ROCKVILLE, Md., June 26, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hillcrest Labs, a subsidiary of InterDigital, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDCC), today announced the launch of the FSM300, a cost effective and low power AHRS/IMU module that delivers the sensor fusion accuracy of industrial-grade sensor technologies at a price point suitable for consumer applications. With 0.5°per minute heading drift and 1.0° orientation accuracy in a very low power device, the FSM300 sets a new price/performance standard – up to 4X better than competitor solution in some tests.  

Designed to dramatically improve human and machine motion sensing in a diverse set of consumer and IoT applications, the FSM300 combines MotionEngine™, Hillcrest’s high-performance, proprietary sensor processing software, with a 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, and 3-axis magnetometer, along with a low-power 32-bit ARM Cortex M0+ MCU.

The high performance and low cost of the FSM300 means it can be used in many more price sensitive applications than alternative, higher cost AHRS/IMU solutions. It is ideal for use in a wide range of applications in the fields of robotics and autonomous vehicles, personal audio-visual systems, industrial monitoring, and wearable devices, where superior motion and activity tracking performance is required. Improvements over standard industry solutions include:

  • In Robotic Navigation, precise heading, with 0.5°per minute drift, and multi-axis sensor fusion enable efficient operations that save time and energy costs.
  • In VR, AR and 3D Audio Motion Tracking, latency of 2 milliseconds, orientation accuracy of 1.0°, and sampling rates up to 1KHz enable true-to-life experiences and reduce simulator sickness.
  • In Fitness and Health Activity Tracking, highly accurate step counting and activity tracking ensures users have the most accurate picture of their daily activities.
  • In Industrial Monitoring, precise detection of motion, vibration, and magnetic field anomalies enables tracking and monitoring of commercial and industrial equipment.

Innovative new product manufacturers, including Mashable Best-of-CES winner ZUtA Labs and Grey Technology Limited (GTech), are using the FSM300 to accelerate their development and achieve superior performance.

“Hillcrest Labs’ FSM300 delivers superior heading accuracy and maintains its calibration much better when compared to other IMUs we have worked with,” said Ophir Chernin, VP R&D, ZUtA Labs. “Using this product also enabled us to complete our product design faster because we did not have a long list of quality issues to address.”

“The ease of integration enabled by the FSM300 and the excellent support provided by Hillcrest Labs were both extremely valuable to our development team,” said Stephen Roberts, R&D Engineer, Grey Technology Limited. “The module’s motion sensing accuracy has consistently exceeded our expectations and has enabled us to focus our product development time on other areas.”

The FSM300 delivers industrial grade performance by combining consumer grade sensors and Hillcrest’s innovative MotionEngine software, thereby reducing bill-of-materials cost for new products.  The FSM300 module’s small form factor, measuring just 20mm x 25mm, is pre-calibrated and integrates hardware and software in a single package.  This enables faster time-to-market through reductions in development time and by delivering the highest quality solution for developers and integrators.

“Advances in motion sensing technology are the bedrock of contextual computing innovation across consumer products, Internet of Things and industrial applications,” said Ryan Martin, Principal Analyst, ABI Research. “We expect motion sensing to be an area where we will see increased focus and attention to enable developers and integrators to remain competitive, particularly in AR/VR, 3D Audio, Robotics, Wearable, and mHealth technologies, which are poised for double-digit growth over the next five years.”

The FSM300 is available for production orders and immediate sampling along with documentation and evaluation tools. For more information about the FSM300, including pricing, and Hillcrest’s broad portfolio of sensor processing products, visit: www.hillcrestlabs.com

About Hillcrest Labs: 
Hillcrest Labs, a subsidiary of InterDigital, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDCC), is a leading global supplier of software, components and intellectual property to enable the intelligent use of sensors in consumer electronics and IoT devices. For more than 10 years, Hillcrest’s Freespace® sensor processing technology has powered advanced motion controllers in a wide variety of products including Smart TV’s, set-top boxes, PC’s, and game consoles. Today, Hillcrest’s products are used in the development of devices in the virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), robotics, TV and motion remote control segments. Our proprietary and patented Freespace® technology transforms human and machine movement into high quality, application-ready information which enables developers and manufacturers to create everyday products that work with precision.

All company names and trademarks remain property of their respective owners.

About InterDigital®

InterDigital develops mobile technologies that are at the core of devices, networks, and services worldwide. We solve many of the industry’s most critical and complex technical challenges, inventing solutions for more efficient broadband networks and a richer multimedia experience years ahead of market deployment. InterDigital has licenses and strategic relationships with many of the world’s leading wireless companies. Founded in 1972, InterDigital is listed on NASDAQ and is included in the S&P MidCap 400® index.

InterDigital is a registered trademark of InterDigital, Inc.

For more information, visit: www.interdigital.com.

Hillcrest Contacts: 
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Chad Lucien, Hillcrest Labs 
[email protected] 
+1-240-386-0600, ext. 5254

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InterDigital Contact:
Patrick Van de Wille
Email: [email protected] 
+1 (858) 210-4814