IMUs used to be out of reach for many
robotics applications, but MEMS offers
significantly reduced size, power
consumption, and cost. This makes the
IMUs easy to integrate with industry-
standard controllers. Many robotics
applications are made possible only
because of these advantages of MEMS."
Jaiyam Sharma
Robotics Perception Engineer, Rapyuta Robotics
or mechanical accelerometers. This complexity
drove up the cost of these devices significantly, to
the point where IMU solutions cost thousands of
dollars at scale. Even further, the devices were large,
limiting their range of applications. Because of these
shortcomings, IMUs have been historically relegated
to niche applications such as defense and aviation.
However, MEMS changed this narrative because of
their unique manufacturing process. MEMS allow for
IMU components to be manufactured on a silicon
wafer using standard IC fabrication techniques. This
approach significantly reduces the size and weight
of IMUs, as the components are not only smaller but
also inherently integrated. Additionally, these devices
are made cheaper thanks to the large economies
of scale associated with the robust semiconductor
manufacturing industry.
As a result of the cost and size savings of MEMS,
IMUs are now usable in almost any application. For
example, today's health and fitness monitoring
wearables rely on MEMS IMUs to accurately track
fitness activities in wearers. Without MEMS, this kind
C h a p t e r 1 | M E M S a n d I M U s
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9 Industry Experts Discuss MEMS Technology
