Movea drives MotionIC specification in world class, 53 million Euros, OSEO-subsidized technology project with 8 partners

This OSEO-subsidized project brings together the most advanced, passive component integration and 3D assembly technologies to create ultra miniaturized, high performance, motion processing integrated circuits. PRIIM aims to apply these technologies in very high growth markets such as medical and sports electronics, interactive multimedia chips and complex embedded systems.

The 4-year PRIIM project represents a global investment of 53 million Euros and has following partners:
· Project manager : IPDIA
· Integration technology expert companies and research centers: IPDIA, 3D PLUS, CEA Leti, CNRS LAAS, CNRS CRISMAT
· End users: Movea, GEMALTO, SORIN GROUP and KALRAY
· Funding entity: OSEO (www.oseo.fr)

Created in March 2007 by a team of industry leading researchers and senior management, Movea SA was a spin out of the French research institute CEA-Léti that is specialized in the research and development of advanced motion sensing and processing technologies. This project will enable Movea to strengthen its leadership as the provider of multiple axis inertial and magnetic sensors motion solutions. Movea brings to the project its 20 years plus of motion sensing experience to select components, calibrate sensors, provide architecture and schematics to drive motion oriented applications in particular in the areas of sports and physical activity monitoring and motion enabled media interaction.

The project’s main outcome for Movea is its MotionIC™ that provides a solution for sports and physical activity monitoring such as running, walking, swimming, tennis, and golf where it will detect dynamic and static orientation, true acceleration, speed, distance, trajectory, gesture analysis and classification of gesture type. For motion enabled media interaction in the IPTV Set top box and computer peripherals markets, the key capabilities are in-air pointer control, 3D gesture command and control, and advanced gesture recognition. The company has recently announced design wins with SMK and 4MOD for the use of MotionIC™ in remote controls.

Movea’s MotionIC™ offering includes chips and chipsets, SmartMotion™ firmware, software API’s and kits for developers, and IP that enables OEM’s, Set Top Box (STB) suppliers, Digital TV Manufacturers and Service Providers to rapidly adopt and integrate 2 to 9 axes of motion processing and control into their product solutions. MotionIC is sensor agnostic, i.e. it will work with any sensors, and has the best tradeoff between cost, accuracy and function to meet system integrators’ and manufacturers’ requirements.

“This project is designed to put motion technology at the forefront of the next generation consumer devices by bringing to market the first 9 Axis motion processing unit packaged in a single component,” explained Sam Guilaumé, CEO at Movea. “The Wii paved the way by showing just how effective motion control can be at adding an important new dimension of interactive user experience and it also enables companies to maintain ‘contact’ with users by being at the all important, man machine interface. As manufacturers add more and more features to products, the user experiences ‘feature overload’ with too many buttons to choose from but, with motion sensing and gesture recognition, products actually become simpler, more intuitive and fun. We are sure that motion is the new sense for consumer electronics as it delivers true e-Motion.”

SmartMotion by Movea™
Movea is a leading provider of motion processing chips, software, embeddable firmware, and IP for the Consumer Electronics industry. Movea's unique motion processing capabilities enable our customers and partners to quickly add motion intelligence to their products. That means companies can reduce the risk, cost, and Time-to-Market for delivering compelling new motion-based features which differentiate their products and create more end-user value.