Bosch launches world’s smallest accelerometers for wearables

When it comes to wearable devices, smart watches or headphones, the smaller the better. In this universe, Bosch Sensortec presented news during CES 2024, held in Las Vegas (USA) between January 9 and 12, that could be very useful – two MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) accelerometers – highly sensitive sensors used to measure acceleration, shocks or vibrations, indispensable for these and various categories of equipment – which, according to the manufacturer, are the smallest in the world.

The new BMA530 tracks activities with a step counter and is especially suitable for wearables. It can also be used for fall detection on laptops and other devices and power management functions, such as putting a smartphone into standby mode when not in motion. The BMA580 targets audible devices with voice activity detection.

Compared to the current generation of Bosch accelerometers, both occupy 76% less space, and the height has been reduced from 0.95 mm to 0.55 mm. In addition, integrated features facilitate integration into portable products.

“The demand for tiny sensors with ever-improving performance is growing as more elegant and minimalist designs are developed. The new BMA530 and BMA580 offer an ultra-compact and complete solution to meet just this demand,” says Stefan Finkbeiner, managing director and CEO of Bosch Sensortec.

Microphones in wearables consume a lot of energy because they need to be on all the time in order to hear voice commands. To ensure greater energy savings, the BMA580, in particular, uses bone conduction to activate the microphone when it detects the vibration of the user’s voice. According to Bosch, no other sensor on the market offers bone conduction capabilities with the dimensions of these new models from the manufacturer.

Bone conduction is the ability of our auditory system to pick up direct vibrations from the bones of the head, in addition to the sound waves that reach our ears through the air. It is precisely because of bone conduction that our voice sounds different when we speak and when we listen to it on a recording.

Bone conduction is the ability of our auditory system to pick up direct vibrations from the bones of the head, in addition to the sound waves that reach our ears through the air. It is precisely because of bone conduction that our voice sounds different when we speak and when we listen to it on a recording.

Speaking more of Bosch Sensortec accelerometers, the BMA580 model also allows interaction with the audible device in response to the user’s touch, for example to answer or end a call. The algorithm integrated into the sensor is able to distinguish between single, double and triple touches.

The new accelerometers offer various power modes and automatically switch from low-power to high-power modes to extend battery life. They also provide a flexible set of connectivity options, including an I3C interface. I3C..

Connected sensors

Also during CES 2024, Bosch Sensortec presented a platform of wearable, intelligent and connected sensors capable of tracking whole-body movements. Smart Connected Sensors is a solution that brings together hardware and software that can be applied to body rehabilitation procedures or even physical conditioning to help with proper exercise and faster recovery.

Smart Connected Sensors can also be connected to wearables, audibles and Virtual or Augmented Reality headsets. It allows up to eight nodes with various Bosch Sensortec sensors to be seamlessly connected to a central node.

The sensor platform provides qualitative feedback based on integrated Artificial Intelligence features and comes with pattern creation software that helps customize the system’s design.