IMU Sensor

When an ageing parent falls at home, the immediate injury is usually only half the danger. The real danger begins during the critical time they spend waiting on the floor for help. Lying immobile for extended periods can rapidly lead to severe dehydration, hypothermia, and muscle breakdown, even in homes where family members are regularly around. Expecting an injured…

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup now under way across Canada, Mexico and the USA, adidas' official match ball, Trionda, is in use at all 104 matches of the tournament. Beyond the colour scheme tied to the three host nations, the ball's more interesting story for engineers is the sensor package built into it.

Trionda uses the latest version of adidas' Connected Ball Technology, built around…

A maker has built a two-legged walking robot using just five RC servos, an ESP32 microcontroller, and 3D-printed parts, making it the third entry in a series of accessible open-source robot designs. The project follows earlier builds in the same series: a mini robot dog and a hexapod. The creator set two design requirements: the robot must actively balance as it walks, and it must lift its…

In this guide, we explore one of the most important sensing modules in the LiteWing drone, the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). While the IMU isn’t located on the Flight Positioning Module, it’s a core part of the flight controller, providing orientation, angular rates, and linear acceleration, forming the backbone of all autonomous flight behaviors.

Over the past year, Aaed Musa built a robot dog called CARA, short for "Capstans Are Really Awesome". The design does not involve gears or pulleys like traditional ones. CARA uses something called capstan drives that move joints using ropes wrapped around rotating drums. This system has numerous advantages, such as zero backlash, high torque transparency, low inertia, low noise, and low cost…

Researchers, with support from The University of Queensland and other institutions, developed Zoborg, a living darkling beetle that was turned into a cyborg using an electronic wireless backpack mounted on its body. The backpack is tiny (15.8 mm x 5.8 mm, weighing 160 mg) and includes an ATtiny85V microcontroller and an infrared receiver. Electrodes are implanted in the elytra (hard covers on…

SlimeVR has introduced its new wireless full-body tracking solution based on the success and experience of previous versions. It improves comfort, adds battery life, and is lighter. Each tracker in the system contains an IMU sensor that wirelessly sends data to your PC or smartphone. The SlimeVR Server software uses the data in relation to your body’s proportions and headset position to…

In 3D modeling, precise and fluid navigation around a digital object is essential. Even though there are plenty of commercial solutions available, none of them are pocket-friendly. That's where a DIY solution can shine without making a hole in your pocket. In a recent video, the YouTube channel Just Make It showcases a custom-built SpaceMouse that replicates the functionality of commercial 3D…

A hobbyist in the maker community recently shared an intriguing project: building a custom flight controller for a quadcopter drone powered by supercapacitors. This innovative endeavor investigates the feasibility of replacing traditional lithium-ion batteries with supercapacitors in drone technology.

The drone uses supercapacitors as its primary power source, allowing for rapid…

MAXST, the city-scale augmented reality platform has the newest addition in the family in the form of ‘Sensor Fusion SLAM’ solution that integrates the use of a camera with IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) sensor. ‘Sensor Fusion SLAM’ technology does not require a LiDAR and ensures to outperform technologies such as ORB-SLAM2 and VinsMono SLAM as suggested in the…