STMicroelectronics, a semiconductor solutions provider for industrial application developer of MEMS-based technologies for consumer and portable devices headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, has announced that the company will showcase its latest offerings at the Mobile World Congress being held in Barcelona from February 27 to March 1, 2012 at booth 7C18 / Hall 7.
At the Mobile World Congress, STMicroelectronics will showcase the latest developments in Location-based Services (LBS) and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) technologies, which have ushered in the next wave of motion-sensing capabilities in mobile phones.
The latest approach used for the delivery of OIS uses data transmitted by embedded motion sensors to control the actuator, thus compensating for the movements of the user, resulting in sharper image results even in dim or low-light conditions. Mechanical actuators made of SMA (Shape Memory Alloys) are used as the contract on heating. The low power requirements and the small size of the SMA makes the actuator a lighter, quiet, more compact and powerful alternative to technologies that are based on piezoelectric elements and Voice-Coil Motors.
The challenge faced during the development of Location-based Services has been the accuracy in locating the mobile device in indoor environments and urban canyons, where the GNSS satellite signals are blocked. The LBS solution being showcased at the conference fuses data from map databases with data received from the motion sensors with Wi-Fi access points to greatly improve the precision of the position calculation. It features an iNEMO Inertial Measurement Unit combines 3-axis sensing of angular, magnetic and linear motion with barometer/altitude and temperature readings to provide up to 10° of freedom.
STMicroelectronics will also demonstrate the iNEMO Body Motion Reconstruction technology that features an inertial pointer and has been developed for gaming, fitness and augmented-reality applications. The Pico Projector jointly developed with bTendo will also be showcased.
Source: http://www.st.com