Technology experts have discussed key issues impacting the MEMS industry at Member to Member (M2M) Forum, MEMS Industry Group (MIG)’s annual technical conference for members conducted from May 8 to 10, 2012 in Pittsburgh.
Through panels, presentations, and interactive working group sessions, M2M Forum attendees analyzed major challenges affecting the development of new MEMS products in order to promote the MEMS commercialization.
At first, M2M Forum attendees got a chance to visit Carnegie Mellon University’s microsystems labs, where they received demonstrations on electrical characterization, multi-scale manufacturing, soft robotics, MEMS testing in controlled environments, micro/nanofabrication and microfluidics.
SoftMEMS’ Chief Executive Officer, Mary Ann Maher delivered a keynote under the title ‘Co-design Strategies for MEMS-based Products,’ in which Maher discussed the connection between standards and co-design. Qualcomm CDMA Technologies’ Vice President of Technology, Len Sheynblat delivered a keynote, wherein Sheynblat emphasized the significance of standardization in ‘Sensor Systems Integration Challenges.’
In the panel entitled ‘Successful MEMS Commercialization: Lessons Learned,’ participants shared their opinions on successful and not-so-successful illustrations of MEMS-based applications. MEMS Technology Development Working Group Co-moderators, Jason Tauscher, Manager for MicroVision’s MEMS Subsystem, and Valerie Marty, MEMS Integration, HP, headed the discussion on development method and its role in the MEMS product life cycle.
New Product Development Working Group Co-moderators, Jim Knutti, President and Chief Executive Officer at Acuity, Mike Mignardi, Manager for MEMS Component Development at Texas Instruments, analyzed the impact of market-pull VS technology-push success factors in the MEMS product commercialization.
M2M Forum attendees also made a site visit at ACUTRONIC, a provider of precision motion simulators to test and calibrate electronic stability control systems, stabilized electro-optical systems, inertial navigation systems and inertial sensors.
M2M Forum participants and MIG members may have access to MIG’s pre-M2M Forum research, which include new product development survey results and conversations with MEMS supply chain members such as foundries, device manufacturers and end users. White papers, presentations, relevant Webinars, and market analysis will also provided by MIG as part of the forum.