Roundarch Technology Amps Up Tesla's Model S

CHICAGO - April 30, 2009: Roundarch, a digital agency focused on designing and building enterprise class Web sites, Web applications and next-generation “screen-based” experiences, announces its involvement in the launch of Tesla Motors’s Model S – an all-electric, zero-emission prototype that Tesla plans to produce starting in late 2011.

Roundarch technology, named Merapi, connects the Model S prototype’s sophisticated on-board computer system with peripheral hardware. The result is a car that delivers intuitive, responsive touch-screen controls through a 17-inch display.

“The pure electric powertrain of the Tesla Roadster makes it the most technologically advanced production car available. We want that same degree of innovation on the Model S – not only on the powertrain but on all aspects of the user experience,” said Dennis Schaff, a Tesla engineer who helped build the Model S show car. “Our goal is to offer a best-in-class user experience, providing owners with easy-to-use, next-generation technology throughout the car.”

Roundarch’s Merapi is a revolutionary solution for bridging traditional desktop and Web technologies, closing the gap between what has traditionally been a separation of the two. Merapi’s key advantages include:

• Access to hardware devices: Browser-based technologies (Adobe Flash, Microsoft Silverlight, AJAX) previously did not have native access to hardware other than microphone and Web cam.

•Access to existing APIs: Merapi makes existing open source and commercial software accessible from the browser or from runtime engines such as Adobe AIR without the need for a server.

• Improved core performance of an application.

Merapi was developed by Roundarch’s Adam Flater and Dave Meeker.

“Merapi is the next generation solution for Adobe AIR to integrate directly with the operating system, and its recent rollout is setting the stage for even further advancement,” said Flater, Architect and Evangelist at Roundarch.

Thanks to Merapi, the Tesla Model S show car offers users the ability to interact with vehicle hardware systems by engaging with the car’s cockpit control center, including a touch screen consisting of HD radio integration, quick GPS navigation, streaming audio and other Internet and cloud-based data and information.

“Merapi is the foundation for countless innovation opportunities in user experience design and development. Roundarch is proud to be able to play such an important role in getting the Tesla sedan show car out on the street using technology that we’ve developed,” added Meeker, Director of Emerging Technology at Roundarch. “We were excited to work with the innovative Tesla team to empower the prototype show car. We look forward to watching how the show car evolves to production car over the next two and a half years, when the vehicles start arriving in consumers’ garages.”

For more information on Merapi visit www.merapiproject.net

About Roundarch
Roundarch designs and implements digital experiences for the world’s largest organizations. Roundarch delivers web sites, rich web applications, mobile apps, social media applications, digital marketing campaigns and more for clients such as Avis, HBO, Motorola, and the US Air Force. Roundarch’s unique blend of strategic insight, breakthrough design capabilities and enterprise class technology is perfectly suited for the most complex problems in the digital space. Roundarch has offices in Chicago, New York, and Boston. http://www.roundarch.com.

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