Movea markets 9-axis inertial measurement device for health and
sports
4 April 2011
Grenoble-based Movea has developed a wireless, miniaturised,
inertial measurement unit (IMU) that uses MEMS sensors to accurately
measure nine degree-of-freedom motion with a PCB module that is about
the size of a small wristwatch.
The MotionPod is a patented hardware solution for motion sensing
that incorporates a 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axis gyroscope and a
3-axis magnetometer in fully integrated package complete with
software and wireless interface.
The miniaturized MotionPod is now an off-the-shelf component, ready
to be used in a wide range of applications including fitness,
gaming, and sports. It is also successfully being used by RM
Ingénierie, a subsidiary of the CEGEDIM Group, to enable a new
generation of groundbreaking joint assessment and rehabilitation
applications.
“The MotionPod is a perfect solution for the health and fitness
market,” explained Sam Guilaumé, Movea’s CEO. “This nine-axis
sensing device provides precise, real-time angular information with
a dynamic accuracy of 1 degree, enabling very accurate measurement
of rehabilitation and fitness activities. We’re very excited that RM
Ingénierie has selected Movea’s MotionPod for their innovative
rehabilitation solution.”
RM Ingénierie, which specializes in medical and paramedical
management software, uses Movea MotionPods in their Physical
Rehabilitation solution. The MotionPods capture limb movement and
provide precise information on limb orientation and mobility.
MotionPods provide a fast and accurate record of a patient’s
progress to be used for biofeedback into evaluation and exercises,
making limb rehabilitation interesting and fun by engaging the
patient.
Pierre Foucault, CEO at RMI, explained, “Our speciality is in
creating software for medical applications. MotionPods provide us
with exactly the data we need from the sensors without us having to
invest time and effort in the details of how it is obtained. This is
a perfect plug and play solution that helps us get to market quickly
secure in the knowledge that we can rely on the Movea’s expertise in
motion technology.”
A single MotionPod can provide information like range of motion,
rotation, speed, and acceleration. Multiple MotionPods can also be
networked to gather information simultaneously from different parts
of the body for applications such as performance analysis and full
body motion capture. The MotionPod measures 33x22x15mm
(1.3”x0.8”x0.6”) and weighs 14g (0.5 oz). It is designed to clip
onto a strap for easy attachment to the body or even to be patched
directly onto the body.
Each MotionPod has a built-in, 2.4GHz wireless transmitter that
uses Movea’s proprietary wireless technology to deliver a range of
up to 30m (100 ft) with very low power consumption to maximise
battery life, providing up to 8 hours of usage. Data from the
MotionPod is transmitted wireless to a receiver that’s connected to
a computer via a standard USB connection. Up to 32 MotionPods can be
connected to a single MotionController.
The MotionPod comes with Movea’s SmartMotion Development Kit
(SMDK) which provides a Windows-based API allowing application
developers, systems integrators and OEMs to rapidly integrate and
customize the use of wireless multi-sensors in their applications.
It also includes a companion application, the MotionDevTool that has
an intuitive graphical user interface for real-time visualization
and integration.
“The MotionPod and SMDK leverage 20 years of experience in motion
technology to transform the raw data from the sensors into easy to
use information for solution providers,” added Sam Guilaumé. “Our
SmartMotion technology takes care of all of the sensor configuring
and data fusion, enabling the equipment maker to concentrate on
their area of expertise. Application developers across the board
from physical rehabilitation and sport medicine to biomechanics and
medical research centres now have access to an off-the-shelf,
complete motion sensing solution that is ready to deploy into final
products.”