How to Choose an IMU for Robots, Vehicles and Wearables
There is no single best inertial measurement unit, only the best one for a given job. The right choice depends on what you need to measure, the environment the sensor will sit in, the interface your system already speaks and how the data gets into your software. This guide goes application by application, then lists the cross-cutting checks that apply to every project. For the terminology, see What is an IMU?.
By application
Mobile robots and AGVs
Indoor robots need heading that does not wander between odometry corrections, in an environment full of steel racking and motor fields that upset a magnetometer. The LPMS-NAV3 was built for exactly this: a 6-axis IMU with an additional 24-bit ±400 °/s gyroscope dedicated to yaw, in an IP67 aluminum housing with RS232, RS485, RS422, TTL or CAN. Where full 9-axis orientation is wanted as well, the LPMS-IG1 offers the lowest gyroscope noise in the range and dead-reckoning support with wheel odometry.
Autonomous vehicles and outdoor machines
Outdoors, absolute position from GNSS and orientation from the IMU belong together. The LPMS-IG1P combines the LPMS-IG1’s dual gyroscopes with a multi-constellation GNSS receiver (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS) at up to 25 Hz, in one IP67 unit with USB plus CAN, RS232 or RS485, and bridges GNSS outages by dead reckoning.
Wearables, motion capture and sports science
Body-worn sensors must be small, light and wireless. The LPMS-B2 weighs 12 g, runs more than six hours on its battery, streams 9-axis orientation over Bluetooth Classic or BLE at up to 400 Hz and supports seven units on one Windows or Android host. The 2 g LPMS-B2 OEM module goes inside your own wearable.
Embedded and OEM products
When the IMU disappears inside your product, you need a board, not a box. The LPMS-CURS3 is a 22 × 28 mm, 4 g module with USB plus CAN, RS232 or TTL, full 9-axis fusion on board and CANopen support. For a housed sensor that still fits inside a machine, the LPMS-U3 adds a compact plastic enclosure and the same interface choices.
Industrial machinery, outdoor equipment and marine
Water, dust, vibration and long cable runs call for an IP67 aluminum housing with an M12 connector. The LPMS-AL3 delivers 9-axis orientation over CAN, RS232 or TTL, with USB for configuration. Where cables are impractical, the LPMS-IG1W streams over Wi-Fi with TCP/IP or MQTT and needs no internet connection.
Tilt and structural monitoring
Cranes, booms, solar trackers, towers and bridges need a precise, slow-changing tilt angle rather than a full IMU. The LPMS-INC1 dual-axis inclinometer resolves 0.011° RMS over ±90° with RS232 or CAN output in an IP67 housing.
Checks that apply to every project
- Interface first. USB is for evaluation; production systems use CAN, RS232, RS485, TTL, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Each LPMS interface variant is its own part number, so decide before you order.
- Protocol. CAN units speak CANopen or a configurable sequential CAN format; serial units speak the LP-BUS binary protocol or plain ASCII; the LPMS-NAV3 RS485 also supports MODBUS.
- 6-axis or 9-axis. Use the magnetometer when you need absolute heading and the mounting position is magnetically clean. Otherwise rely on the gyroscope and switch LPMS sensors to their 6-axis fusion mode.
- Range versus noise. High measurement ranges cost noise. The dual-gyroscope LPMS-IG1 family lets you pick ±400 °/s for precision or ±2000 °/s for fast motion at run time.
- Sample rate. Match the output rate to your control loop and to the bandwidth of the link; wired units reach 500 Hz, Bluetooth 400 Hz for one sensor, Wi-Fi 200 Hz over MQTT or 500 Hz over a raw socket.
- Environment. Check ingress protection, operating temperature and how the unit will be mounted; rigid mounting to the structure matters more than most people expect.
- Power. Most wired LPMS units run from 5-18 V DC; the LPMS-IG1 and LPMS-INC1 accept up to 36 V, so they can hang directly on a vehicle supply.
- Software. LPMS-Control2 configures every sensor; FusionHub logs, visualizes and fuses them with other sensors; OpenZen and ROS drivers connect them to your own code.
Quick reference
| Need | Model | Interfaces | Housing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wireless, body-worn | LPMS-B2 | Bluetooth Classic, BLE | Plastic, 12 g |
| Compact wired sensor | LPMS-U3 | USB + CAN, RS232 or TTL | Plastic |
| Board for your own product | LPMS-CURS3 | USB + CAN, RS232 or TTL | Bare PCB, 4 g |
| Rugged 9-axis, industrial | LPMS-AL3 | CAN, RS232 or TTL, plus USB | IP67 aluminum |
| Highest accuracy, dead reckoning | LPMS-IG1 | USB + CAN, RS232 or RS485 | IP67 aluminum |
| GNSS plus IMU outdoors | LPMS-IG1P | USB + CAN, RS232 or RS485 | IP67 aluminum |
| Wireless, industrial IoT | LPMS-IG1W | Wi-Fi + USB | IP67 aluminum |
| Stable heading for robots | LPMS-NAV3 | RS232, RS485, RS422, TTL or CAN | IP67 aluminum |
| Precision tilt | LPMS-INC1 | RS232 or CAN | IP67 aluminum |
Evaluate before you commit
Order a single unit of the closest match from our shop, mount it where the production sensor will go and record a representative run with FusionHub. Heading drift and noise measured in your own environment settle the choice faster than any datasheet. For the LPMS-NAV3, LPMS-CURS3 and LPMS-INC1, for volume pricing or for custom firmware, contact us.