Las Vegas, NV. At CES, Bosch Sensortec launched the BMI088 MEMS sensor, a high-performance inertial measurement unit (IMU) specifically designed for drone and robotics applications. The BMI088 features a stable gyroscope derived from Bosch’s proven automotive technology, the company said. The IMU delivers low noise and low drift despite fluctuating temperatures.
“Challenging applications, such as drones and robotics, demand extremely stable and high-performance IMUs,” said Dr. Stefan Finkbeiner, CEO of Bosch Sensortec. “Today, the BMI088 joins Bosch Sensortec’s extensive portfolio of MEMS sensors ideally suited for applications in high-vibration environments.”
The performance, vibration robustness, and temperature stability of the BMI088 enhance the drone flying experience by making accurate steering easier even in naturally high-vibration environments. This new IMU is compatible for use with other Bosch sensors, including the BMP38x barometric pressure-sensor series for altitude measurement and the BMM150 geomagnetic sensor for heading.
The BMI088 is also suitable for robotics applications, including industrial robots, domestic appliances such as vacuum cleaners and social robots, and hoverboards. To achieve consistent and reliable navigation accuracy, the BMI088 suppresses the vibrations coming, for example, from rough terrain and built-in motors.
The BMI088 consists of a triaxial 16-bit acceleration sensor and a triaxial 16-bit gyroscope. With this IMU, Bosch has combined automotive-proven gyroscope technology with a new low-TCO accelerometer design. The BMI088 is pin-to-pin compatible with the BMI055, thus simplifying integration into existing designs, and is housed in a compact 3.0 x 4.5 x 0.95 mm3 package.
The automotive-proven gyroscope of the BMI088 has a bias stability of less than 2°/h and a low temperature coefficient of offset (TCO) below 15 mdps (millidegrees per second)/K. The accelerometer also features a low TCO of 0.2 mg/K and low spectral noise of only 230 μg/√Hz in the widest measurement range of ± 24 g.
The BMI088 will be available for OEMs and distributors starting in May 2018.