Cutting edge smart connected sensors platform for full-body motion tracking

Unlimited access to a personal feedback coach is the vision of many fitness and gaming enthusiasts. With the new Smart Connected Sensors platform, Bosch Sensortec ensures that movements and repetitions are not just measured but that users obtain qualitative feedback on the movement execution. Specifically developed for full-body motion tracking, this new platform delivers a fully integrated hardware and software solution that cuts development costs and time to market.

Business customers wanting to incorporate sensors in designs often face time-consuming and complicated tasks, combining and tweaking multiple devices to construct the necessary hardware and software system. No sensor solution on the market currently provides wireless and ready-to-use full-body movement feedback. To fulfil this need and save developers precious time and effort, the company provides business customers with the full package of:

BHI380 is a programmable IMU-based sensor system using AI functionality.

A wearable reference design (certified CE, FCC, ISED, MSIT, SRRC, MIC, NCC, UKCA) that can be straightforwardly attached to any part of the body without having to handle cable clutter, an external camera or dedicated bodysuits. Software features include gesture and activity recognition, body movement detection, relative body angle information, and a feedback coach.

The possibilities are nearly endless. Key use cases will include rehabilitation, fitness, and gaming according to the motto "Move. Prove. Improve." The platform provides complex feedback, enabling users to perform rehabilitation exercises at home properly, thereby supporting faster recovery. Motion sensors deliver intuitive, accurate control for highly responsive gaming applications by tracking even the tiniest movements. In sports and fitness, motion sensors can be employed for complete body movement detection, for example, to give detailed feedback on how well high-intensity exercises are performed. The sensors communicate wirelessly via Bluetooth Low Energy and thus do not restrict users' movement.

Thanks to the platform principle, the system can be connected to numerous applications, such as wearables, hearables and AR/VR headsets. Engineers will find the Smart Connected Sensors platform easy to use and simple to scale, easily including further sensors and capabilities into their existing designs. Importantly, the platform allows up to eight nodes with various of the company's sensors to be neatly connected to a central node, including IMUs, magnetometers and pressure sensors.

"For applications using Smart Connected Sensors, our new platform significantly reduces the amount of effort required from designers, enabling them to cut time to market and focus more on their specific expertise," said Stefan Finkbeiner, general manager and CEO at Bosch Sensortec.

The sensor platform supplies qualitative feedback based on integrated AI features and comes with a pattern-creation software tool that helps customers customise their system design. By employing this tool, the customer retains control over their data, as there is no necessity for regular data exchange with Bosch Sensortec.