Tag Archives: Wearables

Rolling MCUs, connectivity, security and software into one wearable package

This Android-based, Bluetooth-enabled wearable badge can act as a compass, watch, slideshow app, battery gauge and more.

Did you know that 45.7 million wearable devices are expected to ship this year, up 133.4% from the 19.6 million units shipped in 2014? And by 2019, reports are calling for shipment volumes to reach 126.1 million units, resulting in a five-year CAGR of 45.1. Given this emergence of body-adorned technology, the need for a hardware and software-based turnkey solution has never been so paramount. With this in mind, Atmel has unveiled the first-ever wearable solution that integrates its broad solutions offering all rolled into one.

Just in time for Computex 2015, the company has designed a 7cm x 9cm demonstrator around a smart badge concept, which combines low-power embedded processing, wireless, touch and sensor technologies to form an unparalleled turnkey system for virtually any type of wearable application.

This demonstrator converges hardware and software technologies, from Atmel and its partners, into a highly optimized and comprehensive out-of-the-box solution that addresses the complex requirements for the burgeoning wearable market, all while bringing their designs quickly to market. Users can wear it around their neck and display different applications (compass, watch, spirit level, slide show, battery gauge) specialized for the Andriod operating system (OS) and made by Adeneo Embedded.

“Adeneo Embedded has a long standing partnership with Atmel on Linux, Windows Embedded and more recently Android porting activities for AT91SAM ARM based MPUs,” said Yannick Chammings, Adeneo Embedded CEO. “With the collaboration on the Smart Badge concept, implementing Android-based wearable scenarios, Adeneo Embedded will scale OS and SW support to OEMs developing smart, connected, wearable devices.”

Based on Atmel’s embedded connectivity, the demonstrator can interact with other Android mobile phones. The badge uses a 3.5-inch display from Precision Design Associates and embeds MEMS and sensor technology from Bosch Sensortec, as well as memory multi-chip package from Micron combining 4Gb of LPDDR2 + 4GB of eMMC in a single package demonstrator running on the Android KitKat OS. Beyond that, Atmel is also developing a software framework that will allow various software partners to plug in their software and seamlessly work together.

With the anticipated growth of the wearable space, designers are continually seeking solutions that combine all the necessary and complex technologies into a simple, ready-to-use solution, enabling designers to focus on differentiating their products. The Smart Badge is the first demonstrator to bring together the company’s ultra-low power Atmel | SMART SAMA5D31 MPU, the Atmel | SMART SAM G54 sensor hub solution, a maXTouch mXT112S controller and a SmartConnect WILC3000 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth integrated solution.

“Atmel possesses the most complete, lowest power technology portfolio for wearable devices worldwide,” explains Vince Murdica, who is responsible for Atmel’s sensor-centric business unit. “Atmel’s Smart Badge is the first of many wearable reference designs and platforms to come as we want to ensure when customers think wearables, they think Atmel. We are very focused and excited to help accelerate the growth of the wearable market with turnkey, low power, complete hardware and software solutions.”

Watch the badge in action below!

maXTouch U family opens up a world of possibilities for next-gen devices

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This new controller family will make touchscreen devices less frustrating and more enjoyable to use.

It’s safe to say that touchscreens have surely come a long way since Dr. Samuel C.Hurst at the University of Kentucky debuted the first electronic touch interface back in 1971. Despite their ubiquity today in just about every device, the technology doesn’t seem to always work as well as it should given recent advancements. As VentureBeat’s Dean Takahashi points out, displays remain frustratingly unresponsive to finger taps, consume a lot of power, and quite frankly, are still pretty bulky — until now.

That’s because Atmel has launched a next generation of sensor chips that will pave the way to much better (and more delightful) tactile experiences for gadgets ranging from 1.2” smartwatch screens to 10.1” tablet displays. Following in the footsteps of its older siblings, the new maXTouch U family will enable optimal performance, power consumption leveraging picoPower technology, and of course, thinner screens.

More apparent than ever before, the use of touch-enabled machinery has exploded over the past five years. As a result, there has been an ever-growing need to develop touchscreens with extremely high touch performance, ultra-low power and more sophisticated industrial designs with thinner screens. Not to mention, the anticipated surge in wearables has also created a demand for extremely small touchscreen controllers with ultra-low power consumption in tiny packaging. Luckily, this is now all possible thanks to the maXTouch U family which crams pure awesomeness in a 2.5-millimeter by 2.6-millimeter space (WLCSP).

