The HealthyPi Move is the latest biometric monitor in the HealthyPi series from ProtoCentral. It is the first to come in a wearable form factor and can measure up to eight vital signs. It is powered by a Nordic Semiconductor nRF5340 dual-core SoC, with a Cortex-M33 application processor and a Cortex-M33 network processor. It features 128MB of flash memory connected through a high-speed QSPI interface that can store up to 10 days of processed data. It is capable of measuring galvanic skin response (EDA/GSR), electrocardiogram (ECG) signals, and photoplethysmogram (PPG) signals for determining blood oxygen level (SPO2), blood pressure, and heart rate variability. It also includes a body temperature sensor and inertial measurement unit (IMU) with a 6-axis accelerometer and gyroscope. HealthyPi Move targets medical and biotech applications, including personal health tracking, building healthcare devices, and even clinical research with approval from the FDA or IRB. We have previously covered […]
STMicro LSM6DSV32X Edge AI motion sensor aims to extend battery life in wearables, trackers, and activity monitors
STMicro LSM6DSV32X is a new low-power 6-axis inertial module with the company’s machine-learning core (MLC) with AI algorithms based on decision trees, a 3-axis accelerometer with a full-scale range of 32g, and a 4000 degrees-per-second gyroscope designed to measure intensive movements, impacts, and freefall height (estimation). The features of the sensors enable it to lower the power consumption for functions such as gym-activity recognition to under 6µA, while 3D orientation tracking consumes just 30µA when using STMicro’s Sensor Fusion Low-Power (SFLP) algorithm. It will be found in a range of battery-powered devices such as consumer wearables, asset trackers, and impact and fall alarms for workers or the elderly. STMicro LSM6DSV32X specifications: Triple-channel architecture for UI (user interface), EIS, and OIS data processing Data storage – Smart FIFO up to 4.5 KB Sensors Accelerometer – ±4/±8/±16/±32 g full scale Gyroscope – ±125/±250/±500/±1000/±2000/±4000 dps full scale Embedded temperature sensor Host interfaces SPI, […]
Orange Pi Developer Conference 2024, upcoming Orange Pi SBCs and products
Orange Pi held a Developer Conference on March 24, 2024, in Shenzhen, China, and while I could not make it, the company provided photos of the event where people discussed upcoming boards and products, as well as software support for the Orange Pi SBCs. So I’ll go through some of the photos to check out what was discussed and what’s coming. While Orange Pi is mostly known for its development boards the company has also been working on consumer products including the Orange Health Watch D Pro and the OrangePi Neo handheld console. The Orange Pi Watch D Pro is said to implement non-invasive blood glucose monitoring, blood pressure monitoring, one-click “micro-physical examination” and other functions to to help users monitor their health monitoring. The Watch D Pro uses a technique that emits a green light to measure glucose levels in the blood, and we’re told it’s accurate enough to […]
STMicro announces ultra-low-power STM32U0 MCU, unveils 18nm FD-SOI process for STM32 microcontrollers
STMicro has announced the ultra-low-power STM32U0 Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller family running up to 56 MHz that reduces energy consumption by up to 50% compared to previous product generations such as STM32C0 or STM32L0 while targetting SESIP Level 3, PSA-Certified Level 1, and NIST certifications. Separately, the company also introduced a new 18nm FD-SOI manufacturing process for STM32 microcontrollers that will replace the 40nm process currently used. STMicro STM32U0 Cortex-M0+ MCU STMicro STM32U0 key features and specifications: MCU Core – Cortex-M0+ up to 54 MHz with ART accelerator Memory / Storage STM32U031x – 12KB SRAM, 16 to 64KB flash STM32U073x – 40 KB SRAM, 16 to 256 KB flash STM32U083x – 40 KB SRAM, 256 KB flash Display – LCD controller for 8×48 or 4×52 segment displays (STM32U073, STM32U083) Peripherals 3x I2C, 2x SPI, 4x USART, 2x low-power UART. Up to 21x capacitive sensing channels USB – 1x USB 2.0 device […]
