The Sensors Converge 2025 conference, held June 24–26, featured some of the latest advances in sensors, including accelerometers and inertial measurement units (IMUs) for automotive and industrial applications. The show, with nearly 200 exhibitors, also highlighted monitoring, tracking, and control solutions for applications such as smart homes, retail, and transportation.

Miniaturization continues to be a key trend, focusing on shrinking package sizes and higher integration. However, in applications such as automotive and industrial, product designers are also looking for components that deliver higher performance in areas such as accuracy and precision. Also important are ease of integration and ease of use.

Here is a sampling of new sensors and sensing solutions at this year’s show.

Sensors for industrial and automotive

Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd. launched the SCA3400-D01 XYZ three-axis accelerometer for the industrial market that combines high offset stability over temperature and time, good linearity, low noise density, and high robustness. Applications include structural health monitoring, machine control, IMUs, and construction tools and systems.

The SCA3400-D01 accelerometer is built on the latest version of Murata’s 3D MEMS process and uses the company’s latest ASIC design and processes. It measures 8.6 × 7.6 × 3.3 mm (0.34 × 0.30 × 0.13 inches).

The more stable the offset is, Murata said, the greater the accuracy of the sensor’s measurements. High offset stability also enables equipment makers to calibrate their designs for the product’s lifetime, rather than expecting users to regularly recalibrate to maintain accuracy.

The SCA3400-D01 provides an offset drift over lifetime of 0.5 mg for the X- and Y-axes and 2 mg for the Z-axis. The offset error introduced by varying its operating temperature is 2 mg on the X- and Y-axes and 3 mg on the Z-axis. Offering high accuracy, the accelerometer features a linearity error figure of 1 mg over a 1.2-g range and a noise density of 20 µg/√Hz, resulting in more precise measurements.

Another key feature is the user-selectable dynamic range and low-pass filtering, which enables designers to configure the part for the best combination of resolution, linearity, and noise performance for the application. Self-diagnostic features enable the sensor to detect when a measured signal is reliable.

Murata’s SCA3400-D01 accelerometer (Source: Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd.)

Targeting automotive applications is the InvenSense SmartAutomotive IAM-20680HV (high-value) six-axis IMU from TDK Corp. with an extended temperature range for automotive in-cabin applications. Offering low-noise performance, sensitivity tolerance, and high reliability, this MEMS sensor can be used in a range of in-cabin applications, such as telematics, heads-up displays, navigation systems, door control, and crash detection.

The AEC Q100 Grade 2–qualified IAM-20680HV integrates a three-axis gyroscope and a three-axis accelerometer in a 3 × 3 × 0.75-mm³ (16-pin LGA) package. The package provides pin-to-pin and register compatibility with all other SmartAutomotive MEMS sensors in LGA packages.

Rounding out its portfolio of IMUs, accelerometers, and gyroscopes for non-safety automotive applications, the HV IMUs join TDK’s high-performance (HP) and standard-performance (HT) devices. The HV devices offer reduced performance at a price to address cost-sensitive applications.

Because the chip is not redesigned, and even if some specifications are relaxed, the HV parts still offer leading noise performance and sensitivity tolerance, thanks to the design and TDK technology, according to the company.

The IAM-20680HV, with an operating temperature range of −40°C to 105°C, can also withstand an operating temperature up to 125°C without damage. TDK performed an extended reliability test to guarantee that the component will not be damaged up to 125°C.

The IAM-20680HV provides a 16-bit digital output for both the gyroscope and accelerometer, as well as user-programmable digital filters for the gyroscope, accelerometer, and temperature sensors. It features a selectable, ±125-dps gyroscope full-scale, delivering higher resolution for enhanced navigation. The user-programmable full-scale range includes ±125 dps, ±250 dps, ±500 dps, and ±1,000 dps. The accelerometer offers a programmable full-scale range of ±2 g, ±4 g, ±8 g, and ±16 g.

TDK also offers the EV_IAM-20680HV evaluation board for three-axis and six-axis motion-sensing products in the IAM-2038x/680x family and the DK-UNIVERSAK-I microcontroller (MCU) board for motion sensor evaluation, which is compatible with three-axis gyroscopes, three-axis accelerometers, and six-axis IMUs.

TDK’s IAM-20680HV IMU (Source: TDK Corp.)

Evaluation boards and kits for the latest sensing solutions are becoming more valuable to product designers to both evaluate the technologies and speed up development.

Bosch Sensortec recently unveiled three evaluation and developer platforms to help accelerate the development of designs using the BMV080 particulate matter sensor. The BMV080, first introduced at CES 2023, is housed in a 4.4 × 3.0 × 3.0-mm³ package and provides real-time measurements of PM2.5 and mass concentration data for PM1 and PM10. These platforms will help designers simplify testing and accelerate prototyping.

The new platforms include the official evaluation board, the Bosch Sensortec BMV080 Shuttle Board 3.1, the Polverine IoT reference design, and the SparkFun BMV080 breakout board. Each provides out-of-the-box functionality, preconfigured software, and comprehensive documentation.

The BMV080 Shuttle Board 3.1, when combined with the Bosch Sensortec Application Board 3.1, offers direct access to sensor capabilities in a standard development environment with data streaming and visualization.

The Polverine fully connected IoT reference design combines the BMV080 with the BME690 gas sensor on a Wi-Fi-/Bluetooth-enabled ESP32 platform. It includes open-source firmware and tools for data streaming and visualization, with MQTT integration and Node-RED support.

The SparkFun BMV080 breakout board offers full support via the SparkFun ecosystem. The Qwiic interface allows seamless connection to Qwiic-compatible MCUs, enabling modular, plug-and-play prototyping with no soldering required.

