Tap Systems Founder Dovid Schick Is Improving the Metaverse

Tap is an input technology that makes augmented and virtual reality (the “metaverse”) as easy to use as your smartphone. Tap allows you to control menus and enter text just by tapping your fingers on any surface. With Tap, you can write at 70 words per minute with just one hand and can control apps through a simple, intuitive interface.

I am an electrical engineer and inventor. My last company went public on the NASDAQ and was then purchased by a much larger company. After it was sold, I became interested in the problem of how we will interact with new immersive computers, such as AR and VR. These devices are currently very difficult to use, and the input methods are slow, error prone, and frustrating. This problem has prevented much wider adoption of AR and VR. As I began working out the details of Tapping, I became certain that I had come across an amazingly powerful technology that had been completely overlooked by other companies. I convinced Sabrina Kemeny to join me as a co-founder, and together, we filed the original patents and launched Tap Systems, Inc.

Dr. Sabrina Kemeny is my co-founder and is Tap’s president. She is the co-inventor of the CMOS image sensor, which is the technology that has made cellphone cameras possible and is now the foundation for all digital imaging. Sabrina started a company called Photobit to develop and commercialize the CMOS technology, which she later sold to the large semiconductor company Micron Technology. Sabrina and I collaborated in the past when we were both CEOs of our own companies, and I knew when I began working on Tap that her genius and experience would be invaluable.

Tap is changing the perception of AR and VR from being a niche product that is difficult to use to being a user-friendly tool for a wide population of users. Our timing could not be better. Apple, Facebook (Meta), Microsoft, Google, and others are investing billions of dollars in developing these technologies. They are competing for what is expected to be a market that will be worth $300 billion by 2024 and will produce the next major step forward in the computer age. But a major barrier has been the frustrating user experience. With Tap, that problem is finally solved.

Tap is the only input method that is as fast and accurate as a keyboard or touch screen. All of the other methods in use require large hand motions that are slow and have limited capabilities. Tapping is also tactile, so it is eyes-free, and there is no eye strain when using it. As of now, we do not know of any technologies that are directly competitive with Tap.

We have more than 30,000 users and a four-star rating on Amazon for our first-generation product, which I think is amazing. You can start tapping right out of the box, but as with anything, the more you use it, the faster you will become.

The supply chain has been a major challenge during the past year. We manufacture our product in Asia and — like most other electronics — have had to deal with part shortages and shipping disruptions. Our new-generation product will be produced closer to home, and we are already designing out any components that may undergo shortages in the future.

A significant portion of the funds will be used to move our new-generation wrist-wearable hardware into mass production and launch it into the market. We will then have enough funds for approximately 18 to 24 months of runway in which to ramp up our revenues.

There are three unique things about this opportunity that, I feel, sets it apart:

• Tap is proven technology backed by a strong patent portfolio.
• The market potential for AR and VR is so massive that it comes along rarely in a lifetime.
• The company is led by accomplished entrepreneurs who have a track record of inventing game-changing technologies, scaling up companies, and making money for their investors.

We address a critical problem in the deployment of the metaverse, upon which all of the major tech companies are placing huge bets. So it is very plausible that we will have the opportunity to be acquired in the coming few years. The road ahead for us is bright. We simply need to execute on our plan and continue to develop great technology.