A driving force in the growing demand for MEMS could be pressure to make cars safer.
Hot on the heels of the market analysis predicting a growing market for Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS), Frost & Sullivan has produced one of its excellent Market Insights into the subject. Prashanth Venkatesh, an Analyst in the Sensors Group, has written a brief note catchily titled "Electronic Stability Systems to Drive the MEMS Sensors Market," based on a larger study, "World MEMS Sensors Market".
Venkatesh describes how Electronic Stability Control (ESC) in vehicles could drive the demand for MEMS. The note tells us that "The ESC system monitors the driving conditions to determine the driver's intended course versus the car's actual movement. This system intervenes when required, keeping the driver on course and thereby also reducing chances of rollover. ESC is expected to be the first in a long line of systems that improve the intelligence of the automotive in responding and preventing accidents."
MEMS enter the picture as the sensors that will detect when something is going wrong. "Micro machined sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscopes are incorporated in the ESC system and form a critical part of the functioning of Electronic Stability Control. Called Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) Inertial sensors, the boom in the ESC market is set to support robust growth for inertial sensors."
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