“I see Patrick not only as someone who can generate great ideas, but one who can also execute on the idea. That is a rare and much needed talent in any industry.”
ExxonMobil Goschy Smart Sensor for monitoring natural gas 2021
ExxonMobil Energy Factor Sep 9,2019
Nancy Ford, BIC Magazine Jan 11, 2020
Accelerometers are sensors that detect acceleration and are sensitive enough to detect gravity, they are embedded in smart phones, tablets, GPS units, game controllers, and many other devices we use on a daily basis.
Inventor of the technology powering the Wiimote
Pat is one of the inventors of a patent for the use of an accelerometer in a video game controller. He developed this technology while working at Midway Amusement Games in 1999. When Nintendo released the Wii in 2006 they were the first company to bring a game controller with an accelerometer to market. Nintendo has 61 patents that refer to Pat's work as prior art.
The unprecedented success of the Wii drove sales in excess of 50 billion dollars. In the competitive video game market other companies followed Nintendo's lead. Sony released an accelerometer-based controller for the Playstation 3. Naturally, they also acknowledged Pat's work.
Microsoft cited Pat's prior art as part of the development of their Kinect interface for the XBOX 360 and XBOX ONE. It's no stretch to say that Pat's work drove an entire generation of the console market.
Accelerometers and the Mobile Revolution
In 2007, nobody really understood what the launch of the iPhone meant for consumer electronics. Apple went from a beloved but small part of the computer industry to become the world's most valuable company by market-cap. In less than a decade mobile computing has completely changed the way we connect to the world and each other. For most of the developing world, the only computer most people will ever know is one that fits in their pocket or bag.
Accelerometers are integral to the magic of mobile devices. Not only are they used in games, they are essential for travel, and most importantly, health and fitness. Pat's work has been foundational for the development of mobile technology Apple.
Apple demonstrates the use of an accelerometer in one of its patents for the iPad.
In Samsung devices accelerometers do more than react to motion. They also drive haptic (touch-based) feedback.
The Internet of Things...and Beyond
One of the newest and most exciting applications of mobile computing is the ability to add intelligence to everyday objects. Smart devices are in the process of transforming the home, the auto, and more. If you are thinking that accelerometers are an essential part of this sea change then you deserve a cookie. Adidas has released a practice ball for soccer players that includes an accelerometer. Ten different Adidas patents cite Pat's work as prior art.
Ten Nike patents reference Pat’s work as well
Tony Hawk with accelerometer enabled video game controller
United States Army training simulator
This wand uses an accelerometer to control your media with custom motions.
Companies are embedding accelerometers into a dizzying array of products. Sharp is using them in display panels. Nikon is using them in the development of GUIs (Graphical User Interfaces). The U.S. Army is putting them in the venerable M-16 as a training aid. Every one of these applications relies on the pioneering work that Pat developed. Pat's work has been cited on over 300 patents in the US alone.
It may be strange to contemplate, but Pat Goschy's creativity and vision are foundational to the technologies that have transformed our world. Pat has an innate capacity to think, "What if...?" But just as importantly, he has the ability to transform that imagination into practical reality.