Designed to offload sensor management from the main processor, Hillcrest Labs introduce the SH-1 sensor hub providing ‘always on’ features including context awareness and gesture recognition which augment the consumer experience and minimise system power consumption. Hillcrest’s software will be paired with a cost-effective, low power SAM D20 ARM Cortex M0+ based microcontroller from Atmel, accelerating time to market for device...

TCL Multimedia has signed a new multi-year agreement to extend the use of Hillcrest’s patented Freespace in-air pointing and motion control software in TCL’s Internet-connected Smart TVs. Freespace enables small in-air movements of remote controls to move a cursor around the TV screen. This allows users to navigate their TV user interface with point-and-click controls, just like they do on computers, smartphones and tablets.

Hillcrest Labs announce the newest addition to its family of Freespace Sensor Modules: the FSM-9, a fully-integrated 9-axis inertial measurement unit. The FSM-9 is a turnkey solution that combines MEMS sensor hardware with Hillcrest’s Freespace MotionEngine Universal sensor fusion software and a 32-bit microcontroller in a compact surface-mount package. The FSM-9 is designed to enable fast development of high quality motion controlled products.

Today, device manufacturers, platform vendors and application developers are rushing to integrate motion software to enhance and differentiate their products. In turn, this trend is creating new opportunities for more advanced motion-based applications to be developed. Advanced motion processing software will take motion control in smartphones and tablets far beyond basic tilt sensing for landscape / portrait orientation detection and simple game...

Motion controlled applications are intrinsic to the smartphone user experience. As a result, the latest smartphones and tablets universally include an array of motion sensors, with a combination of accelerometers, magnetometers and, more recently, gyroscopes. This trend is set to continue.