When Nintendo revealed the Wii MotionPlus dongle, they talked about how the snappier response time and 1:1 motion accuracy it provided would let you do crazy stuff like swing swords (or lightsabers) and ride a jet ski—demoed live at E3. But they didn’t tell us how it worked. Turns out, it’s got a multi-axis gyroscope inside, made by InvenSense.
Combining readings from it, the sensor bar and the Wiimote’s accelerometer, the Wii can track the remote a lot more precisely, so it can read more complicated gestures, like for throwing a frisbee. Supposedly InvenSense’s silicon-based MEMS rate gyroscope use a lot less power than a standard MEMS one, but you can bet your batteries are going to die even faster now.
InvenSense™ IDG-600 Motion Sensing Solution Showcased in Nintendo’S New Wii MotionPlus Accessory
World’s Leading Multi-axis MEMS Rate Gyroscope Enhances Performance of Latest “Wii MotionPlus” Accessory
SUNNYVALE, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—InvenSense Inc., a leading provider of MEMS-based motion sensing solutions for image stabilization, dead reckoning navigation, 3D remote control, and gaming devices, this day announced that its IDG-600 multi-axis MEMS rate gyroscope has started shipping in mass production quantities to Nintendo for its Wii MotionPlus accessory. Gesture based interfaces are swiftly becoming the standard for many feature-rich consumer electronic products. Utilizing InvenSense’s one-of-a-kind motion sensing abilities, customers of the new generation of Wii MotionPlus controllers will enjoy an immersive gaming experience with motion control never before possible in a video game. The Wii MotionPlus accessory attaches to the end of the Wii Remote and, combined with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, allows for more comprehensive tracking of a player’s arm position and orientation. In the new Wii Sports Resort product from Nintendo, for example, the capability to throw a disc through the air and control the angle of flight is now possible.
Conventional MEMS gyroscopes, which are the key enabling technology that can sense absolute rotational motion inputs, are typically used in commercial automotive electronic stability control and GPS applications, where their larger size, high power consumption and costs are accommodated. InvenSense has introduced an entirely new class of high performance silicon-based MEMS rate gyroscopes that offers smaller package sizes, lower power consumption, and lower price points suitable for consumer markets. The addition of InvenSense’s multi-axis rate gyroscope solution to the Wii MotionPlus accessory grants high precision 3D tracking of rapid gaming gestures.
“The popularity of Wii in large part is based on its popular motion sensing interface and InvenSense’s MEMS rate gyroscope represents a truly disruptive technology that possesses inherent manufacturing and high performance advantages that drives the need for a new generation of Wii Remote,” stated Genyo Takeda, General Manager of Nintendo’s Integrated Research and Development Division. “Nintendo selected the IDG-600 for its capability to measure large dynamic motions, high shock resistance, and accuracy for sensing the fast moving arm and hand motions required to support exciting new game titles.”
MEMS offers miniaturized sensing solutions to meet the ideal performance, size and cost requirements of consumer applications. A key advantage of MEMS technology, as compared to its quartz and piezo-ceramic counterparts, is its capability to incorporate 3D mechanical features directly into single crystal silicon substrates while easily and cost effectively integrating it with CMOS electronics. InvenSense pioneered its patented manufacturing platform, known as Nasiri-Fabrication, which enabled the company to bring the world’s first and smallest integrated multi-axis gyroscopes to consumer products. Using Nasiri-Fabrication allows for the integration of MEMS and CMOS structures at the wafer level with a proprietary bonding technology resulting in several thousand gyroscopes simultaneously produced on a single wafer.
“We are honored to be selected as a strategic supplier by Nintendo, the leader in consumer gaming, and provide them with the solution that met their needs,” stated Steven Nasiri, founder and CEO of InvenSense. “This achievement is credited to our highly innovative team here at InvenSense. We will continue our development efforts to bring about leading edge motion sensing solutions with an even higher level of integration, improved cost and performance, and added functionality to address the massive demand for motion-enabled gesture recognition.”
For more information on InvenSense motion sensing solutions, visit http://www.invensense.com
About InvenSense
InvenSense is the leading provider of motion sensing solutions for mobile applications, with proven technology and millions of units shipped to major OEMs worldwide. The company’s patented motion sensing technology and it novel Nasiri-Fabrication addresses many emerging mass-market applications such as gaming, image stabilization, and smart user interfaces that use hand motion and gesture-based commands for mobile applications, such as, smart phones, digital cameras, 3D remote control devices and more. InvenSense’s corporate offices are located in Sunnyvale, Calif. More information can be found at http://www.invensense.com
InvenSense, IDG-600 and the InvenSense logo are trademarks of InvenSense
Wii and Wii Remote are trademarks of Nintendo
[BusinessWire]
Via [Gizmodo]
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