MegaChips Partners with Bosch Sensortec to Deliver Health and Fitness tracking for Smartphones and Wearables in Real Time

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SOURCE MegaChips Corporation

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumer Electronics Show (CES) – MegaChips Corporation today announced a partnership with Bosch Sensortec to provide a complete reference design for use in smartphones, wearables and other personal devices allowing consumers to monitor their activities in real time. Available today, the reference design provides both context and location awareness for health, fitness and indoor navigation monitoring and tracking applications. MegaChips is demonstrating this "Chignon B" reference design at the Bosch booth, CES stand number 71032, Sands Expo.

Research firm ABI forecasts 42 million wearable fitness and health devices will be shipped in 2014, up from 32 million in 2013. This market growth is fueled by the proliferation of low-power microchips and sensors such as those from MegaChips and Bosch Sensortec. MegaChips' ultra-low power frizz, combined with the SiTime SiT1602 programmable MHz oscillator and the Bosch Sensortec MEMS sensors BMI160, BMM150 and BME280 provide more meaningful data, easy interpretation, higher accuracy and ultra-low power critical for longer battery life.

"With each generation, devices are getting smaller and more accurate," said Utah Iwasaki, manager, business development MegaChips Technology America Corporation. "Our new joint solution with first-rate sensors from Bosch enables longer lasting wearable devices that collect more accurate data on movement, speed, distance and direction. We can, for instance, track how someone is moving their arms and legs, which is great for golf swing analysis."

Jeanne Forget, director global marketing at Bosch Sensortec said, "MegaChips has an excellent reputation for providing high-performance, ultra-low power chips that are important in consumer electronics. We are delighted to partner with MegaChips to complement our broad MEMS sensor portfolio. With our joint technologies we can create superior wearable devices that give people tremendous benefits in their everyday lives, such as longer battery life and new applications."

Piyush Sevalia, executive vice president of marketing at SiTime Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of MegaChips, said, "SiTime's groundbreaking MEMS and programmable analog technologies allow us to deliver game-changing MEMS timing solutions. Our MHz and kHz solutions provide the best accuracy, the smallest size and the lowest power, all of which are ideally suited for wearable electronics and internet of things (IoT)."

Added Iwasaki, "We are developing technology to help people get healthier, and are in joint discussions with major wearable companies to bring these portable electronics to market quickly. As more people are engaging in some form of digital examination, the ability to collect real-time information about our bodies and our behavior is crucial and will pave the way for changing how we manage our health and fitness. Bosch is the best partner for us to team up with to help empower this important evolution."

Frizz is a motion sensor hub with a 32bit DSP based motion engine called "ParaForce" that can realize high performance calculations used in processing algorithms with ultra-low power consumption in lieu of a microprocessor, which often runs at hundreds of MHz and consumes much higher power, thereby extending the runtime of portable devices. To facilitate a faster development cycle, MegaChips can provide an algorithm for indoor navigation, which utilizes the special functions from the ParaForce engine that are inside frizz. This innovative product is designed to accurately track altitude, motion, speed and direction. It empowers wearables that recognize sleep patterns, watch over elderly and find children lost in stores/malls.    

For more information about the Bosch Sensortec MEMS sensors and solutions please go towww.bosch-sensortec.com

This is not new in the voral reef of adjacent possible.  Megachips has the right focus and it's nice to see a Japanese co, ( like MUrata) who get it.  Its a DSP soution, like Audiences approach, 

Much higher power than the approach that QUIK has taken.

This is a very cool wearable...

Gesture-control armband shipping to 50,000 who pre-ordered

JOSH O’KANE

The Globe and Mail

Published Thursday, Jan. 01 2015, 5:00 AM EST

The hype, it turned out, was worth heeding. Myo, a wireless, gesture-control armband that earned tens of thousands of preorders in just a few months, is now shipping to customers.

The motion-sensing armband, designed by Kitchener, Ont. company Thalmic Labs Inc., can operate computer and mobile programs with simple gestures. It became an instant hit when it was announced in early 2013, but there was a hitch: By that June, in spite of all the preorders, the company was still scouting manufacturers.

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VIDEO

Video: This armband lets users control devices with hands and finger movements

STARTUPS

Video: Thalmic Labs co-founder on the future of the Myo armband

THE CHALLENGE

In pictures: The wearable Myo controller being developed in Kitchener

That left Thalmic Labs in a tough spot as it tried to balance product development with keeping its early backers’ attention.

A year and a half later, the first armbands have finally been delivered, with “north of” 50,000 orders placed, says Stephen Lake, Thalmic Labs’ co-founder. Not only did the company find the right manufacturers, but they kept in contact with anxious customers, telling them about new applications and features and shipping pre-release versions for developers to test.

The company has managed to ship 12 per cent of Myo’s preorders so far, Mr. Lake says.

