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XLR8R PART DEUX

by Tom Cantrell

Start ý dV/dt ý Hot Air ý Spec Review ý Time... ý and Temperture • Family Ties • Sources and PDF

Micro Electro-Mechanical Structures (MEMS) are all the rage. The idea of using IC-based manufacturing techniques to build tiny machines is already taking off and offers the promise of innovation bordering on science fiction.

This concept brings to mind tiny roto-rooters that toddle through your bloodstream, excavating the nasty leftovers of your dietary excess. Or similarly, single-minded robo-bugs that graze on the gunk that clouds your windows. Sure, itýs blue-sky stuff. But in the meantime, MEMS are already having a huge affect in more mundane applications, with less sizzle but a lot more steak.

Whereýs the beef? You need look no farther than a factory, lab, toy store, or under the hood of your car to find MEMS working as pressure sensors, accelerometers, imaging devices, acuators, and valves. Enter a new player, aptly named MEMSIC (i.e., MEMS + IC). They have a new accelerometer that teaches an old dog some new tricks (see Figure 1).

Figure 1ýWith an onboard heater, the new thermal accelerometers from MEMSIC are, forgive the pun, a hot item.

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