Accelerometer for small birds

[ashankar]

Hi!

I am very new to freescale and sensory technology. I am an ecologist, and work with hummingbirds in the forests of Ecuador. I am trying to understand how hummingbirds use energy in the wild to determine what limits where a species can and cannot exist. It would be great if I could implant them with accelerometers and/or heart rate monitors and/or GPS sensors. I know these are all very different things, but I'd love to explore the possibilities. I would use these to record how much of their time they spend flying (and how fast, if possible), vs. resting.

The main problem is their size- they weigh between 2 and 20g, which is the minimum weight of most of the accelerometers I've found so far online. Would it be possible to get one which is a fraction of a gram's weight, so that I could attach it to a ~6g hummingbird without restricting its movements?

Look forward to hearing from you all!

Thanks,

Anusha

[reyes]

Hi Anusha,

I would recommend you one of our smallest accelerometers, the MMA8652, which package is a 10-pin DFN 2mm x 2mm x 0.95mm with a weight of 0.01440g according to the package information: http://www.freescale.com/webapp/search.partparamdetail.framework?PART_NUMBER=MMA8652FCR1&buyNow=true...

You can find the datasheet for this accelerometer in the following link: http://cache.freescale.com/files/sensors/doc/data_sheet/MMA8652FC.pdf

This accelerometer also has an embedded “Motion Detection” firmware which could be helpful to determine when the hummingbirds are moving and when they are resting.

Regards,

Jose

[ashankar]

Hi Jose,

This is wonderful, it's exactly what I am looking for! I can't figure out how these data can be stored- could you point me to where that would be? I see that most of the applications are to detect when an object is falling. How could I log this information, and preferably transmit it wirelessly to receivers over at least a few 100s of meters?

Thank you very much for your time!

[reyes]

Hi Anusha,

I’m glad to know that the MMA8652 can be helpful for your application.

We have an application note that explains the basic settings and data manipulation to start working with the MMA8652, and this application note includes an example code that you can use to start working with this device.

You can find the application note on the following link: http://cache.freescale.com/files/sensors/doc/data_sheet/AN4083.pdf

And, you can download the code example from the following link:

http://cache.freescale.com/files/sensors/doc/app_note/AN4083SW.zip

Now, for the data store and transmission over 100s meters, you can use the new Kinetis mcu KW2x which is a low power, compact integrated device consisting of a high-performance 2.4 GHz IEEE 802.15.4 compliant radio transceiver and a powerful ARM® Cortex®-M4 MCU system, you can find more details about the KW2x in the following link: http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/prod_summary.jsp?code=KW2x

The KW2x is in a LGA-63 pin package of 8mm x 8mm x 0.910mm with a weight of 0.18820g according to the package information: https://www.freescale.com/webapp/search.partparamdetail.framework?PART_NUMBER=MKW21D256VHA5&buyNow=t...

Regards,

Jose

[dgil]

Dear Jose,

I'm very interested in this device. I guess since 2014 things may have changed a bit. Is this info still relevant or are there new developments? Is there any company that actually implements these accelerometers or similar in a telemetry device "off the shelve"?

Best wishes

Diego GIL (CSIC, Madrid)

[reyes]

Hi Diego GIL,

Yes, the MMA8652 accelerometer + KW2x mcu are still relevant and recommended for new designs.

Unfortunately, we do not have knowledge of a company that implements these accelerometers in a telemetry device "off the shelve".

Regards,

Jose