Waveshare ESP32-S3-LCD-1.28 development board with 1.28-inch IPS round LCD is available for $15
The Waveshare “ESP32-S3-LCD-1.28” is an ESP32-S3-based display board featuring a 1.28-inch round LCD screen with a 240×240 resolution, driven by the GC9A01 display driver chip. It also includes a Li-ion battery charger, a QMI8658 6-axis IMU (for motion tracking), a USB Type-C connector, and wireless capabilities. This board is quite similar to others like the Lilygo T-RGB, Round Display for XIAO, ESP32-S3 Round SPI boards. However, it’s thinner and more affordable. Waveshare ESP32-S3-LCD-1.28 development board specifications: Wireless MCU – ESP32-S3 Xtensa 32-bit LX7 dual-core, up to 240MHz frequency. Display: 1.28-inch round IPS LCD. Resolution – 240×240 pixels. 65K color. Display Chip – GC9A01A. IMU Parameters: Sensor – QMI8658 Accelerometer resolution – 16-bit; Range (Optional): ±2, ±4, ±8, ±16g. Gyroscope resolution – 16 bits; Range (Optional) – ±16, ±32, ±64, ±128, ±256, ±512, ±1024, ±2048°/sec. Memory: Built-in 512KB SRAM. 384KB ROM. Onboard 2MB PSRAM. External 16MB Flash memory (W25Q128JVSIQ). Wireless Connectivity: […]
GlowStitch LEDs – A machine-sewable LED board for adding lights to wearables and crafts (Crowdfunding)
GlowStitch LEDs is an innovative new project that is aimed at making machine-sewable LEDs for wearable tech and special crafts of all forms. The LEDs are made from flexible circuit boards which makes them sewable with a machine and usable for various creative projects by makers, cosplayers, fashion designers, and hobbyists. Until now, sewing LEDs to clothing and soft circuits (e-textiles) had to be done by hand with conductive thread, an arduous process that requires a lot of patience. With the GlowStitch LEDs, creative projects can be prototyped using conductive tape and actualized with a sewing machine. This project has a focus on education and the kit is designed to be used by makers of all skill levels. The LED strips can be machine-washed. However, the maker recommends hand-washing with no tumble dry. The battery should always be removed before washing. Although this is not a kit that requires coding […]
STMicro VD55G1 – A small, low-power global shutter I3C camera sensor for computer vision
STMicro VD55G1 is a new global shutter I3C camera sensor with a small die size of 2.7 x 2.2 mm, 804 x 704 pixels native resolution, and consuming about 1mW in its ‘always-on’ autonomous mode to wake up the host when motion is detected. Camera sensors are available with rolling or global shutter, with most from the former type, but as we’ve seen in our reviews of the e-Con Systems See3CAM_24CUG (USB 3.1) and the Raspberry Pi Global Shutter (MIPI CSI) global shutter cameras, the latter is much better we capturing moving objects clearly at high frame rates with fewer artifacts than with rolling cameras. The VD55G1 global shutter sensor will also benefit from the same advantage but is offered in a smaller package working over MIPI CSI and/or I3C, making it suitable for devices with small batteries used in applications such as eye tracking or motion estimation. STMicro VD55G1 […]
MediaTek unveils 5G RedCap solutions: M60 5G modem and T300 Arm Cortex-A35 SoC
MediaTek has introduced its first 5G RedCap solutions with the M60 5G modem and the MediaTek T300 Arm Cortex-A35 SoC design to bring 5G-NR to wearables, light-weight AR devices, IoT modules, and consumer and industrial Edge AI devices. 5G RedCap (Reduced Capability), part of 3GPP Release 17, aims to keep some 5G features such as low latency, low power consumption, enhanced security, and network slicing while limiting the bandwidth (to around 85 Mbps) in order to be used in IoT devices and products that may not need the bandwidth required by smartphones and computers, but would benefit from longer battery life and a smaller footprint. MediaTek claims to be the first company to unveil 5G RedCap chips with the M60 modem and T300 SoC. MediaTek M60 key features and specifications: 3GPP Release 17 standard 5G modem R17 UE power saving R17 Coverage enhancement R17 Small data transmission LTE & NR-FR1 […]