Ruggedised pressure sensor boasts centimetre-level altitude accuracy, even when submerged!

And the ipXchange award for best demos at Embedded World almost certainly goes to Bosch Sensortech. In the second-to-last interview that we’re posting from the show, we talk to Mark about Bosch’s latest sensor innovations, in this case, the BMP585, which can be seen as a ruggedised version of the widely available BMP581 24-bit digital pressure sensor; the BMP585 should be widely available from May.

In this video, we find the BMP585 attached to a model diver, who is searching for treasure in an aquarium. As can be seen on the display, this barometric pressure sensor produces highly accurate depth measurements at the centimetre level. A gel-filled cavity as part of the device’s 3.25 × 3.25 x 1.86 mm LGA package provides the highest level of protection against water and other liquid chemicals, enabling easy integration of altitude/height/depth/level measurements into applications that face punishing environmental conditions. If you don’t happen to be building a tailored solution for a treasure hunter, you may find yourself using this device in more typical industrial, navigation, and smart home applications.

Wearables for sport are a particularly interesting application for the BMP585 as the high level of measurement accuracy can even detect individual pull-ups or press-ups! Better yet, this sensor only consumes 1.3 µA at 1 Hz measurement rate in low-power mode, meaning your product’s end user can be working-out for hours without worrying about their smart device’s battery life.