diff --git a/msg/sensor_accel.msg b/msg/sensor_accel.msg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fdae381aba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/msg/sensor_accel.msg
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+uint64 timestamp
+uint64 error_count
+float32 x		# acceleration in the NED X board axis in m/s^2
+float32 y		# acceleration in the NED Y board axis in m/s^2
+float32 z		# acceleration in the NED Z board axis in m/s^2
+float32 temperature	# temperature in degrees celsius
+float32 range_m_s2	# range in m/s^2 (+- this value)
+float32 scaling
+
+int16 x_raw
+int16 y_raw
+int16 z_raw
+int16 temperature_raw
diff --git a/src/drivers/drv_accel.h b/src/drivers/drv_accel.h
index 738b28a6e1..f17d1ac9c2 100644
--- a/src/drivers/drv_accel.h
+++ b/src/drivers/drv_accel.h
@@ -51,25 +51,8 @@
 #define ACCEL1_DEVICE_PATH	"/dev/accel1"
 #define ACCEL2_DEVICE_PATH	"/dev/accel2"
 
-/**
- * accel report structure.  Reads from the device must be in multiples of this
- * structure.
- */
-struct accel_report {
-	uint64_t timestamp;
-	uint64_t error_count;
-	float x;		/**< acceleration in the NED X board axis in m/s^2 */
-	float y;		/**< acceleration in the NED Y board axis in m/s^2 */
-	float z;		/**< acceleration in the NED Z board axis in m/s^2 */
-	float temperature;	/**< temperature in degrees celsius */
-	float range_m_s2;	/**< range in m/s^2 (+- this value) */
-	float scaling;
-
-	int16_t x_raw;
-	int16_t y_raw;
-	int16_t z_raw;
-	int16_t temperature_raw;
-};
+#include <uOrb/topics/sensor_accel.h>
+#define accel_report sensor_accel_s
 
 /** accel scaling factors; Vout = Vscale * (Vin + Voffset) */
 struct accel_scale {
@@ -81,11 +64,6 @@ struct accel_scale {
 	float	z_scale;
 };
 
-/*
- * ObjDev tag for raw accelerometer data.
- */
-ORB_DECLARE(sensor_accel);
-
 /*
  * ioctl() definitions
  *