Designers can now build extremely innovative thin and flexible touchscreen designs using single layer, on-cell and hybrid in-cell touchscreens with intelligent wake-up gestures and buttons. What this means is that, the technology can support entry-level smartphones, slick wearable gizmos, super tablets and everything in between on a full range of stack-ups.

Among the most notable features of the U include low power modes down to 10µW in deep sleep for wearables such as smartwatches, active stylus support, 1.0-millimeter passive stylus support (so users can write with things like pencils on a touchscreen), as well as up to a 20-millimeter hover distance (so that a user can answer their phone call with a wet hand). What’s more, the touch controllers can sense water and reject it as a touch action, and works with multiple fingers — even if someone is wearing gloves.

Binay Bajaj, Atmel Senior Director of Touch Marketing, explains that the recently-revelaed series provides all the necessary building blocks for futuristic mobile gadgetry. The chips are available in samples today, while production versions will be ready in the third and fourth quarters.

“Our expertise in ultra-low power MCUs and innovative touch engineering have allowed us to bring a superior series of devices to market that is truly an innovative collection to drive next-generation touchscreens. We are a leading provider of touchscreen devices to a variety of markets adopting capacitive touchscreens,” Bajaj adds.

Let’s take a closer look at the six new maXTouch U devices:

mXT735U is the perfect device for the entry level tablet delivering robust moisture support and excellent noise immunity for touchscreens up to 10.1″.
mXT640U supports touchscreens up to 6 inches. This device supports 1mm passive stylus support and thin stack support including 0.4mm cover lens for GFF stack, up to 25mm hover detection and moisture resistance.
mXT416U delivers extremely high touch performance including 2.5mm passive stylus, excellent moisture support, noise immunity and up to 30mm large finger touch detection.
mXT336U is targeted for mid-range smartphone applications, delivering a perfect balance between performance and form factor.
mXT308U is geared towards low-end smartphone applications emphasizing simplicity and robustness.
mXT144U is designed specifically for wearable applications. The mXT144U features picoPower with 10uW in deep sleep mode and is the smallest hybrid sensing touchscreen controller packaged in a 2.5mm x 2.6mm WLCSP. This device is the ideal solution for today and tomorrow’s wearable devices.

This smart water bottle alerts users when they’re not drinking enough

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Hidrate Me syncs to your phone to track water intake and glows to remind you to stay hydrated.

Everyone knows that proper hydration is important. Each cell in the body relies upon water to function properly. When depleted of that good ol’ H2O, humans can experience a wide range of symptoms such as dry mouth, headaches, lethargy and confusion. Yet even mindful of its benefits, it can sometimes be a bit difficult to remember to stay hydrated throughout the day — whether it’s at work, in class or at the gym. Fortunately, one Minnesota-based startup has designed a connected water bottle that tracks water intake and ensures optimal hydration even when the most minute distractions get in the way.

Called Hidrate Me, the 24-ounce smart bottle will alert a user to appropriate drinking levels based on temperature, humidity, elevation and personal settings based on their location through its accompanying mobile app. By communicating with the phone over Bluetooth, the container is able to take into account personal parameters like gender, age, weight, height and activity, while an embedded sensor stick automatically tracks water consumption and sends a helpful reminder when in need of a few sips. In addition, a user will receive visual indication when they have not taken a sip for an extended period of time through the illumination of a built-in LED light.

Since water bottles and fitness go hand-in-hand, it’s no surprise that the bottle can also be synced to wearable devices to better monitor intake during high-performance workouts, where rehydration is required the most. And for those wondering, Hidrate Me is comprised of BPA-free Tritan plastic, is dishwasher safe and comes with a replaceable battery that lasts over a year.

The idea for the innovation first came about back in September 2014 when the startup’s CEO pulled together a team of fellow University of Minnesota students for a Google Startup weekend in Minneapolis. There, the crew of Makers built the first smart water bottle prototype using what would appear to be a LightBlue Bean BLE MCU (ATmega328P) to sync with the mobile app.

