Sensing solutions for hearables

Explosion of hearables device with MEMS sensors

Discover the future of hearables with Bosch Sensortec MEMS sensors. Our cutting-edge sensor technology enhances the capabilities of hearables and provides manufacturers with innovative features including gesture and context recognition, speech processing and voice enhancement, as well as precise head orientation tracking. Enhance the user's hearing experience and create products that stand out in the market.

BMM350

Micro-sized magnetometer enabling head tracking for 3D audio and indoor navigation with high accuracy.

BMA400

Ultra-low power accelerometer for power management and multi-tap detection.

BMA550

Low power accelerometer sensing voice via bone conduction for voice enhancement and advanced speech processing.

BMA456

Tiny high-performance accelerometer for power management, multi-tap detection and activity recognition.

BMI270

Low power IMU for motion and multi-tap detection, head tracking as well as context and activity recognition.

BHI360

Small programmable IMU for 3D audio with head orientation and gesture recognition.

BMP581

Low power barometric pressure sensor for fitness tracking with great accuracy.

Discover the many use cases of Bosch Sensortec’s sensing solutions

Our MEMS sensors enable consumer electronics to sense the world around them. In the hearables space, these sensors enable breakthrough capabilities that redefine user interaction - whether extending battery life, detecting head orientation for a personalized sound experience or fitness tracking.

Power management

Power management

Motion sensors in hearables make intelligent power management a reality. This is particularly important to extend the battery life of hearables. Built-in MEMS sensors identify the user’s movements and act as triggers for various functions, such as powering the herable on/off or various functions of the device. By recognizing when to activate or deactivate, hearables can extend their battery life while providing a convenient user experience.

The following sensors enable power management in hearables:

Head tracking for 3D audio

Head tracking in hearables unlocks a realm of applications, including dynamic 3D audio and directional hearing. Our sensors precisely estimate the head orientation of the user, allowing the hearable device to adjust the sound accordingly. As a result, sound remains anchored with respect to the user, producing a more immersive listening experience and creating an all-enveloping soundscape.

In addition, our head tracking solution enables the hearable device to intelligently filter out ambient noise, prioritizing sound that aligns with the user’s focus. Combined with Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), this advanced sensor technology enables a more realistic 3D sound, ushering in a new era of immersive listening.

The following sensors enable head tracking in hearables:

Programmable IMU BHI360

Magnetometer BMM350

Voice activity detection and voice enhancement

Voice Activity Detection (VAD) in hearables refers to the ability to detect human speech, and distinguish whether the user is speaking or not. Built-in MEMS sensors detect indicators of human speech, such as voice vibrations transmitted by bone conduction, and activate the microphone accordingly. This also optimizes power consumption, as the microphone is only active when the user is really speaking. VAD is additionally beneficial in the realm of speech processing and keyword recognition. Voice Enhancement uses MEMS sensors to distinguish and separate speech from ambient noise in order to enable clear communication.

The following sensors enable Voice activity detection and voice enhancement in hearables:

Accelerometer BMA550

Adaptive active noise cancellation

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) in hearables suppresses distracting background noise to improve the listening experience, allowing the user to focus on listening music or a phone call, even in noisy environments.

Activity Recognition is another adaptive function which ensures a personalized user experience. MEMS sensors enable the hearables to recognize and analyze the user’s activities, and adapt their functions accordingly. Various movement patterns are detected by the sensors. They recognize the need for quiet during a phone call or virtual meeting, and automatically activate noise cancellation. They can also enable transparent audio features, amplifying external noise so users can take part in conversations and hear their surroundings, without the need to remove their headphones.

The following sensors enable adaptive active noise cancellation in hearables:

Magnetometer BMM350

Programmable IMU BHI360

Multi-tap detection

Intelligent sensors in hearables enable multi-tap detection, allowing them to respond precisely to touching or coming within proximity of the device. Users can trigger certain functions with a simple tap. The sensors precisely detect tap interactions, which are used to trigger actions such as playing music, answering calls, or fine-tuning volume levels. This enables intuitive operation of the hearables, especially while the user is on the move. Multi-tap detection is the perfect addition to wireless hearables, offering seamless interaction and convenient audio control.

The following sensors enable multi-tap detection in hearables:

Programmable IMU BHI360

Step counting and fitness tracking

The Activity Recognition feature can distinguish between walking, running, driving a vehicle or riding a bike as the basis for user context awareness. Intelligent MEMS sensors in hearables detect movement and identify the exercise, automatically activating the appropriate fitness mode to track data such as steps, calories burned, and heart rate. This feature is also extremely useful for optimizing fitness workouts. By integrating accelerometers and other motion sensors, the devices analyze the user’s movement patterns during exercise and provide real-time feedback.

The following sensors enable step counting and fitness tracking in hearables:

Programmable IMU BHI360

Barometric pressure sensor BMP585

Sensing solutions for hearables

BMA400

Bosch Sensortec´s triaxial accelerometer BMA400 is the first real ultra-low power acceleration sensor. Accordingly, the BMA400 is especially suited for wearable devices, which need a long-lasting battery life. Furthermore, it is the ideal solution for smart home applications e.g. smart indoor climate systems and smart home security systems. By distinguishing between critical situations and false signals, the new acceleration sensor avoids false alarms.

More details about BMA400

BMA456

The BMA456 is an ultra-small, triaxial, low-g high performance acceleration sensor with digital interfaces. The sensor is suitable for low-power and demanding consumer electronics applications. It detects wrist tilt, tap/double tap and enables plug ’n’ play step counting especially in wearable devices.

More details about BMA456

BMA550

The BMA550 sensor for hearables makes a big wave against unwanted sound waves. The innovative accelerometer works as body sound sensor for sensing bone conducted voice. Smart “voice enhancement” filters out distracting noises during phone calls and amplifies your own voice. This means that the person you are talking to can always understand you, even in noisy atmospheres. The BMA features 5-7x lower noise than standard accelerometers, low power consumption and high data rate up to 48 kHz for low latency.

More details about BMA550

BMI270

The low power BMI270 is an IMU optimized for wearables providing precise acceleration, angular rate measurement and intelligent on-chip motion-triggered interrupt features. The 6-axis sensor combines a 16-bit triaxial gyroscope and a 16-bit triaxial accelerometer featuring Bosch’s automotive-proven gyroscope technology. BMI270 includes several functionalities such as an integrated plug-and-play step counter/detector for wrist-worn devices. Moreover, the IMU is suitable for hearables, smart clothes, smart shoes, smart glasses and ankle bands.

More details about BMI270

BHI360

BHI360 is a highly integrated, ultra-low power, smart 6-axis IMU consisting of a 32-bit programmable microcontroller. In addition, it consists of an ultra-low power microprocessor, including pre-installed sensor fusion software and algorithms in a single package.

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BMM350

BMM350 is a very small, high-performance, and low-current 16-bit 3-axis magnetometer. The digital sensor is ideally suited for a wide range of consumer applications such as AR/VR, head orientation, indoor navigation, magnetic compass, high-end gaming, and dead reckoning. The sensor is based on Bosch Sensortec’s proprietary TMR technology. The BMM350 magnetic sensor offers outstanding design flexibility, providing a single monolithic package solution.

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BMP581

The barometric pressure sensor BMP581 is ideally suited for a wide range of altitude tracking applications like GPS modules, wearables, hearables, smart home and industrial products. This enables endless and new use cases such as fitness tracking where accurate altitude change is key. The low power and low noise 24-bit absolute barometric pressure sensor significantly improved its accuracy compared to previous generations at smallest size.

More details about BMP581