STMicroelectronics launches first AI-enhanced smart accelerometers

STMicroelectronics has launched three new accelerometers with advanced processing engines built-in to extend sensor autonomy, enabling systems to respond more quickly to external events while lowering power consumption.

The LIS2DUX12 and LIS2DUXS12 leverage ST’s third-generation MEMS technology, adding programmable capabilities including a machine-learning core (MLC), advanced finite state machine (FSM), and an enhanced pedometer. A third entry-level accelerometer, LIS2DU12, is also available for less demanding applications.

All three products are equipped with the latest industry-standard I3C interface. The three devices integrate the common digital features for detecting events, as well as an anti-aliasing filter for high accuracy at lower sampling frequencies with performance benefits for accurate gesture detection at negligible power consumption.

The integrated MLC in the LIS2DUX12 and LIS2DUXS12 enables artificial-intelligence (AI) algorithms to perform reliable activity detection and the FSM enhances movement recognition.

Together, they provide autonomous processing in the sensor, which offloads host interaction and processing, significantly lowering power consumption and enables faster system responses. In addition, by deploying an adaptive self-configuration (ASC) capability, the accelerometers adjust their own settings (such as measurement range and frequency) independently to further optimize performance making each milliampere count.

The LIS2DUXS12 also features ST’s unique Qvar-sensing channel that senses changes in the ambient electrostatic environment to provide presence and proximity detection. This capability lets developers add value to applications such as user-interface control, liquid detection, and biometric sensing such as heart-rate monitors. In user-interface applications, Qvar combined with an acceleration signal removes potential false positive detection in two-tap and multi-tap events.

The smart accelerometers provide context sensing for state-of-the-art wearables devices, True Wireless Stereo (TWS) speakers and earbuds, smartphones, hearing aids, game controllers, smart watches, asset trackers, robotic appliances, and IoT devices.

All three products leverage on ST’s latest ultra-low-power architecture, which combines inherently extremely low power consumption with the anti-alias filter that helps to boost application performance, removing unwanted noise from the signal. Ready-to-use MLC and FSM algorithms are available through ST’s MEMS GitHub model zoo, which facilitates complex gestures, asset tracking, and many other use cases.

With these enhancements, the LIS2DUX12 and LIS2DUXS12 enable the coming generation of “onlife” applications that support daily activities intuitively and seamlessly, always on, always aware, and continuously in sync with the user’s needs. They expand ST’s family of MEMS sensors enhanced with AI, which includes inertial measurement units (IMUs) introduced in 2019.