Transverse Sensitivity
Transverse sensitivity refers to the sensitivity of a sensor (such as an accelerometer) perpendicular to its main sensing axis.
The primary sensitivity along the intended axis is called axial sensitivity.
Transverse sensitivity measures how much the sensor responds to motion at \(\mathbf{90^\circ}\) to the sensitive axis.
Low transverse sensitivity is important because you want the sensor’s output to reflect only the acceleration along its intended axis. If transverse sensitivity is high, measurements may be contaminated by motion in other directions, making the data unreliable.
For precise applications, triaxial accelerometers can measure acceleration in three orthogonal directions from the same point, ensuring accurate multi-axis measurements.
During calibration (e.g., on a shaker), care is taken to minimize transverse motion, so the accelerometer responds mainly to the intended direction.