Adaptive headlights adjust their aim based on the pitch of the vehicle and are a potential application for MEMS accelerometers and gyroscopes.

Demands on auto designers for enhanced engine performance, emissions control, and safety features, coupled with the need to keep costs down, make sensor selection critical. This primer provides the information needed to make the right choices.

Use of vehicular electronic stability controls is growing. A new quartz MEMS gyroscope can handle the harsh under-hood environment, where temperatures exceed 125°C and shock and vibration are significant.

The development of "active," noncontact sensors based on Hall effect, magnetoresistive, and variable-reluctance transformer technologies is penetrating the established market of "passive," contact sensors—and increasingly taking market share for automotive speed and position applications, says market research firm Strategy Analytics. "This is being driven by the need for improved reliability as well as increased functionality and accuracy," notes senior analyst Simon Schofield.

Arecent study by TRW Automotive Inc. reports that 74% of respondents say vehicle safety features and options are more important to them than they were five years ago. And all of the entries on Edmunds.com's Top 10 High-Tech Car Safety Technologies—which the automotive information source recommends consumers look for when car shopping—are sensor based. Most are self-explanatory:

High-end machine vision applications are progressing from 2D to 3D imaging with techniques such as laser triangulation and stereovision, say analysts at Frost & Sullivan.

On March 26, South Florida's Sun-Sentinel reported that a local woman, whose two-year- old daughter was killed before her eyes as a neighbor's car backed over her, is on a mission.

Savvy sensor buyers watch the automotive market. That's because this cost- and reliability-conscious industry makes tough demands of sensor developers?demands that ultimately benefit other applications. And this is car show season, so it's time to pay attention.

One of the characteristics of luxury cars is how quiet it is within the passenger compartment. A smooth and quiet ride is an important part of the overall experience of the car.