Here it is, the motion sensor you were looking for: the one that just gives you directly usable information without requiring you to first consult with a Ph.D. to learn the arcane arts of Sensor Fusion. The BNO085 takes the life’s work of multiple people who have spent their entire careers focused on how to get useful information from direct motion sensor measurements and then squeezes that information down into a 5.2×3.8mm box, along with the sensors to go along with it.

Please note, the BNO085 is the ‘upgrade fix’ to BNO080 – it is completely back-compatible with the BNO-080 and, in addition, fixes an SPI timeout bug that made SPI difficult to use. The ‘085 is the same price and you can use any existing ‘080 code so we are only going to carry the ‘085!

The BNO085 by the motion sensing experts at CEVA Hillcrest Laboratories takes the familiar 3-axis accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers and packages them alongside an Arm Cortex M0 processor running CEVA’s SH-2 firmware that handles the work of reading the sensors, fusing the measurements into data that you can use directly, and packaging that data and delivering it to you. If the name and description of the BNO085 sound strikingly similar to those of the BNO055 by Bosch Sensortec, there is a good reason why: they’re the same thing, but also they’re not. Thanks to a unique agreement between Bosch and CEGA, the BNO085 uses the same hardware as the BNO055 but with very different firmware running on it.

“How different?” you might ask. Well my friend, pull up a chair and grab a box of popcorn because it’s quite a list. First, let’s list the similarities. The BNO055 and BNO085 can both deliver the following types of sensor data and sensor fusion products:

Features:

1. 9-DOF sensor module with accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer.
2. Sensor fusion algorithms for accurate orientation data.
3. Measures motion, orientation, and magnetic fields.
4. Provides Euler angles and quaternion data.
5. Motion interrupt engine for detecting specific motion events.
6. AHRS mode for stable and drift-free orientation output.

Package Includes:

1 x Adafruit 9-DOF Orientation IMU Fusion Breakout – BNO085 (BNO080) – STEMMA QT