Wearable technology is a hot topic in the world today, and news about the exciting new devices coming soon is full of headlines and eye-catching. The term "wearable" describes various techniques that can be worn on the body, including wristbands, watches, glasses, clothing, footwear, jewelry, and the like. Wearable devices are boundless and are expected to be the next high growth area for smart portable devices.
So why are wearable devices so interesting? Why does it win widespread attention? Wearable devices that are worn on the body (not just humans, but also animals) can be integrated into our daily lives in a way that is completely different from other devices. Smartphones are very close to our lives, and most of us can't imagine what it would be like to go out without a mobile phone; however, wearable devices are more personalized and more closely linked to our everyday lives, they capture our where we are. Background data for the environment. Instead of putting it in your pocket or bag, wearables rely on us to survive, experience the feelings we experience, and quietly become our digital life companion.
The device itself is just one aspect of it. What's really powerful is that these wearable devices can connect to the cloud and connect to applications and services that are relevant to us. Early examples of wearable devices can be broadly classified into three categories: fitness activity trackers, watches (second screens for smartphones), and glasses (second screens for smartphones and augmented reality).
All of these devices are able to collect data from sensors to understand your daily activities and connect to the cloud to analyze the data. Behavioral and health analysis is key to changing or improving lifestyles and enhancing the “stickiness†of wearable devices. In other words, make the wearable device an automatic companion. Many of today's fitness trackers are usually worn for months and then forgotten and discarded in drawers. The challenge and goal of wearable device manufacturers is to create something that can be a long-term automatic companion.
This article outlines how ARM and Freescale work together to deliver leading semiconductor solutions for the wearables market. The most important of these is the ability to provide ultra-efficient and small-sized solutions that are small devices that can last longer after a single charge.
This article also details how the wearable market has evolved, lists some examples from the current market, and discusses the technologies needed to meet low power and special requirements. Finally, we will review the innovators, tools and platforms that drive innovation in the field of wearable technology.
Wearable Technology Market Overview
Wearables are often seen as the most exciting and promising new technology. Despite this fact, we also need to bear in mind the fact that there are already wearable devices, there are many exciting products on the market, and new devices are emerging. We see that wearable technology is experiencing rapid innovation, with some new, unheard-of so-called companies often raising money through crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter, which can deliver products in 12 to 18 months.
Existing well-known OEMs are rapidly entering the wearables market with their own wearable solutions.
Throughout the market, we found that there are three types of devices that dominate the wearable device market:
Fitness/activity tracker - a device that is worn on the wrist or caught on the body, tracking activities such as running, walking and sleeping modes
· Watch - used as a second screen to display smartphone information
· Glasses and cameras - smartphones for augmented reality, glasses for the second screen, and wearable cameras
In addition to these three product categories, we have seen some interesting new areas for wearable devices, such as:
Smart clothing - clothing made from smart textiles or LED lighting, extended to smart footwear and jewelry
· Healthcare - remote patient monitoring, life counseling, ECG (heart rate monitoring), continuous blood glucose monitoring, and wireless wearable trinkets for diagnosing arrhythmia
· Identity authentication—pay and bank transactions through wearable devices, start cars, control home automation
· Gaming headphones and earbuds - headphones that provide rich sound and integrated microphone
So what does this mean for the future of wearables? Single-function devices such as fitness bands will continue to be popular. Over time, we anticipate a similar evolution to the smartphone space, where wearables will gradually integrate more and more features into a single device and create the “stickiness†necessary to make wearable devices a norm. . What will happen to that situation at that time? This is hard to predict. We look forward to seeing the above categories come together – for example, the watch can serve as the second screen for your smartphone, track your daily activities, monitor your health, connect you and your family, friends or caregivers, and it also Have a secure integrated banking feature that you can use to verify your payment. Isn't this a great all-in-one wearable device?
Wearable mobile device
With the broadest portfolio of the most versatile solutions on the market, Freescale's ARM-based MCUs and processors are ideal for a wide range of wearable product designs. A wide range of scalable MCUs and processors ranging from ultra-low-power KineTIs MCUs such as the KL03 chip scale package (CSP), the world's smallest ARM®-based MCU to the i.MX application processor with hardware graphics acceleration. Everything is available to enable design to support Linux? And Android? Wait for higher level operating systems and a richer user interface.
Many wearable devices on the market today use Freescale MCUs and processors based on the ARM architecture. The ARM architecture provides a low-power, scalable processing engine that makes it an ideal solution for wearable devices. A wide range of wearable applications range from fitness bands and smart watches to cameras that can be mounted on the head, and even to dog activity trackers.
