A FIFA-compliant match ball from Adidas has a TDK InvenSense 6-axis MotionTracking device and other electronics mounted in the center of the ball. As shown in Figure 1, the Adidas patented suspension system stabilizes the electronics module. Instead of having the sensing/communication module mounted on the surface of the ball near the inflator valve, the […]
Gyroscope
How sensors help you play ball: part 1
In addition to the respect and pride of accomplishment that winning in any sport provides, if it’s done at the professional level, the monetary rewards of winning can be great as well. In fact, exceptional performance can create a lasting legacy for a player, a team, and a coach. This gives coaches, trainers, and the […]
What’s the difference between sensors used in underwater, flying, and creeping robots or drones? part 3
The abilities of robots continue to advance with highly capable products performing a variety of tasks, looking almost humanlike as they speak, and even garnering appearances in movies. Perhaps less attractive but equally or even more useful, creeping or crawling robots bring drones down to earth and, in fact, inside the earth. Unlike the micro […]
Has integrated sensor and circuitry reached a new milestone?
Since the earliest days of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensor products, the goal of easily combining the sensing structures made using MEMS processing with the required signal conditioning has driven many sensor R&D labs. If successful, the solution would make the resulting devices more useful in a broader range of applications. In the 1980s, the circuitry […]
IMU measures six axes while drawing less than 10 mA
TDK Corporation announces the expansion of the InvenSense SmartIndustrial sensor platform family. With its support for an extended temperature range of -40 oC to 105 oC, this new 6-axis IMU targets industrial applications that require extreme stability over temperature and great vibration immunity. The IIM-20670 features a robust monolithic 6-axis IMU, 3-axis accelerometer, and 3-axis […]
Motion sensor boasts current consumption of 790µA compared to 925µA
Tiny MEMS motion sensors are all around us. They make consumer products easier to use and improve how our smartphones and other gadgets interact with us. These sensors are precise, compact, and power-efficient, however, until now, they have been complex for basic applications. To address this issue, Bosch Sensortec is launching the BMI323, an affordable […]
What’s in the ball?
On August 20, in the third round of the BMW Championship golf tournament, an attendee put a remote-controlled golf ball on the 15th green where professional golfers Rory McIlroy and Scott Stallings were putting and tried to navigate it into the hole. After two failed attempts from McIlroy to knock the ball away with his […]
PIGAs can indeed fly – and are still the best, Part 3: history and future
The PIGA is the oldest accelerometer widely used in rocketry and guidance, and still the best — but MEMS-based devices are getting closer. The previous parts looked at the principle and operation of the PIGA. This part looks briefly at its history and refinement and the MEMS-based versions of the PIGA being developed and used […]
PIGAs can indeed fly — and are still the best, Part 2: operation
The PIGA is the oldest accelerometer and widely used in rocketry and guidance, and still the best — but MEMS-based devices are getting closer. At the core of each single-axis PIGA is a gyroscope. The performance of this gyro — unrelated to the orientation gyros — plays a large role in determining the performance of […]
PIGAs can indeed fly — and are still the best, Part 1: frame of reference
The PIGA is the oldest accelerometer, is widely used in rocketry and guidance, and is still the best — but MEMS-based devices are getting closer. When you see an inexpensive drone, a more sophisticated one, an unmanned aircraft, a standard piloted aircraft, guided or intercontinental ballistic missile ICBM), an underwater drone or submarine, or a […]
