Sensors marketing consultant Roger Grace has issued his 2021 MEMS Commercialization Report Card. Do you agree with his conclusions?
Accelerometer
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 […]
High-precision calibration reference accelerometers offered in full-scale acceleration ranges
Silicon Designs, Inc. announced the global market launch of its Model 2290 Series, a family of high-precision, single-axis MEMS DC calibration reference accelerometers. Offered in four unique full-scale acceleration ranges, of ±5 g, ±10 g, ±25 g, and ±50 g, the Series offers a precise, reliable, and accurate means of determining the sensitivity and frequency […]
Where is my stuff?
In today’s supply chain situation, this has to be among the most frequently asked questions . However, even under what may have been considered normal times prior to COVID-19, it still is a legitimate question. Tracking shipments that are critical or essential may allow more expensive tracking solutions but if the cost is reasonable, many […]
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 – which is unrelated to the orientation gyros – plays a large role in determining the […]
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 […]
What sensors are used in today’s and tomorrow’s HVAC systems? Part 1
When Willis Carrier designed a system of fans, ducts and perforated pipes, which became the first modern electric air conditioner (AC) in 1902 (120 years ago), sensing was not part of the bill of materials. Devon Brock, Manager of Product Knowledge and Training, Sensors Group at TE Connectivity provides some insight into subsequent AC systems. […]
What sensors are in a smart cane? Pt 2
Inspired by self-driving vehicles and robotics, the Augmented Cane developed by Stanford University researchers uses a LiDAR sensor to measure distance to nearby obstacles and then provide directions so blind or visually impaired users can navigate around those areas. Additional sensors in the research prototype include GPS, accelerometers, magnetometers and gyroscopes to monitor the user’s […]
How has sensing changed in industrial automation? (Part 1)
The Industrial Revolution or what we might call Industry 1.0 started over 250 years ago. In 1771 Richard Arkwright, today known as Father of the Factory System, used water to power the first fully automated spinning mill. One hundred years later, the automotive assembly line initiated the Second Industrial Revolution or Industry 2.0 with significantly […]
Six-axis MEMS motion sensors features supreme vibration rejection, temperature stability
TDK Corporation announced the availability of the InvenSense ICM-45xxx SmartMotion ultra-high-performance (UHP) family of 6-axis MEMS motion sensors. This family introduces the on-chip self-calibration, industry’s lowest power consumption, and world’s first BalancedGyro™ (BG) technology. BalancedGyro technology by TDK is the first-of-its-kind gyroscope MEMS architecture that enables supreme vibration rejection and temperature stability performance, an enhancement […]