As an undergrad at the University of Waterloo, Mr. Lake and his friends found themselves researching wearable wireless technology after sharing a mutual frustration with cumbersome video game controls. Myo emerged from that research – it’s a band worn on the forearm that lets the user control everything from slide presentations to DJ software on their computer or mobile device.

In February of 2013, the newly minted Thalmic Labs began taking orders for the $150 band. Hype outpaced product development, however. When The Globe and Mail spoke with the company for the Small Business Challenge in mid-2013, Mr. Lake and his colleagues were still looking for the right manufacturer.

They also were unsure about how involved they would need to be in the process.

“I think that we probably underestimated, in the early days, how important it is to have our own people literally on the factory floor, and on the daily calls with the teams that are with the manufacturers, to help them work through issues,” Mr. Lake says.

Thalmic Labs eventually found manufacturers to partner with, though Mr. Lake declined to identify them. While some parts are made overseas, he says, the device itself is assembled in Canada.

“We actually had to develop lots of those pieces ourselves, because no one’s ever done this particular type of product before,” he says.

While the company kept its backers in the loop, a few were chosen to help hone the product. Close to 1,000 of them were given an early version of the Myo, Mr. Lake says.

“The final form that we’re shipping now is significantly improved from the first version we showed off when we first announced the product ... half the thickness and a much more robust design,” he says.

The armband has picked up some big-name supporters. Armin Van Buuren, one of the most influential DJs in the world, has incorporated Myo into his stage show to control lights and visuals.

Developers, meanwhile, have begun to launch DJ applications for the device through its application store, MyoMarket, including connectivity with Ableton Live, Serato and Garage Band.

Growing the number of applications available for Myo is high on the company’s to-do list, as is shipping its backlog of preorders. The company is also taking new orders, for $199, to ship in the new year.

Following that, Mr. Lake says, Thalmic will also examine the possibility of new products – though there’s “nothing in the short-term pipeline.”

News & Analysis

2015: Year of the Air-Quality Sensor

R. Colin Johnson

1/1/2015 11:30 AM EST 
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ORLANDO, Fla. -- 2015 may be the "Year of the Environmental Sensor" according analysis firm IHS Inc., (Englewood, Colo.) with China leading the way. The key ingredient is the addition of a gas sensor to measure air quality, which is of great concern to people in Asian countries where regulation has been lax on air quality.

"IHS expects that Chinese smartphone makers will be the early adopters of air quality sensors. During its interviews with smartphone OEMs, Chinese OEMs showed the most interest in air quality sensors," Jeremy Bouchaud, Director and Senior Principal Analyst for MEMS & Sensors at IHS, told EETimes. "Chinese smartphone OEMs are becoming more daring than their Western or Korean competitors when it comes to adopting new MEMS technology. The recent adoption of RF MEMS antenna tuners (from Cavendish Kinetics) by ZTE is a good example."

IHS does not believe that the previous generation environmental sensor from Bosch (humidity, pressure, and temperature) introduced at last year's CES has had much traction yet. But in its recent forecast “Emerging sensors for handsets and tablets” IHS believes that Bosch will get some traction with a new combo sensor which includes an air quality sensor in 2015 in China.

Gas sensors are making a comeback in 2015, according to IHS, and will skyrocket in popularity through 2020 and beyond.
(Source: IHS)

"Bosch already introduced a year ago a pressure, humidity, and temperature sensor," Bouchaud told us. "Adding indoor air quality sensor is the obvious next step and Bosch will be the first one to introduce such a package."

Bouchaud said he expects other suppliers to introduce discrete gas sensors in handsets later in 2015. For instance Bouchaud said IHS believes that Cambridge CMOS Sensors (CCMOS, Mass.) has been designing gas sensors in some handsets which will hit the market in 2015.

Still a ways to go
Bouchaud points out, however, that while the gas sensors built into new MEMS chips to be introduced at CES will be appealing to the Chinese market, in particular, unfortunately they do not directly address the most prevalent type of pollution there -- fine particulate from smokestacks and the like.

"The issue of air quality in large cities in China makes an air-quality sensor feature more appealing there," said Bouchaud. "One must note however that the gas sensor technologies introduced at CES will not be able to measure fine particulate in air. IHS does not believe that a sensor technology for measuring fine particulate will be available for handsets in the next 3 years."

Frog Design's concept air mask uses an app and particle sensors in a smartphone to warn users when to put the mask on.
(Source: Ecouterre.com)

Samsung is a company to watch for the adoption of air quality sensors too, according to Bouchaud, although Samsung will likely not adopt this feature in its flagship smartphones or tablets before 2016. Samsung is also participating in a R&D project to develop gas sensors with AppliedSensor GmbH in Reutlingen, Germany, already a leader in MEMS gas sensors (acquired by ams, Unterpremstaetten, Austria in 2014).

