STMicroelectronics Unveils Image Sensors That Consume Ten Times Less Energy

Sensors Designed for Wearables, AR/VR, and Smart Devices

The new VD55G4 (monochrome) and VD65G4 (RGB color) sensors target applications including wearables, AR/VR and XR headsets, smart home appliances, and medical devices. They are engineered to deliver rich visual context and AI-ready data under strict constraints of energy consumption, size, and cost. The sensors combine an ultra-light detect-and-wake architecture with a very small optical format and interfaces optimized for low-power microcontrollers and cost-effective system-on-chip (SoC) solutions.

Reduced Energy Consumption Architecture and Design Ecosystem

Thanks to an optimized sensor architecture and a dedicated always-on mode, the VD55G4 and VD65G4 consume up to ten times less energy than conventional global shutter sensors. They can monitor changes in a scene and only wake the main processor when necessary, switching from continuous streaming to event-driven operation. The sensors are manufactured on 300 mm wafers using a 65 nm / 40 nm stacked 3D architecture at the ST Crolles facility. STMicroelectronics also provides a comprehensive ecosystem of resources and tools to assist designers in prototyping and deploying always-on vision solutions with these new sensors.