[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xrn2ehIFO0[/youtube]
Two of the largest manufacturers of microelectromechanical sensors are working on the development of a new type of 9-axis sensor that combines the functionality of the accelerometer, compass and gyroscope of our devices. In the clip above we have a demonstration of how these new sensors work and they should solve the problems that the current sensors implemented in almost every smartphone on the market have. Of course, the devices will be available for implementation in products only in 2012, but they "promise" to radically change the concept of gaming, augmented reality and functionality for GPS.
Sensor fusion could potentially enhance interfaces of any tablet or smartphone that uses a combination of a 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis compass and 3-axis gyroscope to provide "9-axis sensor fusion, IHS said. There is a total available market for motion sensors that need 9-axis fusion amounting to US$850 million in 2012, and rising to US$1.3 billion in 2015, IHS predicted. Gyroscopes, accelerometers and compasses each provide a different form of motion sensing. However, each sensor type has its own limitations. For example, the gyroscope suffers a strong drift over time, the compass is sensitive to electromagnetic interference and the accelerometer works better for slow movement than for fast motions.
Although the accelerometer, gyroscope or compass get out of order with the passage of time, this new sensor would theoretically be safe from such problems and could offer application developers a whole new perspective for implementing functions for our devices. Games, applications that use augmented reality or navigation applications could have implemented new ways to recognize the movements made by users, but of course everything boils down to a concept now. I hope that this kind of sensors will be implemented in mobile devices, but I hope that the developers will take courage and use them to their true value.
