Sensors pose unique opportunities for design engineers. MEMS combine an electronic circuit and mechanical sensing element in one package. Smart sensors render moot the calibration challenges of analog devices. We'll look at where both are headed, along with the role of legacy parts.
To show we're not neglecting cars -- where, indeed, sensor usage has increased, due to the power management requirements in electrics and hybrids -- Tesla Motors Chief Technology Officer JB Straubel will be a keynote speaker.
Karen always takes pains to remind me that MEMS is more than just sensors. It encompasses microfluidics (MEMS that channel small fluid flows) and Texas Instruments' Digital Light Processing (microscopic mirrors for video and pico projection).
That puts me in mind of the 1966 movie, Fantastic Voyage, where the actors became anthropomorphic MEMS so they could travel through blood vessels to perform brain surgery. Assaying MEMS' rapid progress, analogous biological apps may follow even before today's consumer wave crests.
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Sensors Conference:
Register for our applications-oriented sensors conference, March 28-29, 2012 in San Jose. Visit the Sensors in Design sumittt site to learn more.
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