Fujitsu Siemens chooses STMicro sensors for free fall detection

Fujitsu Siemens will use STMicroelectronics' free-fall detection solution consisting of a 3-axis motion sensor and software to protect it's new Esprimo Mobile family of professional notebooks.
When the sensor detects a possible free-fall event of the notebook, it automatically prompts the system to move the magnetic read/write head of the hard0disk drive to a safe position before hitting the ground thereby maintaining data integrity.

Shortnews: New MEMS reports from Yole Developpement

France based Yole Developpement has recently released the following new MEMS market reports:

• MEMS Switch and Varicap Market 2008
• MEMS for Cell Phones 2008
• MIS 08 Status of the MEMS industry
• IMU MArket 2007-2012
• WMEM 08- World MEMS Equipment & Materials Market
  

Analog Devices presents high peformance MEMS microphone for Consomer Electronics

Analog Devices has presented a new MEMS microphone based on their iMEMS process which was previously mostly used for accelerometers.
The new microphone (ADMP412 PDM) has digital output, extremely good signal-to-noise 61-dB A-weighted, is capable of high-fidelity audio-video playback, conference calling, voice recognition, VoIP compliant and is aimed specifically at the consumer product market.

ShortNews: ESI buys Zygo for $173.5M

California based Electro Scientific Industries Inc. (ESI), selling laser marking systems, has acquired Zygo Corp., a supplier of high-precision metrology solutions for $173.5 in stock.

[Details @EETimes]

Asthma patient monitoring

California based BioMEMS company Aspieron markets a MEMS-based sensor system measuring nitric oxide in breath aimed at asthma patients.
The system called "Insight™ eNO System" consists of a sol-gel deposited porous glass matrix permeable to nitric oxide which contains specific protein molecules reacting with nitric oxide. This porous matrix allows for a certain portion of light to pass through it and the absorption rate being propotional to the concentration of nitric oxide in the matrix.
The reported measurement sensitivity for these sensors is in the area of several parts per billion (ppb) and very specific to nitric oxide due to the proteins used.
[Aspieron]