ZMP to Release Sensor System for Detecting Human Posture

Nov 24, 2009 21:06 Hideyoshi Kume, Nikkei Electronics

Takanishi Laboratory of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Waseda University and ZMP Inc will commercialize the "WB-3 (Waseda Bioinstrumentation system No.3)," a system developed by the laboratory for measuring the movements of human head and hand, heart rate, the amount of perspiration, etc.

This time, only the part that detects human posture will be commercialized and released together with a software development kit (SDK), targeted at business enterprises and universities.

The pricing for the "e-nuvo IMU-Z," the set of a motion sensor module and the SDK, is ¥200,000 (approx US$2,250), and an additional motion sensor module costs ¥80,000. ZMP has already started taking orders for the set and will begin shipment in February 2010.

The IMU-Z comes with STMicroelectronics N.V.'s three-axis acceleration sensor and three-axis gyro sensor in addition to Honeywell International Inc's three-axis magnetic field sensor. Its substrate measures approximately 20 x 26 x 8mm and is equipped with the STM32, a microcontroller with 32-bit flash memory, on its back surface.

The measured posture data can be wirelessly transmitted via Bluetooth as well as controller area network (CAN). By using Bluetooth, up to 28 units of the IMU-Z can be connected.

"I am expecting that the posture data will be used for developing new devices and applications," ZMP President Hisashi Taniguchi said.

Atsuo Takanishi, who leads Takanishi Laboratory, showed a demonstration of detecting the movements of human hands operating the handles of a robot used for practicing endoscopic operation by equipping the handles with posture sensors. He expects that the measured data will be compared with the data of an experienced doctor operating the handles.

"This will contribute to improving the techniques of medical interns," Takanishi said. "It is very meaningful to quantitatively measure movements that have been learned by the senses."

The IMU-Z supports Windows 7 Sensor & Location Platform, which is a development environment for systems using sensors and GPS and included in Microsoft Corp's Windows 7 operating system. It eliminates the need to develop control software for each sensor, enabling to develop applications more efficiently. The SDK to be offered by ZMP comes with a library that integrates data collected by sensors and converts it to posture data.

24 Hours | 7 Days