The first MEMS Executive Congress Europe, conducted by MEMS Industry Group on March 20, 2012 in Zurich, was a great success.
Over 150 participants of the MEMS Executive Congress Europe got a chance to know about the future MEMS in a broad array of applications through panel discussions on biomedical and quality of life (QoL) devices, automotive, smart industrial systems, and consumer products, and keynotes delivered by STMicroelectronics and Audi.
Siemens’ Thomas Scheiter called MEMS as ‘the nervous system of machines’ and envisaged that sensors and software algorithms will be utilized as ‘brains’ by smart industrial systems to analyze data from electronic equipment. Suunto’s Terho Lahtinen stated that RF MEMS and gyros with biofeedback can be used in comprehensive multi-level sensor networks to augment athletic performance.
Philips Research Laboratories’ Hans Hofstraat commented that MEMS devices are vital components in advancing self-administration of chronic disease. Moreover, they are the foundation to advance efficient minimally invasive therapies.
MEMS Industry Group’s Managing Director, Karen Lightman summed up the various concepts discussed by different speakers. Lightman stated that MEMS is experiencing an exponential growth in automotive and consumer products and is gradually gaining importance in biomedical/QoL devices and smart industrial systems. MEMS is providing functionality in innovations such as self-driven cars, or biomedical systems that reduce the need for surgery and miniaturize therapies for diseases like Parkinson’s and diabetes.
The phenomenal success of the US MEMS Session at Smart Systems Integration and MEMS Executive Congress Europe shows that these problems are common and these conferences are significant for promoting the commercialization of MEMS, concluded Lightman.
Source: http://www.memsindustrygroup.org