If you caught the ams OSRAM demo at the show, you probably saw the coffee cup. An empty cup goes under the sensor. The system recognizes it as empty. A full cup goes in, and it is recognized as full. Simple enough demo, but the point lands quickly: this isn’t just a proximity sensor anymore.
The TMF8829 has technically been out since late 2024, but it’s now in full production and generating more customer interest than anything ams OSRAM has released before, according to OSRAM. It’s worth understanding why.
The sensor is configurable from 8 x 8 up to 48×32 pixels. That upper end is where things get interesting. At 48×32, you’re not just detecting presence, you’re starting to resolve shape, size, and volume. When combined with Edge Impulse tools, the demo ran inference on-device to classify objects in real time. Low-resolution machine vision, without a camera, without video processing overhead, and without the privacy concerns that come with optical imaging.
The field of view is 80 degrees diagonally, a significant jump from the 18-20 degrees typical of single-zone ToF sensors. Range goes up to around 10-11 meters in 8 x 8 mode. Interface is I²C or SPI, so integration fits into the workflow most embedded engineers already know.
The price point is what’s opening doors in applications that previously couldn’t justify spatial sensing. Single-unit pricing on Digi-Key runs around $14. At 3,500 pieces, it drops under $10. At meaningful production volumes, significantly lower. That math works for a lot of applications that camera-based solutions never could.
Customer projects in the pipeline span a wide range: smart appliances, MRI patient positioning, grain level measurement in industrial silos, occupancy counting in buildings and stadiums or anywhere you need to know something about spatial geometry without capturing an image. The privacy angle is real. Nobody wants cameras in a restroom, but a facilities manager still needs occupancy data. This sensor gives you that without the baggage.
The design challenge worth knowing upfront: optical design. Electronics engineers are comfortable with the PCB and firmware side. Th The optical stack, cover glass selection, and crosstalk management are where projects tend to run into trouble. ams OSRAM has an optical design guide and software tools to model crosstalk levels, but it’s worth getting the industrial designer in the room early. That’s the part nobody warns you about.