Dec 7 2012
MEMS Industry Group (MIG), a global industry organization with more than 150 member-companies and partners, today announced a micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) conference track at the 2013 International CES.
Featuring a keynote by Klaus Meder, president of Bosch Automotive Electronics, and industry panels designed for consumer-electronics original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original design manufacturers (ODMs), the MEMS conference session will help attendees to explore some of the most exciting commercial applications of the ‘miniature intelligent machines’ that are changing the ways in which consumers interact with the digital world.
Mr. Meder will kick off the half-day MEMS conference session on January 8, 2013 with the keynote, “The MEMS Generation: Why Miniature ‘Machines’ are changing the User Experience with Everything.”
“MEMS innovations are moving the auto industry toward cars that drive themselves and meet the connectivity needs of today's consumer,” said Mr. Meder. “The MEMS industry has successfully leveraged the extensive knowledge base and manufacturing processes that we perfected in automotive to advance MEMS for consumer markets. Today MEMS is helping to promote an interconnected lifestyle, allowing interactive automotive systems—as well as smartphones and tablets—to communicate with one another and most importantly, with the consumer.”
“Shipping by the hundreds of millions in smartphones, tablets, game controllers, notebooks, digital cameras and health/fitness apps, MEMS devices enable augmented reality applications, indoor navigation, immersive video-game play, heart rate/blood pressure monitoring, e-reader displays, improved voice communications, and so much more,” said Karen Lightman, managing director, MEMS Industry Group. “As consumer electronics become even more integral to our daily lives, CE manufacturers are turning to the MEMS industry to support new functionality that consumers are expecting and demanding at record levels. The 2013 International CES allows MIG and our members to engage directly with the CE industry. We invite CES attendees to register for our half-day MEMS conference session, where they can gain insight from our speakers.”
MEMS Conference Session Panels
The MEMS conference session will feature three industry panels, each moderated by Ms. Lightman:
Panel 1: How to Never Get Lost in a Mall or a Museum: Indoor Navigation and the Smartphone
MEMS accelerometers, gyros, magnetometers and pressure sensors are quickly becoming standard in smartphones. With these super-intelligent 10-axis mobile devices, consumers can get step-by-step directions of HOW to find the smoothie bar in a shopping mall—with an ability to see what level it is on. This panel will discuss this hot new application area and the goals of carriers and content providers as they envision a world with indoor navigation. Panelists include:
- Dan Brown, CEO, Sensor Platforms
- Seyed Paransun, vice president and general manager, Sensor and Actuator Solutions Division, Freescale Semiconductor
- Benedetto Vigna, corporate vice president and general manager, Analog, MEMS and Sensors Group, Industrial and Multisegment Sector, STMicroelectronics
Panel 2: A Whole New Look for Digital Displays
MEMS-based technologies are the ‘secret ingredient’ in natural-looking color displays for a range of electronic applications. Rooted in rear-projection televisions and home theater systems, MEMS is leading a renaissance in projection systems though the smallest projector imaginable: the pico projector. Visionaries from various display companies will explore this and other innovations in display technology. Panelists include:
- Evgeni Gousev, senior director of engineering, Qualcomm Research
- Elan Roth, marketing and business development director, Analog MEMS and Sensors Group mobile projection business, STMicroelectronics
- Dale Zimmerman, vice president of R&D, MicroVision
Panel 3: MEMS, Signal Quality, Smart Sound and the Mobile Handset
Another day, another dropped call, another dropped phone! MEMS is increasingly helping mobile handset manufacturers rectify some of the technical problems with mobile phones that drive consumers crazy. New RF MEMS “tunable antennas,” MEMS oscillators and microphones are helping manufacturers to create more physically robust phones while boosting signal integrity and sound quality. Panelists include:
- Kieran Harney, product line manager, Analog Devices
- Jeff Hilbert, president and founder, WiSpry
- Davin Yuknis, vice president of sales and marketing, Akustica
For More Information
MIG Managing Director Karen Lightman and executives from the MEMS conference session are available for interview during the 2013 International CES, January 8-11, 2013, Las Vegas, NV.
The MEMS conference session takes place January 8, 2012, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) North Hall, Room N264.
MIG is also hosting a MEMS TechZone, featuring MEMS suppliers, end-user companies and partners that are demonstrating the capabilities of MEMS in consumer applications. The MEMS TechZone is located at the LVCC South Hall 2, Booth 25321.
Media Inquiries
To attend the MEMS conference session on January 8 or schedule a tour of MEMS TechZone, please contact: Maria Vetrano, media relations, MEMS Industry Group, tel: +617.876.2770, email: maria[at]vetrano.com.