Vigna's team developed thethree-axis accelerometer, a three-dimensional motionsensor which was initially applied to theairbags of automobiles.[4] After reducing its size and cost, the sensor was used in theNintendo Wii console's wireless controller andiPhone's screen rotation feature.[4][5] For this invention, Vigna was included in the shortlist of twelve candidates for the "European Inventor 2010" award promoted byEuropean Patent Organization.[4] In his career he has registered more than two hundred patents.[6] In 2015, he received theIEEE Frederik Philips Award "for leadership in conceiving, developing,and commercializing micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)".[7]
