Bosch Sensortec's BMA400 debuts as an ultra-low power MEMS acceleration sensor for IoT and wearable applications. Its low current consumption, embedded plug-and-play step counting, and activity recognition features substantially extends battery lifetime of wearables such as smart watches and fitness trackers. It can wake up automatically when it detects motion and returns to sleep mode when the movement ends, avoiding waking the main application processor. This feature significantly reduces battery consumption to extend charging intervals.
The BMA400’s continuous measurement capabilities and always-defined bandwidth make it viable for indoor climate systems and security systems in smart homes. For example, it can avoid false alarms, by distinguishing between genuine alarms like broken glass and false signals coming from random vibrations. Its ultra-low power consumption means replacing batteries is a far less frequent chore for homeowners.
Other features include a voltage regulator, a current consumption of 14 μA at highest performance (1 μA and below in the device’s ultra-low power self-wake-up mode) and a noise density of 180 μg/√Hz. For more details, peruse the BMA400 datasheet.