Sensor fusion, a technology that merges data from multiple sensors to make unique conclusions, was the hidden gem in TDK’s recent acquisition of InvenSense, a maker of gyroscopes and other motion sensors.
TDK agreed last week to pay $1.3 billion for InvenSense, one of the largest makers of gyroscopes for measuring motion and rotation, sending a signal that it wants to prevent machines from ever losing their bearings. It plans to do so with technology that simulates how human senses work in tandem.
The acquisition is one of the smaller deals in a semiconductor industry that has consolidated around slowing sales and the rising cost of product development. But it also marks a big bet on sensor fusion, a technology that coordinates different sensors to compute something more than could be determined by a lone device.