Bosch Sensortec’s BMV080 Shuttle Board 3.1 (Source: Bosch Sensortec)

Smart device sensing and control

TDK also introduced a suite of InvenSense sensing solutions for intelligent smart home applications that require precise detection of presence, proximity, sound, tilt, liquid levels, acceleration, or motion. These ultra-low-power sensors for AI-enabled home devices include MEMS microphones, MEMS IMUs, and ultrasonic time-of-flight (ToF) sensors.

The newly released SmartSonic ICU-30201 ultrasonic ToF sensor features a more powerful on-chip processor with higher computational power, while still offering ultra-low power for energy efficiency, TDK said. It is designed to enhance the contextual awareness of products that require accurate presence, proximity, and distance measurements, such as household robotics, drones, alarm devices, door locks, camera devices, and smart building systems. It is housed in a small, 5.17 × 2.68 × 0.9-mm³ footprint.

Other product ranges include the SmartSonic ICU-30201 ultrasonic ToF sensor, targeting presence detection for lighting, security cameras, or locks; the SmartSound T5848, T5838, and T5837 MEMS microphones with ultra-low power for acoustic activity detection in alarms, smart speakers, intercoms, and other voice-activated controls; and the SmartMotion ICM-45605 motion sensor for angle detection security applications such as smart door looks.

TDK also offers custom solutions such as the SmartMotion IMUs with a sensor fusion algorithm. Examples include the ICM-42670-S for smart TV remotes and the ICM-42370-P for tilt detection in appliances including washing machines.

TDK’s ICU-30201 ultrasonic ToF sensor (Source: TDK Corp.)

Ceva Inc. has developed motion control software that combines ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning with IMU orientation sensing. The MotionEngine Hex software solution enables natural interaction with smart TVs and connected displays, delivering six-degree-of-freedom (6DoF) tracking. This allows users to control on-screen content with touchscreen-like pointing accuracy and spatial gestures, without touching the screen.

Built on the Ceva MotionEngine software, MotionEngine Hex delivers 6DoF sensor fusion with data from a three-axis accelerometer, three-axis gyroscope, and UWB-based position sensors to compute full 6DoF pose (position + orientation) with high temporal resolution and spatial accuracy. It also includes sensor calibration and compensation, including runtime calibration, drift compensation, and tremor suppression algorithms.

The low-latency software stack enables precise 3D position and orientation tracking in real time, offering direct pointing usability for navigating smart TV interfaces, PC monitors, commercial displays, gaming, and smart home devices. It provides absolute cursor positioning based on real-world spatial coordinates for intuitive interactions such as direct selection, on- and off-screen gestures, and spatial drag-and-drop.

MotionEngine Hex operates efficiently on low-power MCUs and digital-signal processors, Ceva said, making it suited for battery-powered remotes and handheld devices. It offers dual architecture support for host-based applications, where it runs on the host processor such as a TV SoC, interfacing with Bluetooth and UWB modules; and embedded applications for integration with Bluetooth SoCs within remote controls, enabling standalone operation with minimal host dependency.

Ceva’s MotionEngine Hex motion control (Source: Ceva Inc.)

Tracking and monitoring

Energous Corp. d/b/a Energous Wireless Power Solutions launched a battery-free and maintenance-free wireless sensor for location and temperature monitoring in retail, supply chain, and logistics environments. The e-Sense tag operates using energy harvested from Energous’s wireless power network and is exclusively compatible with Energous PowerBridge transmitters.

The e-Sense tag is housed in a fully encapsulated and waterproof, 4 × 5-cm form factor. The tag continuously reports temperature and location data to Energous’s cloud platform, targeting retail, transportation, and cold-chain applications. The range is 15 feet (4.6 meters).

Sensor data from the e-Sense tag is transmitted to e-Compass, the company’s secure, cloud-based asset intelligence platform, which offers real-time monitoring, device management, zoning, reporting, and support for historical data analysis. It is built on AWS IoT Core and supports enterprise deployments with tools for regulatory compliance, process optimization, and decision-making based on real-time environmental conditions.

Energous’s e-Sense tag (Source: Energous Corp.)

Molex rolled out its TrackLabel printable Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) smart label platform with real-time location tracking. Targeting a range of applications, the TrackLabel BLE Printable Asset Labels can be used in applications such as automotive, food and beverage, industrial automation, healthcare, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, and telecommunications.

Designed to improve operational efficiency, security, and visibility across global supply chains, this smart label platform integrates BLE beacon technology and an ultra-thin, flexible material that adheres easily to assets, containers, or products for continuous reporting on in-transit goods to help reduce the risk of loss, theft, or misplacement.

Claiming the thinnest form factor, measuring less than 1 mm thick, with a patent-pending activation mechanism, the labels are thin enough to pass through a standard label printer. It can be customized with graphics and logos as well as materials, size, shape, and sensors to meet specific applications.

The TrackLabel platform uses a non-lithium-based battery that is disposable and designed for compliance with air-shipment regulations, along with internationally accepted standards.

The active BLE technology automatically integrates with existing BLE infrastructure, including gateways or smartphones, delivering a 100-meter read range for both short- and long-range asset tracking. Users peel and stick the flexible label on any asset, which then automatically activates the battery from sleep mode for optimal battery use.

TrackLabel also supports environmental monitoring capabilities to provide data for sensitive or high-value items. “The ability to track temperature, humidity, and exposure to ambient light is especially beneficial for maintaining the quality and safety of perishable goods as well as cold-chain monitoring, essential for food and beverage, and pharmaceutical applications,” Molex said.

Molex’s TrackLabel BLE smart label platform (Source: Molex)

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