Shaping Tomorrow’s Wearables With Today’s Sensors and Wireless Technologies

A half century ago, Intel co-founder Gordon Moore predicted that the overall processing power of computers would double every two years. This was aptly coined Moore’s Law. However, the foresight that he demonstrated could not have predicted how technology would end up constructing and defining markets so many decades later.

For example, just 10 years ago, fitness trackers were still in their infancy and represented a glimpse of things to come. Now, many analysts and stakeholders agree that the market has moved from its innovation to adoption stage. That, of course, brings new opportunities and challenges—particularly in wearable and medical applications.

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Wireless Manufacturing Test too High?

With wearable devices, miniaturization and low-power consumption have always been design concerns and are especially relevant now as we increase the functionality of these products. We have migrated from simple pedometers to advanced activity and health monitoring devices. In some cases, wearables include pressure sensors for altitude detection (i.e., stair climbing detection for calorie counting), optical sensors for heart rate monitoring, actuators that provide vibration for “alerts,” and even ambient light sensing to adjust the backlight on displays. This increased functionality requires more components in the same limited space and increased processing power from the power source. Design engineers are therefore always looking to push the limits on miniaturization and power consumption control. In response to these market demands, electronics manufacturers are developing sensors that enable a decreased footprint and extended battery life.

Another critical focus area is on medical applications. With an aging population, many companies are looking to sensor technology to measure the wellness of elderly care patients, especially in remote monitoring functions. Someone’s vital signs, exercise habits, and sleep patterns can be shared with doctors and family members at home and not just from a hospital. There are MEMS-based technologies, in which low-noise accelerometers are used to provide contactless patient monitoring. These sensors utilize ballistocardiology (BCG) techniques and ultra-sensitive MEMS accelerometers to provide vital sign information, such as heart rate (HR), heart rate variation (HRV), relative stroke volume (SV), respirator rate (RR), and bed occupancy.

BCG measures the repetitive motions of the human body arising from the sudden ejection of blood into the heart vessels with each heartbeat. This vibration (BCG signal) can be detected using an ultra-sensitive MEMS accelerometer coupled with advanced algorithms. The accelerometer captures the signal and is then passed to a microcontroller to extract vital sign information, such as HR, HRV, SV, and RR. This information can be shared wireless via a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth interface without attaching leads or probes to the body. In addition, the output information from the sensor can be aggregated for more complex measurements, such as sleep quality monitoring and stress measurements. From the young to the old, the applications are nearly endless.

Building on this, and as more wearable and medical electronics hit the market, manufacturers are actively using science and technology expertise and focused R& efforts to anticipate and meet ever-evolving industry demands. Not only do developers require miniaturized, low-power consuming, highly reliable building blocks, but these solutions have to deliver advanced connectivity. Enter: wireless communications products—design challenges and all.

On the connectivity front, Bluetooth Smart 4.0/4.1 technology communicates readily with consumer devices like cell phones, tablets, laptops or the many other Bluetooth Smart-enabled applications, allowing greater wireless connections to sensors and other devices. Moreover, the rollout of Bluetooth Smart 4.2 has increased the need for streamlined functionality and connectivity. Security support is also becoming key due to HIPPA regulations. Further, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced earlier this year that its next release, Bluetooth 5, will launch either later this year or early next. The technology promises significantly increased range, speed, and broadcast messaging capacity to truly enable the future wearable market.

What other technology can drive this? Wi-Fi with 11ac technology can help medical applications that need super high throughputs. 11ac technology brings Ethernet speeds to wireless by enabling highly demanding applications. The next generation of 11ac technology allows high throughput at very low power levels. This feature makes it well suited for the wearables market, since transmissions happen at a very high speed in a short time but stay in sleep mode otherwise.

Over the next several years, the wearable market will be driven by smart wearables like activity trackers, smartwatches, and smart clothing in applications ranging from industrial, to tourism, to (of course) healthcare. Manufacturers that are continually pushing the envelope and actively at the forefront of realizing this connected world will be poised to carve out a stake in the challenging, dynamic, and fascinating wearables market.

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by Murata Americas’ Deryl Kimbro, Senior Business Development Manager, and Mehul Udani, General Manager, Connectivity Solutions Group