A new Motion Control Sensor jointly developed with Aiichi Steel Corporation is feature in the Vodafone 904SH by Sharp, a new 3G mobile handset scheduled to go on sale in Japan. The Motion Control Sensor senses handset movements and posture by virtually becoming "three semicircular canals". The new Motion Control Sensor can measure posture in all directions in 3D due to an expansion from ±90° to ±180° in roll and pitch posture measurement, and also measure directional acceleration in 3D, up from 2D in the previous version.

The new Motion Control Sensor is the world's smallest 6-axis sensor on a single semiconductor chip according to the company press release. The previous sensor used an electric compass (3-axis) and 2D directional acceleration sensor (2-axis) on one chip, while the new sensor has been improved to add a 3D directional acceleration sensor (3-axis), an A/D converter for converting detected data into digital data for output, a controlling microcomputer, and an internal sensor for temperature compensation, all on one unified chip.

To showcase the applications of the new Motion Control Sensor, the Vodafone 904SH comes with a pre-installed trial version of "Seiza o Sagaso" (Let's look for constellations, provided by Vodafone K.K.), an application that displays constellations in real time depending on which way a mobile handset is pointed towards the sky. "Seiza o Sagaso" lets customers transform their handset into a planisphere to scan the night sky for constellation, creating a completely new and unprecedented mobile experience.

The Vodafone 904SH will be the first model to come embedded with the new Motion Control Sensor, and more 3G handsets compatible with this technology are planned for the future.

via itmedia.co.jp

More about Sharp 904SH here

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