Bosch BMI270 Ultra-Low Power Inertial Measurement Unit

As an ultra-low power IMU, the BMI270 extends system battery life by handling multiple activity tracking, step counting, and gesture recognition functions independently of the main system processor without waking it up. These processor-independent functions include sending an interrupt when a certain number of steps is reached, or geofencing to activate GPS when the user stands up and starts walking. Powerful, accurate gesture and activity recognition features, therefore, run in the ultra-low power domain, with a current consumption of just 30μA. This noticeably reduces power consumption, and users can benefit from extended battery charging intervals.

Bosch smart IMU is available in two application-specific versions. The "gesture" version allows the end-user to navigate the device using wrist gestures such as flick in/out, push arm up/down, and wrist jiggle. The "context and activity" version has advanced features for recognizing context-activity and activity change, for example standing, walking, or being in a vehicle. The BMI270 is designed to provide maximum flexibility to users and thus could be customized based on the specific use -case with gestures and context/activity features.

Building on the latest Bosch MEMS process technology, the BMI270 combines the automotive-proven gyroscope technology with an improved accelerometer. Bosch’s unique and motionless Component Re-Trimming (CRT) feature provides built-in gyroscope self-calibration without a rotation stimulus, which saves OEMs valuable time and costs during testing and manufacturing. The embedded plug-and-play features of the BMI270 help to cut time to market. The BMI270 measures only 2.5mm x 3.0mm x 0.8mm³ and is pin-to-pin compatible with the BMI160, BMI260, BMI261, and BMI263.