Microdevice Lab won a grant from the Innovation Development Fund in 2019.

The developer and manufacturer of scientific and technical products in the field of inertial micromechanics, Microdevices Laboratory, won a grant from the Innovations Development Fund under the Commercialization-9 programme. The grant is aimed to support small innovative enterprises that have completed the R&D stage (research and development work) and are planning to create or expand the production of innovative products.

"Prospects for production and market development at the available technology level are enormously high, and the demand for MEMS is steadily growing. To meet the ever-increasing demand, "Laboratoria Mikropribor" has submitted an application to the competition of the Fund "Commercialization-9" to increase production volumes, reduce lead times and promote GKV series inertial modules in the domestic and foreign markets," said the company's representative.

It is planned to create a specialized driver for the GKV-11 as part of systems operating in ROS - (Robot Operating System). The possibilities for individual software modification of GKV-11 based on a single hardware platform (HKV) under the specific needs of the customer will advantageously distinguish the product from the competitors. Also modules of GKV series can be adapted to technical requirements of the customer. Each module can be configured with a certain angular velocity measurement range, accelerometer measurement range, operating voltage and other customizable parameters.

Company activity

In 2018, LMP completed R&D supported by the Fund on the topic: "Development of a universal inertial navigation module based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and satellite navigation system for marine and automotive applications". In the course of R&D, the GKV-11 inertial navigation system was obtained, which is intended for measuring inertial impacts, calculating orientation and navigation. Built-in navigation algorithms allow using the module in systems of stabilization and monitoring of spatial orientation of objects, calculation of true course and coordinates during GNSS receiver operation, including loss of signals from GNSS receiver.

Marketing research of the inertial micromechanics market has shown that the GKV-11 inertial module is able to compete with orientation systems based on fiber-optic gyroscopes and MEMS of imported analogues: Analog Devices, XSens, VectorNav, Novatel, Sensonor and other manufacturers.

The main competitive advantages of the GKV series inertial modules are achieved due to the mathematical software capable of completing inertial and satellite data, as well as providing autonomous navigation with high accuracy according to the "object" behavior model (UAV, cars, water transport) in the absence of the satellite solution. To increase autonomy time, it is planned to use odometric data from ABS sensors received by GKV-11 over CAN interface and correction information from road marking cameras and lidar.

The main means of GKV series inertial modules promotion on the market is a personal sale with a guaranteed consulting support of the customers during the whole period of the module operation. Their wishes are taken into account and implemented, which concerns not only technical characteristics of the products, but also the scheme of interaction with the customers. Thus, the features of promotion are public relations and direct marketing, which form a favorable image, trust to the supplier and the reputation of the company.

Further development

"LMP" is not limited to the development of HCV series modules based on the adaptation and improvement of the characteristics for customers in existing markets. The company actively develops new consumer segments, new sales channels, both independently and with the help of distributors. For this purpose, the leading specialists actively participate in the projects of Yandex, NAMI, MIET, in thematic exhibitions and conferences, as well as publish research materials in thematic magazines and on different portals. In addition, considerable attention is paid to the development and maintenance of the company's website.

The key objective of the company is to focus its efforts on close cooperation with the development teams involved in the development of unmanned transportation systems in Russia, which will allow it to quickly respond to market demands and tailor the product to the needs of its customers.

Using its own and attracted funds, LMP has increased the production of inertial modules by 100% in 2020 compared to 2019, and plans to maintain the positive dynamics in the future. Thus, the company is coping with the actively growing demand for inertial products and is engaged in further development of the GKV series. Such dynamics indicates that inertial systems based on MEMS in Russia are becoming more and more in demand compared to expensive systems based on laser or fiber-optic gyroscopes.