Bosch announces high-performance MEMS acceleration sensors for wearables

Step counter optimized for wearable devices, integrated directly in the sensor
No external microcontroller necessary to enable step counting
Easy to integrate for fast time-to-market
Low power consumption

Reutlingen, Germany – June 26, 2017 – Bosch Sensortec announced a new family of MEMS acceleration sensors for wearable devices, offering high performance and ease of integration in compact packages: The BMA456 and BMA423 are specifically designed for motion and fitness tracking in wearables.

The new products will be showcased at the Bosch booth 836 at the Sensors Expo & Conference in San Jose, USA, June 27 – 29, 2017.

Integrated step counter
The new acceleration sensors from Bosch Sensortec include an optimized step counter for wearables integrated directly in the sensor, with no additional external microcontroller required. This helps reduce system cost and power consumption, reduces design complexity and thus speeds up time-to-market.

Typical applications for the BMA456 and BMA423 include step counting in wearables such as fitness bands. The sensors can also be used for advanced gesture recognition, such as tilting of the wrist, and can detect activities like running, walking and standing still.

Superior performance in compact packages
The BMA456 provides the highest performance and accuracy of the family, with 16-bit resolution, noise of only 120 μg/√Hz, and a total offset over its lifetime of only 20 mg. Temperature Coefficient of Offset (TCO) is ±0.3 mg/K, ensuring activity tracking remains accurate under all conditions.

The new Bosch acceleration sensors are housed in compact packages measuring 2.0 x 2.0 mm. The BMA456 has a very low height of only 0.65 mm, which makes this sensor easy to design into space-constrained wearable applications such as fitness trackers, smartwatches, and hearables.

Low power consumption for maximized battery life
Power consumption of the step counter is low, typically less than 30 μA, which helps maximize battery life in portable devices. The sensors can be used to put wearables into sleep mode even during step-counting, thereby helping to reduce overall power consumption.

These new sensors provide a complementary alternative to Bosch’s existing sensors for wearables and smartphones. For example, the BMA455 and BMA422 are ultra-small acceleration sensors with integrated Android features designed for low-power smartphone applications.

Availability

The BMA456 and BMA423 will be available via distributors in August 2017.

Bosch Sensortec at Sensors Expo
On June 27, 2017 at 11:30am, Marcellino Gemelli, Director of Global Business Development at Bosch Sensortec, will have a speaking opportunity at the PreConference Symposium 1 about „Case studies on bringing advanced MEMS technologies from concept to market“. More information can be found here: http://www.sensorsexpo.com/speakers.

Press who would like to meet with Bosch Sensortec at Sensors Expo may contact Embedded PR, Anja-Maria Hastenrath, phone: +49 89 64913634-11 or ah@embedded-pr.de.

About Bosch Sensortec

Bosch Sensortec GmbH is a fully owned subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH that develops and markets a wide portfolio of MEMS sensors and solutions tailored for smartphones, tablets, wearable devices and IoT (Internet of Things) applications. The product portfolio includes 3-axis acceleration, gyroscope and geomagnetic sensors, integrated 6- and 9-axis sensors, environmental sensors, and a comprehensive software portfolio. Since its foundation in 2005, Bosch Sensortec has emerged as the MEMS technology leader in the markets it addresses.

Bosch has been both a pioneer and a global market leader in the MEMS sensor segment since 1995 and has, to date, sold more than 8 billion MEMS sensors. More than every second smartphone worldwide uses a Bosch Sensortec sensor.

For more information, please visit www.bosch-sensortec.com, twitter.com/boschMEMS