— R. Colin Johnson, Advanced Technology Editor, EE Times 

ucts, Tech & Product

Touch Sensors

Murata and Elliptic Labs Promote Innovative Touchless Gesture Capabilities

December 30, 2014

---

SAN FRANCISCO, CA --Touchless gesture interfaces powered by ultrasound can now be developed quickly thanks to a sales partnership between Murata Electronics and Elliptic Labs in which Murata’s sales team will be able to promote and demo Elliptic Labs' products to OEM customers around the globe. Since Elliptic Labs’ software for ultrasonic touchless gesturing works on Murata’s ultrasonic transducer, potential customers will see first hand from the Murata sales team how touchless gesture capabilities can benefit mobile products. It gives consumer electronics manufacturers a solution that makes "innovation at scale" a reality.

“We have been seeing tremendous interest in our technology, especially for our recently launched Multi-Layer Interaction (MLI) capability, which makes it easier to interact and navigate on portable devices (see video)," said Laila Danielsen, CEO, Elliptic Labs. "Our partner Murata has developed tiny, low-powered transducers especially suited to small, portable products that need less power consumption. Murata is an important partner for us. Together, we can deliver strong customer support and high-quality products to OEMs everywhere.”

According to Mr. Yoshikazu Chigodo, Director of Sensor Products Division at Murata Electronics, “Murata shares Elliptic's vision for creating state-of-the-art products that enhance the way people interact with consumer electronics. We are excited to show the newest technology to OEM customers to inspire them with new solutions for mobile devices. Forming a sales partnership with Elliptic will benefit our customers, the tier-one OEMs who want to deliver innovation at scale in a competitive market driven by a demand for cutting-edge products.”

For more details, visit:
http://www.ellipticlabs.com
http://www.murataamericas.com

Really like the things that MuRata is doing.

misfit

Jawbone

fitness wearables

In 2015, Software Eats The Wearable World

Posted yesterday by Kunal Agarwal (@kunalcagarwal), Elliot Loh (@Loh)

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Editor’s Note: Elliot Loh is a founder and partner at the San Francisco startup studio The Giant Pixel Corp. Kunal Agarwal is an entrepreneur in residence at Giant Pixel. 

2014 will be remembered as the year that wearables leapt into the Silicon Valley mainstream.  Tech giants like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Intel, Qualcomm have taken notice and poured money and resources into developing their own offerings.

Earlier players like Fitbit and Jawbone announced multiple new products and a host of promising startups (Athos, Atlas, Misfit, etc.) have emerged with innovative offerings.

With the momentum of these dollars and product releases, its no wonder industry analysts are predicting the wearable movement to be “the next big thing”.  Credit Suisse estimates the market could be $50 billion in 5 years, and Morgan Stanley claims the wearable market could reach $1.6 trillion in value.

Those of us closer to the leading edge know that in their current state, wearables have next to no chance of attaining these lofty predictions. The big ugly secret of the current wearable market is that over a third of users who own a wearable device stop using it within 6 months. Certainly, price and the lack of design aesthetic contribute to this lack of retention. However, the main culprit is that despite manufacturers’ claims that these are “smart devices” most wearable products aren’t intelligent at all.

Granted, there’s a certain novelty consumers feel when they are first able to track the number of steps they take in a day, their sleep patterns, or heart rate. But after some time, the lack of any meaning or insight attached to the data means it just becomes another graph to view.  Consumers don’t want data dumps — they want actionable information. This is why a wearable soon becomes just another gadget left in the drawer.

[Despite] manufacturers’ claims that these are “smart devices” most wearable products aren’t intelligent at all.

In 2015, the wearable market will reach a critical inflection point where it will gain mass market adoption (close to 20% of adults will have one by EOY – double the 10% seen now) and set itself on massive growth trajectory for the next 5 years. This key moment will hinge less on innovations in hardware, and more on the software and networks that make sense of all that data emitted by the devices. To succeed, wearables must expand from feeds of information to recommendations and other actionable health knowledge.

By now the pattern of platform companies, APIs, and independent developers is clear. We should expect Apple HealthKit, Google Fit, and similar efforts by Jawbone and Fitbit to drive innovative applications to combine personal fitness data with expertise in exercise, nutrition, and even sleep and relaxation to efficiently move participants towards better health. Done well, the result should be a democratization of what has historically been a privilege for those that could afford gym memberships or personal trainers.

Imagine a user with a specific goal – looking their best before a reunion, or competing in a race. Using a wearable device and software intelligence, they can now understand how and when they should be exercising, how to adapt sleep patterns to get better results, and how their nutrition habits affect performance. Imagine further an athlete wearing smart clothing that allows coaches to monitor their fatigue levels and muscular exertion. The coach now has real-time data that allows them to modify their training regimens to ensure peak performance when it matters.

The possibilities are endless and the amount and sophistication of data – and the interpretation of that data – will continue to grow. In this regard, wearables are no different than any other hardware category that rapidly expanded after attaining a smart software layer: networking, the personal computer, and most recently mobile phones.