MEMS Module Employs Programmable Motion-Recognition

The LSM330 iNEMO inertial-module, from STMicroelectronics, is a miniature 6-axis sensor MEMS module with custom motion-recognition capabilities to shortcut the path to wearable sensor applications in sports, fitness and healthcare diagnostics. The multi-sensor module houses a 3-axis digital gyroscope and a 3-axis digital accelerometer with two embedded finite state machines. Detecting acceleration up to 16 g and angular rate up to 2,000 dps along the pitch, roll and yaw axes, the module targets applications including wearable sensors, motion-activated user interfaces in phones and tablets, and motion detection and map-matching for indoor/outdoor navigation, augmented reality and other location-based services. Operating with any supply over the 2.4 V to 3.6 V range, the module includes power-down and sleep modes, and an embedded FIFO memory block for smarter power management in battery-operated portable devices. Housed in a 3 x 3.5 x 1 mm LGA package, the LSM330 module will start sampling by the end of Q4 2012, and is priced at $4.15 each/1,000.