iPhone accelerometer can't detect constant speed movements

Limitations of the iPhone accelerometer: The accelerometer is a hardware component that detects movements of the iPhone. Although it works well for shake and flip type movements, it does not detect constant or near-constant speed movements, as shown in this short video.

This issue is not limited to the iPhone. Any mobile phone accelerometer has the same limitation, because accelerometers detect changes in velocity, not movement itself.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• iphone
• accelerometer
• motion
• apple
• mems
• qipit
• realeyes3d
• purdy
• bergeret
• ricordel
• sdk
• applications
• appstore
• ui
• linear
• mov
• shake
• flip
• movement
• acceleration
• smartphone
• interface

[bobblima]

@chunter519 Acceleration being defined as... a change in velocity. Right? See, my understanding of physics isn't totally rusty. When we mention linear in this video, we refer to linear speed. As in constant speed. No velocity variation. No acceleration. That might have caused the confusion, apologies for this. Bottom line is: accelerometers are poor tools for building cool UIs and user experience because they detect acceleration, not linear / constant speed.

[gregslife7]

can you imagine trying to play a tilt game in the car if it did detect constant speeds?

[benoitbergeret]

Funny how many of the commenters seem to not have listened to the commentary... the point here isn't to critize the iPhone's accelerometer, but to point out limitations of using such a device (accelerometer) as input to user experiences. Other solutions exist that can detect linear movement (ie the camera used as a motion sensor, as Visual Cortex developed by Realeyes3D from France back then), which makes for a much better input for UI design.

[2009gibsor]

your retarded. I would elaborate on why but everyone else who has commented already has given basic reasoning.

[inemanja]

its accelometar... if you are going at constant speed you are not accelerating, so when you reach constant speed, there is no accelaration...

[skyfire1129]

If it detected linear movements then it wouldn't work. The Earth is moving around the sun. Want it to detect that? If you could choose to set it relative to something, like the earth, the car your a passenger in, or your own body, then it might work. But you do realize how insane that is, do you not?

[bruujho]

its name is accelerometer not speedometer

[cyberilui]

do you know of any accelerometers (even aftermarket) that detect linear movements? I am trying to develop an idea for a camera invention

[XxAtomic646xX]

@gregslife7 lol shit would go insane!

[robbyduffy1]

Hence the name 'accelerometer'

I think iPhone4 does measure translation aswell as rotation

[robbyduffy1]

Hence the name 'accelerometer'

I think iPhone does measure translation aswell as rotation