MEMS Investor Journal -- The Largest MEMS Publication in the World

MEMS based attitude and heading reference systems: overview and current trends

Attitude and heading reference systems, traditionally based on large mechanical components and instruments, are experiencing further miniaturization enabled by MEMS technologies.  Applications for attitude and heading reference systems include control and stabilization, measurement and correction, and navigation.  We recently spoke with Per Slycke, Chief Technology Officer at Xsens Technologies based in the Netherlands.  In this detailed interview, Per  reviews the current status of MEMS based attitude and heading reference systems and discusses ongoing and future trends.

High-performance MEMS gyroscopes: current status and emerging trends

High-performance gyroscopes have traditionally been exclusively made with non-MEMS technologies such as fiber optic gyroscopes (FOGs) and ring laser gyros (RLGs).  However, MEMS based inertial sensor technologies are continually improving and now increasingly being used in aerospace and defense applications.  We recently spoke with Dr. David Arch, Marketing and Product Manager for inertial sensors at Honeywell Aerospace.  In this detailed interview, David reviews the most important performance metrics for gyroscopes, outlines the current status of MEMS gyro development and discusses ongoing and future trends.  Dr. Arch also provides size and cost comparisons of the latest MEMS gyroscopes versus FOGs and RLGs.

VTI expands into consumer MEMS gyros and timing devices

VTI Technologies, a MEMS inertial sensor provider, is now taking a new direction and expanding into the consumer electronics segment.  VTI already provides low-g sensors for the automotive industry, as well as in low power sensors for the medical implantable market.

“We are now leveraging our expertise in high performance MEMS and intend to bring out products targeting the consumer segment that will challenge the current market offering,” says Markku Hirvonen, President and CEO of VTI.

Lockheed Martin developing biomimetic, MEMS enabled air vehicles

Aerospace engineers have always been stimulated by the natural world, and have built and flown many bio-inspired vehicles.  Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories (ATL), headquartered in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, is currently designing and prototyping the Samarai family of vehicles, which are inspired by maple seeds.

When maple trees shed their seeds each spring, they float gently to the ground.  Their descent is stable and smooth because of their aerodynamically and mechanically simple design.  Lockheed Martin ATL is designing, prototyping and flying a family of unmanned vehicles that mimics the flight of those seeds, taking the basic shape and harnessing it with flight controls and avionics including MEMS inertial sensors.

MEMS gyro maker InvenSense files for IPO

After raising a total of $38 million in venture capital funding since the company’s founding in 2004, MEMS gyro maker InvenSense has filed for IPO this week.  The company’s main focus has been MEMS gyro sensors for consumer application segments such as console and portable video gaming devices, digital television and set-top box remote controls, handset and tablet devices, remote controlled toys and other household consumer and industrial devices.

InvenSense is reporting that it has shipped over 60 million units of their products.  The company’s net revenue was $7.8 million, $29.0 million and $79.6 million for fiscal years 2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively.  For fiscal year 2010, net income was $15.1 million and net cash provided by operating activities was $20.2 million.

What do MEMS, Hollywood and video games have in common?

by R. Colin Johnson
Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal

Two major motion pictures and two popular video game releases recently used a MEMS motion suit to enable live actors to control virtual characters in real time.  Actors in MEMS-sensor-studded suits performed the action scenes, but computer generated imagery (CGI) was what you saw.  The same MEMS motion suit that enabled the lifelike characters in Iron Man 2 and Alice in Wonderland, also enabled the recent video games Kill Zone 2 and Borderlands.

Bosch Sensortec pursuing consumer MEMS market

While volumes for consumer MEMS applications are rapidly increasing, so are competition and downward price pressure.  We recently spoke with Frank Melzer, CEO of Bosch Sensortec, about effects of the recession, company growth and product positioning.

MEMS gyroscopes become ubiquitous in smartphones

by R. Colin Johnson
Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal

Designers of next-generation smartphones are feverishly adding MEMS gyroscopes to the accelerometers that already grace high-end mobile handsets today.  Besides providing enhanced sensitivity for gaming apps, gyros will also enable location-based services that work indoors.  Every major handset vendor is expected to introduce smartphone models with gyroscopes before the end of 2011.

Nanotubes increase MEMS sensitivity

by R. Colin Johnson
Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal

Many MEMS sensors have a moving part that responds to environmental stimuli with motion.  An accelerometer, for instance, capacitively senses a moving "proof mass" that responds to displacements of just a few microns.  However, a MEMS device's sensitivity could be vastly increased if motions as small as a few nanometers could be sensed.

Now Tel Aviv University claims that standard MEMS devices can sense nanometer-scale motions by switching from capacitive sensing to sensing the change in resistance in a tiny carbon nanotube.  Resistance changes in nanotubes can be detected when they are stretched by just a few nanometers, allowing them to multiply the sensitivity of a MEMS sensor by as much as 100 times.

Qualtre preps solid state MEMS gyros

by R. Colin Johnson, Contributing Editor
MEMS Investor Journal

A new MEMS gyroscope architecture with no moving parts will debut later this year from Qualtre Inc. (Marlborough, Mass.).  The startup's inertial sensor designs are based on bulk acoustic wave (BAW) propagation.

Qualtre was formed back in 2007, but its first round of venture funding of $5 million came in 2008 from Matrix Partners (Waltham, Mass.)  and Pilot House Ventures (Boston).  Since then the development team has been working on commercializing the BAW technology conceived at the Georgia Tech microelectronics lab by Professor Farrokh Ayazi, who is now on sabbatical and serving as Chief Technology Officer at Qualtre.