STMicroelectronics has revealed the ISM6HG256X, a tiny three-in-one motion sensor for data-hungry industrial IoT applications, serving as an additional catalyst for edge AI advancement. This smart, highly accurate IMU sensor uniquely combines simultaneous detection of low-g (±16g) and high-g (±256g) accelerations with a high performance and stable gyroscope within a single compact package, ensuring no critical event—from subtle motion or vibrations to severe shocks—is ever missed.
The ISM6HG256X addresses the growing demand for reliable, high-performance sensors in industrial IoT applications such as asset tracking, worker safety wearables, condition monitoring, robotics, factory automation, and black box event recording. By integrating accelerometer with dual full-scale ranges, it eliminates the need for multiple sensors, simplifying system design and reducing overall complexity. Its embedded edge processing and self-configurability support real-time event detection and context-adaptive sensing, which are essential for long lasting asset tracking sensor nodes, wearable safety devices, continuous industrial equipment monitoring, and automated factory systems.
“Traditional solutions require multiple sensors to cover low and high acceleration ranges, increasing system complexity, power consumption, and cost. The ISM6HG256X addresses these challenges by providing a single, highly integrated sensor,” said Simone Ferri, APMS Group VP & MEMS Sub-Group GM, STMicroelectronics. “These new sensing dimensions, made possible also in harsh environment, combined with machine-learning running inside the IMU sensor itself, allows to quickly recognize, track and classify motion, activities and events while using very little power, helping businesses make smart, data-driven decisions as they move toward digital transformation.”
Technical information
The ISM6HG256X contains the unique machine-learning core (MLC) and finite state machine (FSM), together with adaptive self-configuration (ASC) and sensor fusion low power (SFLP). These features bring edge AI directly into the sensor to autonomously classify detected events, ensuring real-time, low-latency performance and ultra-low system power consumption. This embedded technology can reconstruct signal dynamics to provide high-fidelity motion tracking. Thanks to the embedded SFLP algorithm, also 3D orientation tracking is possible with just few µA of current consumption.
ST’s new X-NUCLEO-IKS5A1 industrial expansion board with MEMS Studio design environment and extensive software libraries, X-CUBE-MEMS1, are available to assist developers, helping implement functions including high-g and low-g fusion, sensor fusion, context awareness, asset tracking, and calibration.
The ISM6HG256X is available now, in a 2.5mm x 3mm surface-mount package built to withstand harsh industrial environments from -40°C to 105°C. Pricing starts at $4.27 for orders of 1000 pieces, from the eSTore and through distributors.
The ISM6HG256X is part of ST’s longevity program, which ensures long-term availability of critical components for at least 10 years to support customers’ industrial product ranges.
