Last month's CES dearly indicated the ever-growing, mainstream role of electronics in automobiles - where several years ago there were no automakers at the event, this year there were 10, from Audi to Volkswagen. Many automakers were demonstrating their novel and advanced Infotainment and display systems as well as safety systems using radars, lasers, and cameras to enable so-called "self-driving cars." The explosion of automotive electronic systems began in earnest in the mid 70's. The need for a cleaner burning engine mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was the catalyst to the introduction of electronic engine control (EEC) using an LVDT pressure sensor. The first MEMS sensor to be introduced into automotive vehicles was in 1981 with the Ford/Motorola Silicon Capacitive Pressure Sensor (SCAP). Further U.S. Federal regulation brought an electromechanical acceleration switch as part of the supplementary restraint system (SRS) in 1984. This device was later replaced by a MEMS-based unit in 1988 made by Sensonor and outfitted in a Mercedes Benz. A summary of automotive sensor milestones is provided in Table. 1.
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