Bosch Sensortec Drops 4-in-1 Digital Nose Backed with AI for Identifying Gases
The BME688 sensor measures gases, humidity, temp and barometric pressure, and can differentiate between spoiled food and bad breath with AI.
Bosch Sensortec recently unveiled its new BME688 4-in-1 gas sensor that can detect an extensive range of gases, along with other metrics including humidity, temperature, and biometric pressure. Clean air has been an issue since the industrial age and has only become more prominent since the onset of the pandemic. To that end, we’ve become more aware of the air quality around us, whether indoors or out. Poor air quality can be hazardous to our health, and to address that issue, Bosch Sensortec has designed the MEMS-based BME688, which incorporates an AI solution and can be adapted for customizable applications, including food spoilage detection, changes in body temperature, and even the onset of forest fires in their infancy.
“The BME688 combines reliable high-precision sensors with wide-ranging gas detection and innovative AI capabilities in a single package,” states Dr. Stefan Finkbeiner, CEO at Bosch Sensortec. “This enables our customers to rapidly develop the next generation of applications designed to improve well-being, lifestyle and sustainability.” For example, users may want to develop a sensor-based device that can detect spoiled food, which is indicated via the VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) produced by decaying bacteria within the food.
AI comes into play by sensing, or instead sampling, different gasses in the field, along with fresh air samples in the same target location. To correctly identify that decaying food, the sensor needs to produce a baseline of the air surrounding the VOCs. By taking repeated samples, the AI can then differentiate between fresh air and any pollutants that become present in any given area. Users can tailor the detection to suit their specific needs without relying on a lab for processing the data, making it time-sensitive. Bosch Sensortec developed the BME688 mobile and connected applications where size and low power consumption play a critical role, which means the sensor is ideal for mobile and IoT devices and can be used anywhere.