Technology


The physics behind our sensors

Our sensor modules grew out of gravitational-wave research, one of the most demanding measurement challenges there is

A wafer of MEMS sensors under a microscope, held in gloved hands

The gap we close


Precision used to mean big, heavy and power-hungry

High-end instruments

Excellent data, but bulky, costly and power-hungry, so you can only afford a few

Conventional MEMS

Small and affordable, but too noisy and unstable for the faintest signals

Innoseis ST

100× better sensitivity on a MEMS chip, at a power budget a battery can carry. Scalable sensor solutions become practical

How it works


A strong spring that behaves like a soft one

Softer springs make more sensitive sensors, but they are fragile. A patented anti-spring suspension gets the sensitivity without the fragility. This isn’t a one-off lab device; it’s an engineered platform

01

A mass on a spring

A tiny silicon mass hangs on silicon springs. When the ground moves, the mass lags for an instant, and we read that shift electronically

Diagram: a silicon mass suspended on springs inside a frame

02

Squeezed into sensitivity

We compress the springs sideways until they act soft but stay strong. A lower natural frequency means a much larger response to faint, slow motion

Diagram: the springs are compressed from both sides

03

Locked for life

The squeeze is set once, after manufacture, and held without consuming power. From then on it needs no power to stay tuned

Diagram: a ratchet holds the compressed spring, with the power switched off

04

Dedicated control

A proprietary read-out and control microchip – optimized for precision and power – runs alongside the sensor to output a digital acceleration signal

Diagram: the sensor signal goes to a control chip that outputs a digital signal

Solutions


From chip to field-ready system

Innoseis MEMS sensor die

1C / 3C demonstration modules

Graviton sensor modules

A high-precision MEMS accelerometer module (MEMS + readout ASIC) that combines our anti-spring suspension with closed-loop electronics, for inertial sensing where every nano-g counts

  • Graviton G for geophysics, Graviton S for structural health monitoring, Graviton N for navigation
  • MEMS and readout ASIC in one sensor module
  • Closed-loop force feedback, with a flat response from DC
  • Digital SPI output
  • Survives 1000 g shock
Innoseis seismic nodes on grass beside an Innoseis field bag

In field trials

MEMS seismic node

An autonomous, battery-powered seismic node built around our MEMS sensor, deployed in European geothermal field trials

  • Deployed in EU URGENT trials in Hungary and Poland (2026)
  • One of the project’s two novel seismic exploration technologies
  • Compact, for faster deployment of dense arrays
  • Low power for long, autonomous field work
Regolith space sensor module

MEMS in space

Regolith space module

A high-dynamic-range, four-axis nano-g MEMS module with low noise, for space applications

  • Sensor modules delivered to Fleet Space for the SPIDER lunar seismic payload (2024)
  • Launching in 2027 on Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 2
  • Tested for the demanding environments of space

Technology news


Latest from the lab

Graviton datasheet

Download the datasheet

Specifications of the Graviton sensor modules. Leave your details and the download is ready straight away

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