Swiss semiconductor company ST Microelectronics has revealed an inertial measurement unit that combines sensors tuned for activity tracking and high-g impact measurement in a single, space-saving package.

Devices equipped with this module can allow applications to reconstruct any event with accuracy and so provide more features and better user experiences. This should add capabilities to mobiles, wearables and consumer medical products, as well as equipment for smart homes, industry and driving.

The LSM6DSV320X sensor (www.st.com/lsm6dsv320x) comes in a regular-sized 3 by 3mm module with embedded AI processing and continuous registration of movements and impacts. Leveraging micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) design, the dual-accelerometer ensures accuracy for activity tracking up to 16g and impact detection up to 320g.

“We continue to unleash more and more of the potential in our cutting-edge AI MEMS sensors to enhance the performance and energy efficiency of today’s leading smart applications,” said Simone Ferri, vice president at ST Microelectronics. “Our new inertial module with unique dual-sensing capability enables smarter interactions and brings greater flexibility and precision to devices and applications such as smartphones, wearables, smart tags, asset monitors, event data recorders and larger infrastructure.”

The device extends the family of sensors that contain STM’s machine-learning core (MLC), the embedded AI processor that handles inference directly in the sensor to lower power consumption and enhance application performance. It has two accelerometers, designed for coexistence and optimal performance using techniques unique to STM.

One of these accelerometers is optimised for best resolution in activity tracking, with maximum range of ±16g, while the other can measure up to ±320g to quantify severe shocks such as collisions or high-impact events.

By covering an extremely wide sensing range with accuracy, the AI MEMS sensor will let consumer and IoT devices provide more features while retaining a stylish or wearable form factor. An activity tracker can provide performance monitoring within normal ranges, as well as measuring high impacts for safety in contact sports, adding value for consumers and professional and semi-pro athletes. Other consumer-market opportunities include gaming controllers, enhancing the user’s experience by detecting rapid movements and impacts, as well as smart tags for attaching to items and recording movement, vibrations and shocks to ensure their safety, security and integrity.

With its wide acceleration measurement range, the sensor can also enable smart devices for sectors such as consumer healthcare and industrial safety. Potential applications include personal protection devices for workers in hazardous environments, assessing the severity of falls or impacts. Other uses include equipment for accurately assessing the health of structures such as buildings and bridges.

The device integrates three MEMS sensors, comprising the ±16g and ±320g accelerometers and a MEMS gyroscope with ±4000dps range. The sensors are fully synchronised, making the modules easy to use and helping simplify application development.

In addition to the MLC, which handles energy-efficient context awareness, the device integrates a finite state machine (FSM) that helps perform motion tracking in the module. The digital circuitry also includes STM’s SFLP sensor fusion low-power technology for spatial orientation.

It features adaptive self-configuration (ASC) to optimise power consumption. Sensors with ASC can automatically adjust their settings in real time upon detecting a specific motion pattern or signal from the MLC, without intervention from the host processor.

To facilitate tracking high-intensity impacts and at the same time increase the accuracy on low-g events, STM has also created and patented the Motion XLF software library which fuses data from the low-g accelerometer and high-g accelerometer. Engineering teams can use the software freely in their designs using the X-Cube-MEMS1 package.

STM (www.st.com) also provides, free of charge, graphical design tools that help evaluate, configure, and test the sensor and embedded AI and connect the projects with STM32 applications. These include MEMS Studio, part of the ST Edge AI Suite, and ST AIoT Craft, the web-based environment with tools for developing and provisioning node-to-cloud AIoT projects. The device is supported in ST Edge AI Suite now and will be added to AIoT Craft by the end of 2025.