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A new dimension of acceleration: Bosch launches world’s smallest MEMS accelerometers for wearables and hearables

Easy-to-integrate variant with voice activity detection

  • World’s smallest MEMS accelerometers: 1.2 x 0.8 x 0.55 mm³.
  • Voice activity detection saves power and extends battery life in hearables.
  • Advanced features make it easy to integrate into portable products.

Constantin Schmauder

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Las Vegas, Nevada / Reutlingen, Germany – Space is at a premium in hearables, smartwatches and other portable consumer products, and all components must be as small as possible. At the same time, OEMs are demanding plug-and-play step-counters and other sensors with built-in features that enable easy implementation without detailed application knowledge. To meet these challenges, Bosch Sensortec has announced the BMA530 and BMA580, the world's smallest MEMS accelerometers. Both devices include built-in features making them easy to design with. BMA530 tracks activities with its step counter and is especially suitable for wearables, and BMA580 targets hearables with voice activity detection.

Compared to Bosch's current generation accelerometer (BMA253), the BMA530 and BMA580 have a 76 percent smaller footprint and have been reduced in height from 0.95 mm to 0.55 mm. This size reduction is achieved with an innovative Wafer Level Chip Scale Package (WLCSP). The small size of the accelerometers makes them easy to place on a PCB, and their integrated features make them easy for design engineers to integrate into their portable products. "The demand for tiny sensors with ever-increasing performance is growing as the industry moves towards more stylish and minimalist designs that require smaller sensors," said Stefan Finkbeiner, General Manager and CEO of Bosch Sensortec. "The new BMA530 and BMA580 provide an ultra-compact, fully-featured solution to meet this demand."

The demand for tiny sensors with ever-increasing performance is growing as the industry moves towards more stylish and minimalist designs that require smaller sensors. The new BMA530 and BMA580 provide an ultra-compact, fully-featured solution to meet this demand.

said Stefan Finkbeiner, General Manager and CEO of Bosch Sensortec.

Bone conduction for reduced power consumption

The BMA580 provides innovative voice activity detection and an advanced feature set for hearable devices. Typically, microphones in hearables consume a lot of power because they need to be always-on to listen for voice activity. Instead, the BMA580 uses bone conduction to detect the vibration of the user’s voice and then wakes the microphone from sleep – for an overall power saving. No other sensor on the market combines bone conduction with this miniature sensor size. The BMA580 enables user interaction with a hearable in response to the user tapping the device, for example to answer or end a call. The sensor’s software includes an algorithm that can distinguish between single, double and triple taps.

In addition to wearables, the new BMA530 acceleration sensor is ideal for gesture recognition in toys, fall detection in laptops and other devices, and power management functions such as putting a smartphone to sleep when it is not moved.

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

Availability:

The new acceleration sensors from Bosch Sensortec can be ordered at our distribution partners from Q1 2024 onwards.

Website
BMA530
BMA580

Bosch Sensortec at CES 2024:
BMA530 and BMA580 will be presented live for the first time at CES from January 9 to 12, 2024. Visit the Bosch booth with the number #17207

Panels with Bosch experts on Thursday, January 11, 2024:
“Future of Care: How Other Industries Shape Health”, 11:00 a.m. (local time), Las Vegas Convention Center / North Wing, session with Dr. Stefan Finkbeiner, General Manager at Bosch Sensortec.

Press kit #BoschCES 2024
Event page #BoschCES 2024

Contact person for press inquiries:
Constantin Schmauder
phone: +49 172 7257198

Bosch Sensortec GmbH, a fully owned subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH, develops and markets a wide portfolio of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors and solutions tailored for smartphones, tablets, wearables and hearables, AR/VR devices, drones, robots, smart home and IoT (Internet of Things) applications. The product portfolio includes 3-axis accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers, integrated 6- and 9-axis sensors, smart sensors, barometric pressure sensors, humidity sensors, gas sensors, optical microsystems and comprehensive software. 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 one of the leading providers in the MEMS sensor segment since 1995 and has, to date, sold more than 18 billion MEMS sensors.

For more information, please visit www.bosch-sensortec.com, twitter.com/boschMEMS, community.bosch-sensortec.com, linkedin.com/company/bosch-sensortec/, youtube.com/user/BoschSensortec

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 429,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2023). The company generated sales of 91.6 billion euros in 2023. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. With its business activities, the company aims to use technology to help shape universal trends such as automation, electrification, digitalization, connectivity, and an orientation to sustainability. In this context, Bosch’s broad diversification across regions and industries strengthens its innovativeness and robustness. Bosch uses its proven expertise in sensor technology, software, and services to offer customers cross-domain solutions from a single source. It also applies its expertise in connectivity and artificial intelligence in order to develop and manufacture user-friendly, sustainable products. With technology that is “Invented for life,” Bosch wants to help improve quality of life and conserve natural resources. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 470 subsidiary and regional companies in over 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. Bosch’s innovative strength is key to the company’s further development. At 136 locations across the globe, Bosch employs some 90,000 associates in research and development, of which nearly 48,000 are software engineers.

Additional information is available online at www.bosch.com, www.iot.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com.

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