Bosch announces the launch of high-performance MEMS acceleration sensors for wearable devices

Bosch Sensortec has announced the launch of a new MEMS acceleration sensor for wearables, offering high-performance and easily integrated sensors in a compact package: the BMA456 has been designed for the motion and fitness tracking capabilities of wearables.

Integrated pedometer

The new acceleration sensor BMA456 from Bosch Sensortec includes a wearable product-optimized pedometer integrated directly into the sensor, eliminating the need for an additional external microcontroller. It helps to reduce system cost and power consumption, simplify design, and thus accelerate time to market.

Typical applications of the BMA456 include pedometers for wearable devices such as fitness bands. Acceleration sensors can also be used for advanced gesture recognition, such as wrist tilt, and can detect activities such as motion, walking, and standing still.

Performs well in a compact package

The BMA456 offers excellent performance and accuracy with a 16-bit resolution, noise of only 120μg/√Hz, and a total offset of only 20 mg during its service life. A temperature offset coefficient (TCO) of ±0.3 mg/K ensures accurate activity tracking under any conditions. The sensor comes in a compact package with a size of 2.0 x 2.0mm² and a height of just 0.65 mm, making it easy to integrate into space-constrained wearables such as fitness trackers, smartwatches and listening devices.

Low power consumption - Maximize battery life

The pedometer's low power consumption, usually below 30μA, helps extend the battery life of portable devices. Even during step counting, the BMA456 puts the wearable in sleep mode, which helps reduce overall power consumption.

Complementary alternative to Bosch's existing range of acceleration sensors

The new BMA456 also provides a complementary alternative to Bosch's existing sensors for wearables and smartphones. For example, the BMA455 is the first acceleration sensor to integrate embedded intelligence into a standalone accelerometer and further integrate Android functionality. The sensor is designed for low-power smartphone applications.

Adding intelligent capabilities to the accelerometer enables a variety of innovative applications while minimizing power consumption by avoiding waking up the application processor or attaching discrete sensor hubs. Detecting and processing motion (such as saccling, picking up, and tilting) with the accelerometer improves power management and user experience throughout the system. The BMA455 offers excellent acceleration sensor performance, most importantly low offset, low temperature offset coefficient (TCO) and low noise levels. Thus, the BMA455 ensures high performance in areas such as gaming and immersive activity tracking.