I was recently in a meeting with industry leaders in MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems). We were discussing how in the 1990’s the technology of microfabrication and the products derived from it were called different things in different parts of the world. For example, in Europe (and mainly Germany), MEMS would be referred to as microsystems technology or MST; but in Japan and other parts of Asia it was referred to as “micromachining.” Back then, we focused less on the application but more on the technology. This was an indication of the infancy of MEMS – it was still a technology and not considered an industry.
Now twenty years later, MEMS is clearly an industry and maturing quickly – with the adoption of the IEEE 2700 standard for the performance of MEMS and sensors –a clear sign of how far we’ve come since the early days of MEMS/MST/micromachining. Yet we still have a long way to go to realize the potential of the enabling technology of MEMS and sensors. Our vision is to see MEMS and sensors everywhere – intelligently and securely conveying data to create a smarter world – something that we often refer to as the Internet of Things (IoT).
But what does that really mean and are we really ready to enable the IoT and all that it envisions? Heavy questions for a growing industry. At MIG’s pre-conference at Sensors Expo (June 9), we’ll do a deep dive into how sensor fusion has the ability to turn data from several sensors into information for the purpose of improving application or system performance, creating a “smart system.” Sensor fusion plays a leading role in a growing number of applications and enables end-use products to meet or exceed power, performance, and cost requirements.
Here’s a preview of what you’ll experience when you join us at our pre-conference at Sensors Expo:
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Mike Feibus will kick off the pre-conference with a panel discussion on contextual awareness and what to do with data now being captured through MEMS/sensors
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CareSpan’s Doug Wolfgram will discuss the use of sensor technology to improve digital healthcare which is more exciting given the adoption of telemedicine by several healthcare systems including United Healthcare and Walgreens; this is a big game changer for healthcare/healthtech
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Paul Kimmelman of NXP will do a deep dive into context awareness in his presentation Beyond Fusion: Deeper Context 24/7 – which will expand beyond the days’ earlier panel discussion
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Massih of InvenSense will discuss wearables and sensor platform systems – given the hockey stick projections of the wearables market – clearly InvenSense is positioning themselves as a leader here
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AM Fitzgerald’s Charles Chung will present How to Optimize System Cost, Reliability, and Performance Using Semi-Custom MEMS Sensors – no small feat, let me tell you as the joke in the industry has often been that when deciding between cost, reliability and performance you need to “pick two”
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Marcellino Gemelli of Bosch Sensortec will present one of their newest and exciting products - Sensor Fusion and Environmental Sensors
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Oleg Logvinov of STMicroelectronics will come wearing the hat of the IEEE Standards Association and present on Building Business on IoT Through Quadruple Trust – focusing his talk on the importance of collaboration as a tool for innovation
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Roger Grace, Roger Grace & Associates will present an exciting application that has huge potential for integration with MEMS and sensors: Smart Printed/Flexible/Organic Electronics (PFOE) for IoT and Wearables: Applications and Technologies
At MEMS Executive Congress last year, I announced MIG’s Accelerated Innovation Community (AIC), the first-ever open source sensor fusion algorithm library (try saying that fast two times; it’s a mouthful) and I am thrilled that at Sensors Expo we’ll be featuring a live demo by Freescale’s Ian Chen and PNI Sensor’s Andrew Taylor. We’ll also do something a bit different by bringing in some experienced intellectual property (IP) folks (Marco Gatti, Brooks Kushman and Dave McLoughlin, RogueWave) who will give us their thoughts on managing IP issues for open source software.
All told, our pre-conference will be a great deep dive for newbie enthusiasts and experienced cynics alike who are involved in this exciting world that MEMS and sensors can enable. We look forward to seeing you soon at Sensors Expo!