MEMS sensor improves drone flying and navigation experience

9th January 2018

Bosch Group

Lanna Deamer

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Datasheet

At the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, US, Bosch Sensortec has launched the MEMS sensor BMI088, a high performance Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) with vibration robustness, specifically designed for drone and robotics applications.

The product features a stable gyroscope derived from Bosch’s proven automotive technology. The IMU delivers low noise and low drift despite fluctuating temperatures.

Well suited for drones and robotics
“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 greatly 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. Customers benefit from a comprehensive sensor offering what the company claims to be the perfect match to drone applications - a complete solution from Bosch.

The BMI088 is also a great choice for robotics applications, including industrial robots, domestic appliances such as vacuum cleaners and social robots, as well as e.g. hoverboards. To achieve consistent and reliable navigation accuracy, BMI088 suppresses the vibrations coming for example from rough terrain and built-in motors.

Automotive-proven gyroscope and low TCO accelerometer
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 3.0x4.5x0.95mm³ package.

The automotive-proven gyroscope of the BMI088 has an unmatched bias stability of less than 2°/h and a low temperature coefficient of offset (TCO) below 15mdps/K. The accelerometer also features a low TCO of 0.2mg/K and low spectral noise of only 230μg/√Hz in the widest measurement range of ±24g.