Bosch Sensortec, a subsidiary of Bosch, showed MEMS sensors at CES 2025 including AI running on the edge, or directly in the sensor. That innovation means a developer can reduce the need for cloud connectivity for AI inference work, which would greatly reduce the overhead of a device.
Intelligent sensors combined with smart software allow quick access to voice assistants and health monitoring. Examples from Bosch Sensortec include keyword trigger detection to activate voice assistants in hearables and fall detection in smartwatches (for faster emergency assistance). Bosch Sensortec has a new acceleration sensor, the BMA550, to detect sound through bone vibrations which when combined with intelligent alorithms will activate voice control only when a headset wearer is speaking.
Bosch Sensortec has also partnered with Doublepoint on a microgesture control for smartwatches with the BH1360, a smart motion sensor. Doublepoint algorithms help avoid the need for a camera-based solution for reliable gesture detection, according to the company.
Parent company Bosch also unveiled a smart crib named the Revol to help parents with infant monitoring along with other products mainly for consumers. The company won CES Innovation awards in the AI and smart home categories for the Revol and said it will support the Matter protocol across a number of home appliances.
Revol uses sensors, camera and AI to monitor a baby’s heart and respiratory rate. Software signals if crying is detected or if a blanket is covering the child’s airway. “This solution doesn’t replace the human element…as you remain the decision maker,” said Paul Thomas, president of Bosch North America. Parents can choose to keep all data inside the four walls of their home for privacy, he added.
Tanja Ruckert, a member of the board management of Robert Bosch GmbH joined Thomas at a highly produced news conference that was recorded for replay. Mountain bike and street trials rider Danny MacAskill hit the stage to show off slick moves as a way to call attention to how he uses data to improve his bike rides and training. He asked somewhat jokingly if Bosch might help him create a digital twin of himself, but Thomas pointed out that AI was not intended to replace him.
Bosch’s e-bike business started 15 years ago, Ruckert said, is a “perfect example of how our entire company has developed from a leading innovator and manufacturer in the world of hardware into a company that seamlessly can bridge the gap between the world of things and the world of data.”
Thomas said Bosch is contributing to the build up of semiconductor manufacturing in the US with carbide chip production at a facility in Roseville, Calif., starting in 2026. Bosch will also air an ad during the Super Bowl on Feb. 9 for the first time in its 139-year history, he said.