Some of these applications are listed below:
Activity/fitness tracker
With a low power consumption and high performance, the WithingsPulse activity tracker can be connected to the cloud and is very attractive to today's active, health-conscious consumers. It is small and easy to wear. This activity tracker can be worn in a variety of ways, either on the clip or on the wrist. Freescale's KineTIs family of MCUs are highly scalable, helping Withings to be more efficient (accelerating time to market) and cost-effectively designing new devices.
ThalmicLabsMYO is an armband that works by generating energy from muscle movements to drive the device, allowing you to wirelessly control your computer, phone, and other favorite digital technologies. This armband connects to your computer or other smart device via Bluetooth, allowing you to browse the web, turn up the volume of the music, change slides during the presentation, and even play games. MYO uses the Freescale KineTIsK20MCU.
Another example is the Whistle Activity Monitor. It is not an armband or a wristband, but a neckband, and the target audience is a dog. Using the Freescale KineTIsK60MCU, the Whistle Activity Monitor is a waterproof neckband device that measures dog activity, including walking, play and rest, giving you a fresh perspective on the behavior and health trends of this loyal friend. View on your smartphone, share memorable moments with friends and family, and send a report to the veterinarian when there is any change in the dog's behavior or health.
Watch
Another popular category is watches. Garmin's Forerunner? The 10 and Forerunner 15GPS watches track distances, steps and calories at the touch of a button, allowing you to take advantage of advanced GPS watches in a smaller size. The Forerunner 10 uses the Kinetis K20 MCU based on the Cortex-M4 and the Forerunner 15 uses the Kinetis KL26 based on the Cortex-M0+ core. Forerunner 220 and Forerunner? The 620 has a high-resolution color display that can be used to access training programs and measure your running status, just like a personal trainer in your pocket. The Forerunner 220 and Forerunner 620 are based on Freescale Kinetis K22 MCUs.
The Freescale i.MX233 application processor supports Android-based i'mWatch, which connects to your smartphone so you can use it to handle incoming calls and text messages. Information such as Facebook, Twitter and weather forecasts can be perfectly presented on the watch's high-resolution screen and friendly user interface.
Glasses and camera
OrCam has created a device for the visually impaired to install on the glasses, allowing them to participate in activities that most people think are common but challenging for them, such as taking a bus, buying groceries, reading newspapers. Wait. The OrCam solution uses advanced visual computing algorithms from Freescale's high-performance, energy-efficient i.MX6Quad ​​processor to analyze visual inputs and deliver the results in real time to those wearing the device. The wearable device really helps people with disabilities.
The GoPro HERO 3+ camera is a Kinetis K20MCU that is wearable and can be mounted on other devices and is waterproof. This camera captures professional-quality video at higher resolutions. HERO3+ improves image clarity, improves sound quality, extends battery life, and speeds up Wi-Fi sharing, making it easier to capture and share life stories.
medical insurance
Numera Libris allows active seniors and their families to freely and safely control their health at home or abroad. The Numera Libris Personal Health Gateway uses the Kinetis K70 MCU to integrate the benefits and security features of telemedicine in a small, easy-to-wear mobile device.
Designing wearable devices
Important design challenges faced by wearable device manufacturers include size, power consumption, and user experience. When it comes to the field of wearable technology, we need to follow a new set of design rules that are completely different from mobile phones. Currently, typical wearable devices fall into two categories:
·Design based on low power, high performance MCU functions
· Based on the design of mobile application processing functions, similar to the processor in the smartphone
The following table shows how the requirements of the application drive the development of the MCU or application processor type and the ARMCortex core it uses.
Wearable app requirements
The performance and functionality of these two types of devices are quite different. Compared to microcontroller designs, handset-based processor-based designs require higher operating points and shorter battery life.
specification
If we look closely at a typical wearable device and consider design constraints, we immediately realize that the first challenge is the specification. Wearable devices need to be small and unobtrusive. This imposes strict limits on the available PCB area. To reduce battery capacity, power consumption requirements are very limited. Typical high-end phones have a battery capacity of approximately 3000 mAh, while watches have a battery capacity of only 300 mAh. Since the battery capacity of a watch is one-tenth of that of a mobile phone, it is necessary to carefully consider the energy-saving requirements to minimize the charging cycle. Today's consumers are accustomed to charging their smartphones once a day, but for wearable devices, consumers expect the charging cycle to be once a week or longer, ideally, charging once a month. In fact, the reduction in battery capacity and the shortened charging cycle mean that we expect smart phones to be only one-fifth of the power available for smartphones. The need for small size is met by chip integration and advanced packaging technology. Freescale's KinetisCortex-M family of cores integrates peripherals such as memory and USB, as well as touch sensing and analog components to reduce overall system size. Kinetis MCUs are available in a variety of packages, including Wafer Level Chip Package (WLCSP), providing maximum performance in the smallest footprint.
