Analog Devices' iMEMS Motion Signal Processing Drives It Down the Middle with Industry's First Intelligent Golf Club.NORWOOD, Mass. -- Analog Devices Analog Devices (NYSE: ADI) is an American multinational producer of semiconductor devices. Analog specializes in ADC, DAC, MEMS, and DSP chips for consumer and industrial goods. Analog is presently designing circuits in the 65 nanometer to 3 µm process feature sizes range. --SmartSwing's new golf learning system tracks and records every movement -- at address, during the backswing back·swing n. The initial part of a stroke, in which one moves a racket or club, for instance, to the position from which forward motion begins. , through transition to the downswing down·swing n. 1. A swing downward, as of a golf club. 2. A decline, as of a business. Noun 1. downswing - a swing downward of a golf club -- using tiny gyroscopes and accelerometers embedded in the club shaft Golf clubs and integrated circuits. Golfers in search of the perfect swing will find the new SmartSwing(TM) intelligent golf clubs provide a detailed stream of feedback, thanks to tiny micro electrical mechanical systems (MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) Tiny mechanical devices that are built onto semiconductor chips and are measured in micrometers. In the research labs since the 1980s, MEMS devices began to materialize as commercial products in the mid-1990s. ) embedded in the shaft. ADI's iMEMS(R) accelerometers are used to measure the acceleration and swing plane of the user's golf swing while the iMEMS gyroscopes measure the twist of the hands. Unlike other golf learning systems on the market, the SmartSwing driver -- other clubs are to follow -- incorporates all hardware in the shaft of the golf club. This allows the golfer to get immediate and elaborate feedback on the quality of their golf swing and other mechanics. The feedback occurs on the golf course or the golf range and can be transferred to a computer via a wireless link. Feedback data can then be analyzed from every angle and compared to an ideal reference or known good swing. "Our intelligent golf clubs are the first ever developed with this advanced technology integrated into the shaft," said Dick Eyestone, SmartSwing's chief executive officer. "ADI's tiny MEMS motion sensors were an enabling factor. They provided the small size, low power requirements, performance accuracy, and reliability we needed." "As we continue to innovate our iMEMS portfolio, customers like SmartSwing continue to innovate new applications," said Bill Giudice, vice president and general manager, Micromachined Products Division, Analog Devices. "Without compromising MEMS sensor performance, quality, and reliability, we are delivering the size, cost and surface-mount packaging options to enable a wide range of consumer, industrial, and automotive applications." In 1998, Analog Devices was the first to introduce motion and tilt sensing for consumer products with the first low-g single chip dual axis accelerometer accelerometer Instrument that measures acceleration. Because it is difficult to measure acceleration directly, the device measures the force exerted by restraints placed on a reference mass to hold its position fixed in an accelerating body. . Game pad controllers became the first consumer product volume application and adoption accelerated rapidly. Today, ADI leads the consumer low-g accelerometer market and supplies the industry's smallest gyroscopes in their class featuring lower power consumption and unsurpassed immunity to shock and vibration. The company's iMEMS Motion Signal Processing(TM) technology can be found in IBM (International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, www.ibm.com) The world's largest computer company. IBM's product lines include the S/390 mainframes (zSeries), AS/400 midrange business systems (iSeries), RS/6000 workstations and servers (pSeries), Intel-based servers (xSeries) and Toshiba notebook computers, InFocus digital projectors, and Omron health devices, as well as cellular handsets and other sports equipment. About Analog Devices Analog Devices, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of high-performance integrated circuits used in analog and digital signal processing See DSP. Digital Signal Processing - (DSP) Computer manipulation of analog signals (commonly sound or image) which have been converted to digital form (sampled). applications. ADI is headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts, and employs approximately 8,900 people worldwide. It has manufacturing facilities in Massachusetts, California, North Carolina North Carolina, state in the SE United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), South Carolina and Georgia (S), Tennessee (W), and Virginia (N). Facts and Figures Area, 52,586 sq mi (136,198 sq km). Pop. , Ireland, and the Philippines. Analog Devices' common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) World's largest marketplace for securities. The exchange began as an informal meeting of 24 men in 1792 on what is now Wall Street in New York City. and ADI is included in the S&P 500 Index. Editors note: iMEMS is a registered trademark and iMEMS Motion Signal Processing is a trademark of Analog Devices, Inc. SmartSwing is a trademark of SmartSwing, Inc. |
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