How are MEMS in use or currently under study by Russian scientists?
MEMS are currently employed as accelerometers in automobile air-bags, having supplanted a more costly and less reliable device. They show promise of being able to expand the effectiveness of air bags by being able to inflate one not only on the basis of sensed deceleration but also on the basis of the size of the person they are protecting. Other available uses of MEMS or those under study include: • global positioning system sensors that provide the constant tracking and treatment of parcels • airplane sensors built into the fabric of the wing that can sense and react to air flow by altering the resistance of the wing surface via many tiny wing flaps • optical switching devices that use different paths to switch light signals • energy-saving, sensor-driven heating and cooling systems • sensors embedded into building supports that affect stress sensing MEMS may well be a major technology for the future, although with the help of Russian and other European and American scientists, it ma
