Accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers are seeing growing adoption among smartphones, and demand for the MEMS sensors has risen substantially as the smartphone market expands.

Commenting on the next mainstream MEMS components for smartphones and other mass-market applications, Mark Winter, senior director for the Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize and the Nokia Sensing X Challenge, indicated that the longevity of end-market devices will become very important for the design of MEMS sensors. Personalization is another area that should be focused upon as mobile connected devices will be more relevant to individuals and address human needs of the consumer, according to Winter.

Development of connected devices, which are getting smaller and smarter, will continue to advance MEMS process technologies, but also pose challenges, Will Turnage, R/GA's VP of Technology & Invention, indicated.

Technology Entrepreneur Sanjay Gupta commented that there are more mobile connected devices that are affordable and which are used much more frequently than conventional notebooks. There is also a growing number of people who access social networks on smartphones and other connected devices, which simultaneously has boosted demand for MEMS sensors enabling virtual environments, said Gupta.

MEMS sensors are used in every handset, and one smartphone could be equipped with more than 12 sensors, Gupta noted.

The remarks were made during the MEMS Executive Congress US 2012 held recently.