The Bosch BNO055 is a high-performance 9-axis absolute orientation sensor that integrates an accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer with an onboard 32-bit Cortex-M0+ microcontroller running advanced sensor fusion algorithms. Unlike conventional IMUs, the BNO055 outputs direct absolute orientation data (Euler angles, quaternions) without requiring complex external computation, making it highly efficient for research and IoT applications.

Key Technical Specifications:

• Sensor Components: 3-axis 14-bit accelerometer, 3-axis 16-bit gyroscope (±2000°/s), 3-axis geomagnetic sensor

• Sensor Fusion: BSX3.0 FusionLib onboard, eliminating need for host MCU computation

• Interfaces: I²C (up to 400 kHz), UART (up to 3 Mbps)

• Operating Voltage: 2.4V – 3.6V

• Operating Current: ~12 mA (normal mode), low-power modes supported

• Orientation Output: Euler angles, quaternions, linear acceleration, gravity vector

• Operating Range: -40°C to +85°C industrial-grade

Features:

• Self-contained 9-axis sensor with onboard fusion

• Programmable operation modes (IMU, Compass, NDOF, etc.)

• High accuracy in motion tracking and orientation measurement

• Calibration profiles stored internally

Common Research & IoT Use Cases:

• Robotics navigation & autonomous vehicle localization

• AR/VR head tracking systems

• Drone flight stabilization and attitude control

• IoT wearables and motion capture systems

• Human activity recognition and gait analysis in biomedical research

The Bosch BNO055 is valuable in research because it provides real-time, drift-compensated orientation data with minimal integration complexity, allowing developers and researchers to focus on application-level design rather than sensor fusion algorithms.