Gyroscope

How can sensors make a smart ball?

October 25, 2018 By Randy Frank

At Sensor Expo 2018 in San Jose, CA, an expert from NXP Semiconductors describes the Internet of Things (IoT) smart ball demo that NXP had in its booth. Sensors in the ball provide real-time data and the system can publish the data to the cloud using IBM Bluemix Services. The data includes 3-axis measurements from […]

What’s new in IMUs?

July 24, 2018 By Randy Frank

At Sensors Expo 2018, Faheem Faheem, the Director of R&D for Visionix Engineering for Thales Visionix, discusses NavChip 2, a next-generation inertial measurement unit (IMU) with high sensitivity and high performance. Architected around proprietary technologies and advanced signal processing techniques, the IMU contains a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope for 6-axis motion sensing. […]

How do sensors make a smart crane safer?

May 30, 2018 By Randy Frank

Watching a crane operator elevate and transport a heavy load over a significant distance to a precise location with an articulated crane is always a fascinating and thought-provoking activity. With today’s concerns about job safety, how is safety handled in this process? Safety begins with the skill of the crane operator but today’s sensors and […]

What functions do sensors provide to drones?

November 29, 2017 By Randy Frank

Depending on the type of drone and its function, there can be a few essential sensors or an extensive number of sensors on board. Whether the drones are civilian or military craft, the sensors fall roughly into three categories: Make Them Fly, Make Them Work and Diagnose & Prevent Problems. Make Them Fly An inertial […]

What types of sensors are used in robots? Part 2 of 2

September 27, 2017 By Randy Frank

In addition to the sensors identified in Part 1 of this blog, there are several others required for different types of robots. Chemical, light and color sensors enable the robot to evaluate, adjust and detect problems with its environment. For humanoid robots that can walk, run or even dance (like Dobi, made by Chinese company […]

How can patients know they are performing physical therapy properly at home?

January 30, 2017 By Randy Frank

At CES 2017, Mickey Ferri, cofounder of Enflux describes how his company’s motion capture clothing’s capabilities can used by patients recovering from shoulder injuries. Using microelectromechanical (MEMS) inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors embedded in clothing to measure changes in orientation, the data can be displayed on monitor and used remotely by caregivers to track the […]

How can motion sensors help stroke victims?

January 25, 2017 By Randy Frank

At CES 2017, Paul Ruelos from Neofect demonstrates the occupational benefits to stroke victims and others who have neurological disorders from the company’s Rapael smart glove. Using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) bending and axis sensors in a flexible exoskeleton glove combined with the company’s Rapael software and a graphical user interface, the system collects range of […]

Sensors Add Features to Scooter

July 15, 2016 By Randy Frank

At Sensors Expo 2016, EcoReco Scooter and ROHM Semiconductor experts explain a demo showing electric scooter applications that sensors provide rider detection and a motion-based theft alert alarm. For more information, click: RPR-0521 proximity/ambient light sensor (ALS) and KXG03 6-axis accelerometer/gyro.

Combo Sensors Boast Low Power Consumption

June 15, 2016 By Randy Frank

While accelerometer-gyro combination or combo sensors have been around for a few years, the high power consumption of the gyro portion has limited their adoption rate. With a newly developed, proprietary technology, Kionix has dramatically lowered the power consumption of the gyroscope. The company’s KXG07 and the KXG08 combos can provide full high-speed operation of […]

Tactical-Grade MEMS Inertial Sensor

November 2, 2015 By Randy Frank

With the 3DM-GQ4-4, LORD MicroStrain integrates a triaxial accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, temperature sensors, and a pressure altimeter into a tactical-grade all-in-one navigation solution with integrated GNSS. With these sensors, the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) can directly measure acceleration, angular rate, and atmospheric pressure. When processed through a sophisticated estimation filter algorithm, the IMU achieves high […]