Is your company searching for robotic applications to use in its daily procedures?
Hillcrest Labs, a subsidiary of InterDigital, has launched its FSP200 processor. This is a high-performance and low-power sensor hub microcontroller unit (MCU) that delivers superior planar heading and 6-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) performance for high volume, cost conscious and consumer robotics applications. The FSP200 is ideal as an integral component to SLAM navigation systems. It can also be used as the primary navigation solution for Intelligent Walk systems.
“We’re thrilled to expand our portfolio of products for robotics to include this consistent, high-performance product geared specifically for cost critical robots,” said Chad Lucien, senior vice president, sales and marketing, Hillcrest Labs (News - Alert). “The FSP200 serves a key part of our product family, underscoring our mission to advance the consumer robotics market by continually delivering superior solutions to the market.”
The FSP200 combines Hillcrest Labs’ high-performance, proprietary MotionEngine sensor processing software into a low-power 32-bit ARM (News - Alert) Cortex M3 MCU. The proprietary company’s software provides a high performance, high quality and low-cost solution optimized for autonomous and semi-autonomous terrestrial robots such as cleaners, mowers and service robots. When partnered with an external 6-axis inertial sensor, which consists of the accelerometer and the gyroscope, the FSP200 delivers the performance and features required for today’s robots.
The tilt independent heading allows for proper heading output even when the driving surface is uneven, which enables rapid adjustment to obstacles or changes in flooring types. The bump detection has been created as a calibrated accelerometer output. This provides data to support bump detection algorithm without having to use a separate sensor. Another feature is FSP200’s inclination detection, which provides full 3DOF robot orientation. This can allow detection of surface and device issues that could cause the robot to become stuck or damaged. The dynamic calibration aspect offers proprietary algorithms monitor changes in sensor performance and temperature during live operation to deliver the highest performance. The sensor independence allows several low-cost MEMS sensors from top sensor vendors that are qualified for use with the FSP200 and have drivers pre-integrated.
With the invention of the FSP200, Hillcrest Labs is revolutionizing the way in which we view robotic applications for the immense better.