LAS VEGAS — Freescale Semiconductor introduced a family of three-axis accelerometers here that could see action in a wide variety of consumer products ranging from video games to laptop PCs to sporting equipment. The accelerometers are already serving in a game called GuitarHero 2, as well as in a snowboarding game that enables users to stand on a real snow board and simultaneously ski down a virtual hill on screen. The company is also working with a university-based effort that is deploying the three-axis sensors in basketballs.
Known as MMA73X0L Low-G Acceleration Sensors, the family is designed to detect motion in three axes at accelerations ranging from 1.5 g to 16 g. The 1.5 g sensors provide freefall detection and tilt compensation, while the 16 g sensors are employed in sports monitoring and robotics. The devices are also expected to see action in such products as camcorders, pedometers, personal navigation systems, black box event recorders, anti-theft devices, and seismic activity monitors, among other applications.
Freescale engineers here at CES demonstrated the use of the sensors in GuitarHero and in a snowboarding game designed for PlayStation and Xbox, and allowed us try the games with less impressive results.
A massive engineering effort has produced a lightweight, high-strength body structure that will let Cadillac enter the compact luxury market segment this year.
If you design mechatronic systems and want to learn more about using microcontrollers (MCUs) in your applications, listen to our Design News radio program on Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 2:00 p.m. EDT.
Engineers who have equipped cars with cameras and collected millions of miles of data on crashes say that the key to distraction is visual, not cognitive.
Thanks to embedded electronics, medical devices are getting smaller and smarter than ever. Pacemakers and implantable defibrillators are now able to call physicians. MRIs, CT scanners, and ultrasound machines are gaining mobility. And the venerable Band-Aid may soon be able to detect illnesses ranging from fevers to heart arrhythmias. On February 21, join Design News senior editor Charles Murray for a wide-ranging discussion, "Embedded Angles for Medical Products," which will explore the latest developments in medical electronics. The discussion will examine advances in medical device technology and offer an inside look at the embedded electronics behind it.
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