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.

Accelerometers are sensing transducers that provide an output proportional to acceleration, vibration, and shock. The piezoelectric accelerometer is the most popular class of these devices; other types are based on piezoresistive, capacitive, and servo technologies.

Given Imaging (www.givenimaging.com) has introduced a new PillCam, the swallowable diagnostic device that takes photos as it passes through a patient's system; the device has received FDA approval and is available immediately. New CMOS sensors from Micron Technology (www.micron.com), embedded in the PillCam, feature a higher frame rate than the original PillCam SB design. With one sensor at either end, and a frame rate 7 × that of the SB version, the new PillCam ESO (for esophagus) transmits 14 pictures/s to a receiver worn by the patient. The added capabilities will let medical professionals diagnose throat disease and related ailments in the esophageal passage.

Frost & Sullivan's (www.sensors.frost.com) new report, "Accelerometers in North American Automotive, Aerospace, and Industrial Markets," reveals that holding prices at profitable levels has become a real challenge for suppliers of accelerometers.

A few years back, Measurement Specialties, a pioneer in pressure sensing, gained recognition for an aggressive schedule of acquisitions. More recently, the company established MSI Sensors (www.msisensors.com) as a separate division and echoed history as MSI made four significant acquisitions in 2004. In all cases, the acquired companies note the benefits of being a part of MSI's global operation.

A MEMS vacuum sensor based on Pirani gauge principles overcomes some of the performance problems associated with conventional designs and has the advantage of an extremely small footprint as well.

Read this and you will learn how quartz accelerometers work and how to power and instrument them.

Tunable lasers, highly manufacturable and cost-effective, are opening new opportunities for multichannel fiber Bragg grating sensors using single-fiber and single-laser technology in multiple-point interrogation systems.

MEMS-scale accelerometers, geophones, and gyros—thanks to their small size and weight, modest power consumption and cost, and high reliability—are replacing some of their standard-size precursors as well as establishing new markets of their own.

The search is on for a way to accurately determine the orientation in space of a person or an object as it parachutes to Earth. The object is to further ensure the safety of military personnel and mat?riel.