MEMS Gravimeters Although gravity is typically quoted as 9.8 m/s2, the true value varies significantly. Buried underground assets, cavities, and resources all alter the local value of gravity, and the ability to monitor tiny deviations in gravity could unlock a new dimension to sensing. Gravity is acceleration, so an extremely precise accelerometer can provide a highly accurate local gravitational field value. The challenge has been reducing the intrinsic 'noise-floor' of such sensors, and IDTechEx focuses on the key enabling technologies to reduce this noise-floor. The use of Geometric Anti-springs (GAS) is an emerging approach gaining some commercial traction that artificially softens the springs and was first pioneered in gravitational wave detection. IDTechEx also benchmarks various prototypes and examines the player landscape and commercial applicability of MEMS gravimeters.

 

MEMS Speakers. Consumer electronics have been a hotbed for MEMS innovation for decades. The desire for smaller, more efficient, cheaper components has led to the adoption of MEMS microphones, accelerometers, and gyros within smartphones. The

speaker driver could be next. Conventional speaker drivers require manual assembly of permanent magnet coils and diaphragms, which is not only labor-intensive but also limits the size to which speaker drivers can be miniaturized.

 

Will MEMS speakers follow the path of MEMS microphones and come to dominate the consumer electronics market? A key barrier to overcome has been the performance of MEMS speaker chips at low frequencies, as the fundamental physics of sound makes producing a large volume from a small diameter challenging. This report breaks down several approaches, including ultrasonic amplitude modulation, and then benchmarks a dozen different MEMS speaker models, comparing SPL (Sound Pressure Level, volume) across the audible frequency band, revealing large differences in model performance.

 

A mix of big players and small startups

The importance of CSWaP

Market outlook

Key Aspects

•  In-depth coverage of MEMS accelerometers, gyroscopes, and gravimeters. Assessment of competing technologies in high-end inertial sensing including; RLG (Ring Laser Gyros), Fibre Optic Gyros (FOGs), and existing MEMS architectures.
•  Drivers towards navigational-grade gyros, and relevant performance metrics.
•  Advanced MEMS gyro architectures and manufacturing methods.
•  MEMS gravimeters, including geometric anti-spring (GAS) and vibrating beam accelerometers (VBAs)
•  IMU market assessment, growth drivers, and granular forecasts by technology.

MEMS speaker drivers

•  Motivations and challenges to shift to a MEMS platform.
•  Transduction types, piezoelectric, electrostatic, electroacoustic, and thermoacoustic.
•  Player coverage of key companies in the MEMS speaker space.
•  Technology benchmarking and assessment, including SPL/frequency response comparisons.
•  Granular market forecasts by application.