, flexible and foldable forms, and open up exciting new applications on these devices.”