Bosch Launches World’s Smallest MEMS Accelerometers for Wearables and Hearables

Meeting the market momentum for hearables that combine bone conduction, Bosch Sensortec has announced the new BMA530 and BMA580 MEMS accelerometers, currently the world’s smallest devices of this type, with just 1.2 x 0.8 x 0.55mm³. This is also an easy-to-integrate variant with voice activity detection, saving power and extending battery life, while allowing advanced audio processing features.

Nanusens has announced that it has successfully created a fully digital circuit design to measure the capacitance of its nanosensors. This means that both the sensor structure and its detection circuitry can be made at the same time within a chip using standard CMOS processes on whatever process node is required. As a result, ASICs can now be made with several different sensors embedded within them, helping to expand MEMS applications in hearables.

Nanusens has had its first patent granted in the US, with filings in other countries underway, and has more patents in the process of being applied for. These all protect the company's innovative technology of building nanoscale structures within a standard CMOS metal layers to create novel NEMS (Nano Electro Mechanical Systems) sensors. Nanusens recently appointed Dr Graham Hine as Chairman with the goal of driving growth and fund raising for the nanosensors company.

Vesper, the pioneer in piezoelectric MEMS microphones and sensors that is now empowering edge-AI applications in consumer devices, closed a $18M financing round led by Accomplice. Vesper also received investments from Applied Materials Ventures, Sands Capital, Bose, Amazon Alexa Fund, Gopher Asset Management, ITIC, World Peace Group, Unitrontech, and MegaChips. The round brings Vesper's total funding to date to $73M.

Vesper introduced the VA1200, which the company calls the world’s first analog piezoelectric voice accelerometer (a.k.a. bone conduction sensor). This low-power vibration sensor can be used in true wireless earbud designs to pick up the wearer’s own voice through bone conduction. Using the VA1200 in conjunction with a standard microphone and a sensor fusion solution, the application can achieve superior background and wind noise reduction. Vesper calls this combination OnePlusOne.

Nanusens, the innovative research venture working on nano-sensors built inside CMOS devices, recently received significant funding that will enable it to expand its operations and hire new staff. Nanusens is also a finalist for the Design Team of the Year in the prestigious Elektra Awards 2020. The company, headquartered in the United Kingdom, with R&D centers in Barcelona, Spain and Shenzen, China, has designed a novel way to enable the higher frequency bands needed by 5G mobile phones, something that presents a challenge with current technology.

Nanusens, a research venture working on nano-sensors built inside CMOS devices, has announced that its proprietary technology can significantly increase the operational life of earbuds by up to 20%. This can be achieved by replacing the MEMS sensors in an earbud with a single multi-sensor chip solution that is up to ten times smaller, freeing up space for larger batteries. The company will be announcing this technology solution at MWC 2019 in Barcelona, Spain.