IMU stands for Inertial Measurement Unit and is a combination of multiple sensors giving information about the motion of a body. They are used in aircrafts, drones, and other mobile objects to provided accurate data about orientation. Their vast use in projects made us write a list of 10 best IMU modules available in the market. So check out this list and let us know your favourite IMU modules in the comments section below.
10. SparkFun 6 Degrees of Freedom Breakout – LSM6DS3(20$)
This a 6 degree of freedom IMU with an accelerometer and a gyroscope. The full-scale range for the accelerometer is 16g with a combined power consumption of 0.9mA. A positive point for the device is the digital SPI/I2C interface that exhibits far less noise as compared to analog one.
You can get one here
9. Kootek GY-521(2.43$)
This a rudimentary 6DOF IMU with an accelerometer and a gyroscope. It works on 5v supply and has a 16Bit AD converter.
You can get one here
8. SparkFun IMU Fusion Board – ADXL345 & IMU3000(40$)
This IMU modules has an impressive 3-axis MEMS digital gyroscope with programmable ranges from +-250 to +-2000 degrees/sec. The interface for accelerometer and Gyroscope is I2C thus reducing noise in the output.
You can get one here
7. SparkFun 6 Degrees of Freedom IMU Digital Combo Board – ITG3200/ADXL345(40$)
The IMU board contains ADXL345 accelerometer and MEMS ITG-3200 gyro. Both sensors can be interfaced using I2C protocol.
You can get one here
6. Sunkee 10DOF 9-axis L3G4200D (18$)
This IMU is ready made for an Arduino. The nine-axis are three-axis gyro + three-axis acceleration + tri-axial magnetic field, while the final DOF is added by the pressure sensor. Though this IMU seems to be a good deal but the accelerometer does not have filters, only the Gyro has two low passes and one high pass filters.
You can get one here
5. Adafruit 9-DOF IMU Breakout – L3GD20H + LSM303(20$)
Three axes of accelerometer data, three axes gyroscopic, and three axes magnetic (compass) combine to the give the best data. The sensor is also equipped with a 3V regulator with reverse polarity protection which means that you do not need to worry about frying your circuitry mistakenly.
You can get one here
4. Adafruit 10-DOF IMU Breakout – L3GD20H + LSM303 + BMP180(30$)
A 10 DOF IMU with an accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer and a pressure sensor. The IMU is equipped with filters on every module thus making data sampling easy & reliable.
You can get one here
3. 10 DOF MEMS IMU Sensor IMU Modules (42$)
Just like the 10 DOF IMU’s mention before it, this model also contains an accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer and a pressure sensor. The crucial difference between this model and the previous model is the consistency in readings and excellent durability.
You can get one here
2. 9 Degrees of Freedom – Razor IMU, SparkFun IMU Modules (75$)
Sparkfun is an excellent supplier of sensors & electronics for hobbyists. This model is one of the expensiveIMU’s available on their website. The board has an onboard ATmega 328 controller that makes data processing fast as compared to others.
You can get one here
1. DIYDrones ArduIMU+ V3. Sparkfun IMU Modules (80$)
One of the high-end IMU’s. This is an 11 degree of freedom board as GPS is added along with an accelerometer, gyro, and a pressure sensor. This board is ideal to use on drones and the many filters implemented on the board make it possible.
You can get one here
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