InvenSense's SmartMotion 4.0 Platform Brings More Control To Mobile Realm

Motion sensing is very much "all the rage" these days, largely thanks to just how popular it has become in console gaming. Every major console maker now has some sort of motion/gesture-based control rig, and a lot of that technology is shifting over to the PC realm as well. Razer just released a firm ship date on their Hydra control, and now Invensense -- a company whose parts are inside a ton of those motion-based peripherals -- has unveiling their latest platform. The new SmartMotion platform with 9-axis MotionFusion engine looks to be the next major leap in motion sensing, with SmartMotion 4.0 engineered specifically for the mobile handset and tablet market.


SmartMotion 4.0 is a complete software platform that in combination with the InvenSense flagship MPU-6000 MotionProcessor will deliver robust, well-calibrated 9-axis sensor fusion data using its field proven and proprietary MotionFusion engine. martMotion 4.0 brings real solution value to OEMs by enabling rapid integration of MotionProcessing technology and providing complex 9-axis sensor fusion algorithms, robust multi-sensor calibration and integration with leading mobile OS APIs to deliver responsive gaming experiences and predictable navigation heading performance while at the same time reducing processor load by 10X.

It's all a bit deep to understand, but the reality is that this platform could lead to more motion-specific apps for smartphones and tablets, which will be vital to location-based apps and gaming apps. Only time will tell how long it takes OEMs and developers to start taking advantage, but based on how quickly the mobile market is working these days, we'd say it'll be fairly quick.

InVensense® unveils smartmotion™ PLATFORM with 9-Axis motionfusion™ engine

Platform Integrates MotionFusion Engine with Compass Libraries from AKM and Aichi Steel to Provide Industry's Most Robust Solution for Sensor Calibration and 9-axis Sensor Fusion

SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 20, 2011 - InvenSense, Inc., the leading solution provider of MotionProcessors™ for consumer electronics, today announced their latest software solution platform with the introduction of SmartMotion™ 4.0 for the mobile handset and tablet market. SmartMotion 4.0 is a complete software platform that in combination with the InvenSense flagship MPU-6000™ MotionProcessor will deliver robust, well-calibrated 9-axis sensor fusion data using its field proven and proprietary MotionFusion™ engine. Market adoption of motion sensors in leading consumer electronics products has sky rocketed in the past year. However, many handset and tablet manufacturers have realized that the mere integration of motion sensor components, such as, gyroscope, compass and accelerometer in their products does not translate to a truly functional motion enabled device. SmartMotion 4.0 brings real solution value to OEMs by enabling rapid integration of MotionProcessing technology and providing complex 9-axis sensor fusion algorithms, robust multi-sensor calibration and integration with leading mobile OS APIs to deliver responsive gaming experiences and predictable navigation heading performance while at the same time reducing processor load by 10X.

Application developers are learning to use sensor fusion data to design more immersive applications that fully leverage the capabilities of the gyroscope, accelerometer and compass sensors. High quality sensor fusion data must first start with well-calibrated sensors. SmartMotion 4.0 combines InvenSense's expertise and experience in gyroscopes with the expertise of AKM and Aichi Steel, two leaders in compass technology, to provide the market's most robust compass calibration solution. To start, SmartMotion 4.0 uses the integrated libraries from AKM and Aichi Steel to provide calibrated compass data into the MotionFusion engine for accurate 9-axis sensor fusion calculations. However, in everyday use, compass sensors are highly sensitive to stray magnetic fields which can affect navigation heading accuracy. To solve this problem, InvenSense has developed patent-pending adaptive algorithms that use the gyroscope to reject stray magnetic fields and provide stable heading guidance to the application. SmartMotion 4.0 addresses further calibration challenges, including a patent pending algorithm for gyro-assisted fast compass calibration, accurate sensor bias calibration and run-time gyro bias calibration while also adjusting for field corruption and tilt compensation issues.

As an essential integration step,  Application Programming Interfaces (API's) to popular mobile operating systems are also provided for delivering quaternion, rotation matrix, linear acceleration and gravity sensor fusion data allowing application developers to fully leverage the benefits of the gyroscope together with the accelerometer and magnetometer for a wide range of Mobile Applications.    

The SmartMotion 4.0 platform has already been designed in by several leading OEMs, and general availability to existing and future customers will begin in May. For more information on InvenSense MotionProcessing solutions, please visit www.invensense.com.