The mechanical response of MEMS inertial sensors (accelerometers and gyros) must be tested to verify the mechanical integrity and performance of the sensor element. One major obstacle to identifying inertial sensor defects early in the manufacturing process has been an inability to dynamically stimulate and sense the mechanical performance of the sensor at wafer level.

Adding an integrated magnetic concentrator to Hall effect sensors enables high-accuracy 360? rotary position sensing. The Triaxis Hall technology, based on integrated magnetic concentrators (IMCs), enables the development of small, cost-effective, high-accuracy, noncontact rotary position sensors. Melexis' MLX90316 is the first member of the Triaxis family and is intended to solve long-standing challenges in 360? position sensing.

A new device capable of measuring electrocardiogram (ECG) interbeat intervals through clothing is being considered by the U.S. Army for its Future Force Warrior System uniform of the future.

How magnetoresistive sensors and integrated Hall sensors differ and what this means for designers of magnetic angle and linear position sensors.

You all remember Ohm's law and the definition of electrical resistance as the ability of a circuit to resist the flow of electrical current. Although useful, Ohm's law applies to only one circuit element and assumes it to be an ideal resistor. Real-world circuit elements are more complex and exhibit resistive, capacitive, and inductive behavior that together define its impedance.

Equipped with high-power current sensors, new solid-state utility meters will enable more automated data collection and communication—without sacrificing accuracy.

Don't you just love pulling the knobs off your stove, cleaning out the unidentifiable gunk coalesced around them, and then struggling to get the darn things back on right side up?

The question of whether an audiotape has been tampered with in some way—erased, overdubbed, or otherwise altered—has for years vexed forensic investigators as well as archivists.

TR Electronic (www.trelectronic.com) has begun distribution, sales, and service of the complete range of Di-Soric position sensors in North America under an agreement reached between the companies in early January 2005.

The hearing-impaired need two sets of ears, one for face-to-face conversations and another for use with cell phones and certain other electronic equipment. The reason is that hearing aids must switch input modes, either by manual intervention or automatically. Devices capable of self-adjustment often get mixed reviews, but a nanosensor based on giant magnetoresistance (GMR) is about to change this picture.