Power consumption
Android-based wearable devices have hardware system requirements that limit the use of some of the microcontroller's features. For these devices, designers need processors that support functions such as memory visualization, graphics support, and increased CPU bandwidth. Adapting Cortex-A-based processors, such as i.MX application processors, to the low-power requirements of wearable devices is critical. Lower clock rates than traditional mobile phone processors (eg 500MHz to 1GHz) for optimal power/performance balance, optimized for core configuration of devices based on application (eg smaller buffer memory and low power processing) node).
When we look at the use of smart watches, we know that it is in sleep mode for 80% of the time, only monitoring sensors that capture environmental data, and occasionally refreshing the display. The user views the screen to get updated data instead of interacting like a smartphone, and the user's interaction with the smart watch is usually lower.
user experience
The availability of wearable devices is highly dependent on how people interact with the device, and the interactive interface determines the stage of the user experience. To provide this experience, the design elements to consider include: display or no display, connection type, charging method and frequency, and overall style.
An important part of achieving these considerations is software. What kind of operating system should the device be running? A full operating system such as Android or Linux enhances graphics capabilities, offering a wider range of connectivity options and simpler scalability for more functionality. However, these features also affect specifications, battery life, and cost because they require application-level device implementation. The real-time operating system can be implemented in smaller specifications, taking advantage of microcontrollers with embedded memory to reduce size, extend battery life, and reduce cost. There is a trade-off between graphics processing power, overall performance, and future feature support options. Wearable device developers need to ask a lot of questions and make trade-offs before deciding on the architecture of the final product.
Support innovators
Enter the wearable reference platform, referred to as WaRP. The reference platform uses a hybrid approach to drive wearable device design to help address these specifications and power design challenges. By accelerating and simplifying development, developers can focus on creating differentiated features and speeding up the process from prototype to final product.
The platform includes a motherboard and an example daughter board that adds additional daughter boards for different usage patterns. The hybrid architecture combines a KinetisKL 16 MCU based on the Cortex-M core with an i.MX6 SoloLite application processor based on the Cortex-A core. In this way, the MCU can manage the sensor data, and the application processor can stand by in the power saving mode, thereby achieving power saving and extending battery life. The Kinetis MCU is also used as a wireless charging microcontroller. All components in WaRPboard are selected based on standards such as low power consumption, small size, and cost.
Wearable Reference Platform with Standard Daughter Board (WaRP)
WaRPboard is the result of collaboration between companies with advanced technology and experience in the wearable market. As a support technology provider, Freescale offers microcontrollers, application processors, sensors and wireless charging technologies for WaRPboard. Several other companies provide hardware and software development and manufacturing expertise. WaRP is implemented using the standard Android SDK method, allowing software developers to run their applications more easily and quickly.
WaRPboard.org is a non-profit, community-based organization that provides WaRP services and support. The solution's hardware and software will be open source and community-driven, so there is no need for closed development tools or licensing fees when used with open source resources.
WaRPboard's compact design, optimized battery life and battery management, scalable architecture, productizable design, and innovation based on open source and community enable wearables designers to naturally choose WaRPboard first.
to sum up
The future potential of wearable devices is unlimited. Combining mobile technology with an individual user-centric experience will ultimately open up this exciting and fast-growing market. Whether you use wearables to monitor fitness activities, get context-aware alerts and reminders, or monitor your health, wearable technology has unlimited potential.
As described in this article, the ability to combine ultra-low power design with always-on, always-on functionality is a key requirement. Extending the battery life of wearable devices, reducing the need for charging, and minimizing their size to make them small and unobtrusive are major design challenges facing the industry today.
ARM and Freescale are working together to meet these market needs and work together to advance the wearable technology revolution. The ARM Cortex 32-bit core meets the needs of the wearable world, providing an unparalleled and extensive ecosystem of developers, an important part of driving innovation. Freescale's Kinetis MCU and i.MX application processors are ideal for the wearable market, and many exciting designs have emerged.
To be sure, there are many exciting innovations in the field of wearable design, and ARM and Freescale are working tirelessly to achieve more and newer wearables.
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