Cellphone 'Motion Sensors' Are Poised for Takeoff

We humans are whirling dervishes of motion. We're always walking, running, falling, riding in automobiles, hopping on bicycles, and even -- horror of horrors -- exercising. So it's no surprise to see that "applications of motion" are creating new types of wireless Internet software.

Enter accelerometers, component-level vibration- and gravity-change sensors that are turning cellular phones into motion detectors. 

Two hugely successful products have sparked the use of accelerometers in cellphones and consumer electronic devices: the Apple iPhone and the Nintendo Wii's Wiimote remote control device. 

Increasing numbers of other cellphones are incorporating accelerometers, such as Samsung's i850 INNOV8, Sony Ericsson's C905, LG’s KF750 Secret, HTC's G1, and at least four phones that I'm testing, including Nokia's N82, N96, N85, and Research in Motion's BlackBerry Storm.

Today, there are more than 100 accelerator games for the iPhone. Some are funny and quirky, such as "drinking" a beer or milk. 

But what's more interesting to me is useful accelerometer-based applications. So far, these apps are basic, but they can start you thinking about future possibilities to control phones or even produce art. 

For example, FlipSilent for Nokia handsets enables you to turn off the phone's ringer or alarm by simply turning over the phone. 

Two iPhone accelerometer apps involve the camera: Night Camera uses the accelerometer to determine when you're holding the camera steady and then snaps the shutter to reduce blurring. Camera Art does sort of the opposite; it clicks the shutter when the camera is moving to create artistic effects.

One of the thought leaders in this field is Philippe Kahn, who has created several wireless platform companies. A few years ago, he started the company Fullpower to focus on integrating wireless with life sciences (which I previously discussed). Accelerometers, combined with GPS and sensors, are keys to Fullpower's strategies, which have expanded to include more than just medical applications. Indeed, Kahn tells me he coined the term accelerometrics -- "the art of motion sensing," he writes.

Interestingly, Fullpower's efforts include using its MotionX software to create accelerometer-based games, such as extremely realistic virtual dice. Kahn is discreet about future products, but extrapolating from what's on Fullpower's site, I can imagine applications that can determine whether someone tripped or collapsed and requires medical attention, or apps that can tell whether a sudden movement could indicate an object was being stolen.

Some of these applications integrate accelerometers, GPS, and sensors, which also represent important research products for Nokia and cut across multiple categories of applications, from measuring the number of steps you've walked to fitness applications to business applications. 

Quinn Jacobson, research leader at the Nokia Research Center in Palo Alto, Calif., tells me Nokia is exploring "rich content modeling," where the software automatically tries to determine what to provide based on, for example, your mode of transportation (driving, biking, walking, etc.). If you're driving you might want the main screen and appropriate applications (navigation, for example) to display large icons. Jacobson says the future involves "contextual awareness," where the phone is proactively making recommendations about what you should do and when you should do it. 

All this data can create serious problems if the conclusions aren't accurate, he notes. For example, if your phone drops, is it because of a medical emergency or because you're just clumsy?

This is going to be a very big business. Some 10 percent of the 1.29 billion cellphones shipped around the world include accelerometers, according to forecasts from market research firm iSuppli. The market for accelerometers in cellphones and other devices (such as game consoles, computers, and cameras) will increase to 900 million units in 2012, compared to 65 million in 2007, iSuppli says.

Count on it: Accelerometers, especially combined with sensors and location technologies, will result in a huge number of wireless Internet products and services.