M2M Forum® 2012
 
Working Groups & General Session

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Get ready to roll-up-your-sleeves to discuss the most critical issues affecting MEMS commercialization. M2M Forum features a mix of interactive working group sessions, speakers, and panels. 
Evening Keynote Speaker, Winner of MIG's Call for Papers
Mary Ann Maher, CEO, SoftMEMS, LLC
Co-design Strategies for MEMS-based Products 
 
New MEMS-based products today may encompass a system with several sensors/actuators, custom electronics, non-standard packaging, novel power sources, wireless communication and associated system software. Bringing these smart systems to market requires multi-disciplinary teams using co-design principles. Mary Ann Maher will describe a strategy for the co-design of packaging, MEMS devices, electronic components and software to address system related design issues and to allow designers to communicate with each other and preserve data integrity during the various stages of the product development life cycle.  

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

General Session

The general session part of the day will provide attendees with the opportunity to learn from some of the MEMS industry’s thought leaders on topics including investment in MEMS, IP, the importance of standardization, and success stories about the use of accelerometers in cell phones and gaming systems. 

Keynote Speaker

Len Sheynblat, Vice President of Technology, Qualcomm CDMA Technologies 
The Importance of MEMS Standardization 
 
Len Sheynblat will discuss why standardization should be a top priority for the MEMS industry. From the perspective of a MEMS integrator, he'll give a "call to arms" to attendees on why the industry needs to work together on standardization so that the industry continues to grow by being adopted into new products.

Panel: Successful MEMS Commercialization - Lessons Learned

The road to successful MEMS commercialization is a long and windy path with road blocks and potholes. With careful planning and checkpoints along the way, companies may mitigate risk. This panel will discuss the ways to successfully navigate the commercialization process including considerations for planning the development of new products. Has market pull or technology push influenced the killer apps we’ve seen over the past decade? What is next for the MEMS Industry? Hear from leading MEMS companies about the factors that helped make their products succeed. Learn about IP considerations from a veteran IP attorney. Listen to end-users about their process to integrate MEMS into new products. This panel will inspire you to get your products on the fast track to commercialization.
 
Panelists:
Matt Apanius, Director, SMART Commercialization Center for Microsystems
Stefan Finkbeiner, Ph.D., CEO, Akustica
Anne M. Schneiderman. Ph.D., Partner, Harris Beach LLP
Ivo Stivoric, Co-Founder & CTO BodyMedia

Working Groups

Attendees will chose to attend one of the following simultaneously run sessions.

Working Group #1 - MEMS Technology Development

Co-Moderators:
Valerie Marty, MEMS Integration, HP
Jason Tauscher, Manager, MEMS Subsystem, MicroVision

Working group #1 will discuss the MEMS Technology Development Process and how it relates to the product life cycle of sensors and actuators. Discussion topics will include brand new concepts (including transferring projects directly from university to foundry), derivative or next-generation products development cycle, transfer of existing products into new foundries, manufacturing readiness in regards to product qualification, and ramping to volume production. The group will discuss the supply chain perspective relative to accelerometers, gyroscopes, microfluidics, RF MEMS, and related technologies in reference to products from a cross section of industries including consumer, bio-medical, automotive, military, and industrial.

The objectives of the group are to highlight ways to make MEMS development and production more efficient in terms of development expectations, specification setting, and tollgate definitions, to prepare foundation basics and reference materials that are peer reviewed for further discussion, to share experiences and build successful business partnerships, to improve planning cycles and discuss issues early, and when possible to provide linkages to other M2M forum workgroups and strengthen communication of ideas across organizations.

Working Group #2 - New Product Development – Market Pull vs. Technology Push

Co-Moderators:
 Mike Mignardi, Ph.D., Manager, MEMS Component Development, Texas Instruments
 Jim Knutti, Ph.D., President / CEO, Acuity Incorporated

Working group #2 will examine customer interface factors that can determine the development time from concept to production of MEMS enabled systems. Traveling the path from missionary marketing of MEMS capabilities to identifying systems and applications that require these capabilities we will identify considerations that lead to successful MEMS enabled system commercialization. MEMS parts successfully (and profitably) enable a diverse set of solid products and markets that have evolved, ranging from traditional market requirements to the high-profile “sizzle de Jour.” MEMS component development as well as the customer system realization and market requirements must mesh to create what the customer "really wants" and is willing to buy. This group will discuss planning and contingencies required and factors that must be controlled for a successful new product area.

The most important goal is to make sure that the resulting product addresses the identified need and that there is a solid market acceptance once the development is completed. Attendees of this group will share experiences to help the industry learn how to ramp to commercialization at a LOWER cost and SHORTER time without reinventing the wheel and avoiding "overdesigning" and missing the market. The group will define what is unique to MEMS in regards to how new products are developed; while shedding light on the commonality of processes, tools (economy of scale), reliability standards, packaging and test, equipment, and the most common MEMS component and system failure modes.