Let’s work together

Building those sensor systems isn't turning out to be as easy as some thought it might be. The problem is software; not only are companies having to develop their application software, they are also having to write the basic algorithms needed for the sensors. All of this, at least in the opinion of the MEMS Industry Group (MIG), is stifling innovation. So it has launched the Accelerated Innovation Community (AIC), a web based initiative aimed at easing the development burden by making sensor algorithms available on an open source basis. Why should you have to write an algorithm for a three axis sensor, the MIG asks, when such software has already been developed? Why reinvent the wheel? New Electronics talked recently about how solutions are being developed to help products get to market more quickly. The AIC is another example of this approach. There are two forces at work here: co-creation, where customers and suppliers work together; and co-opetition, where seemingly competitive companies come together to move a technology forward. In the case of the AIC, MIG members have realised that, if they work together, they can create a larger pie, with bigger slices for all.