Bosch Sensortec’s new microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) acceleration sensor for the Internet of Things (IoT) and wearables is now available for purchase.
The BMA400 is designed to extend battery lifetime of wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers and allows for features such as step counting and activity recognition. The sensor automatically wakes up when motion is detected then returns to sleep mode when the movement ends, meaning it avoids waking the main application processor reducing battery consumption.
For applications such as indoor climate systems and security systems in the smart home, the MEMS’ continuous measurement capabilities and always-defined bandwidth make it applicable for hassle-free use. The device can avoid false alarms by distinguishing between real alarms from broken glass and fake signals from random vibrations.
Bosch said the BMA400 draws 10 times less current than existing accelerometers at 14 μA and a noise density of 180 μg/√Hz at high performance. This drops to just 1 μA and below in the device’s ultra-low power self-wake-up mode.