Looking to stay on top of your H2O intake and improve your well-being? Head over to its Kickstarter page, where the Hidrate team is currently seeking $35,000. For the launch of its campaign, users can choose from an assortment of colors including white, green, teal, pink and black. Shipment is expected to begin in December 2015.

Google and Levi’s to make smart clothing that controls your devices

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Google wants to turn your jeans into actual smarty pants.

Controlling a tablet from the sleeve of your jacket or answering a call with a tap of your jeans aren’t something you can normally do — yet at least. However, if Google’s ATAP division has their way, you will. That’s because at I/O 2015, the company revealed its grand plan for making clothing much more connected, ultimately ushering in the first wave of “smarty” pants.

During their presentation, Google announced their initiative of weaving touch and gesture connectivity into any textile, such as denim and wool, using standard, industrial looms. Project Jacquard will enable everyday garments, and even furniture, to be transformed into interactive surfaces that can be used as trackpads and buttons to control existing apps, phone features and more.

While wrist-adorned devices have stolen most of the wearable spotlight as of late, the emergence of less invasive devices hold the true potential to disrupt the space — so much so that the number of electronic textiles has been projected to skyrocket over the next five years, with more than 10 million articles of smart clothing shipped annually. Undoubtedly, this figure will be possible with a little help from Google.

These wearable objects will work by receiving information directly from the conductive material and then transmitting the data to a nearby device or computer over low-powered Wi-Fi. Meanwhile, LEDs, haptics and other embedded outputs provide feedback to the user, seamlessly connecting them to the digital world.

In order to make this a reality, the first thing the team had to do was create a yarn that could be produced and woven into clothes on a mass scale. And so, ATAP has been working on a textile that combines ultra-thin metallic alloys and common synthetic yarn such as cotton, polyester or silk. The end result is a fabric that’s strong enough to be employed in common pieces of clothing and home interior items, all while looking good enough for actual use.

Keep in mind, this isn’t the first time conductive material has been woven into fabrics. If you recall, scientists in Shanghai recently developed battery technology that could be woven into cotton. However, Google has much bigger aspirations of making these sort of products less of a novelty and more of an everyday thing. And so, the tech giant has tapped Levi’s as Project Jacquard’s launch partner.

Levi’s believes that smart clothing could one day allow people to interact more with physical world around them instead of constantly staring down at their mobile screens. Not to mention, having a big name fashion brand behind them will surely help Google expedite the process in bringing smart clothing mainstream.

Whether this comes to fruition or not, one thing is for certain: the success of wearables hinges on unobtrusiveness. Take Tappur, for example, who is turning the human body into a musical instrument, electronics controller and gamepad. Or, Maker Katia Vega who introduced James Bond-like technology that lets users discreetly open applications, send preset messages and broadcast their location through a stroke of their hair.

Perhaps Google’s Ivan Poupyrev sums up the future of this technology best, “You would not call it a wearable, you would call it a jacket.”

Intrigued? Head over to the project’s official page here.

This interactive dress is inspired by autumn trees

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Fall is an interactive garment that mimics nature’s responsive systems.

In what would appear to be a costume straight out of a Lady Gaga or Katy Perry music video, Fall is an interactive dress that is inspired by nature’s seasonal occurrence of trees losing their leaves. The brainchild of Birce Özkan, the Maker specifically designed her foliage-colored piece to mimic the b uilt-in system of trees as they shed their leaves as a result of surrounding environmental factors.

“My thesis project was evolved around the questions, What if when the temperature got hot suddenly, our clothes would start to break apart in response? What if they had the skill to behave depending on the surrounding conditions? What if garments had the ability to sense the environment just like living organisms? Those questions let me find the purpose for my thesis,” Özkan explains.

“In the fall, as the days shorten, and the temperature gets colder, the trees, without the light they need to sustain their chlorophyll, shed their leaves to keep their energy to survive for the winter ahead. This process was the inspiration for creating my garment’s mechanism. To prepare for the fall of leaves, trees activate ‘scissor cells’ that split to create a bumping layer that forces the leaves out of place, destabilizing them so that they fall,” the Maker writes.

This process led Özkan to devise her own garment’s mechanism by using light from a simulated environment that would activate the outfit’s embedded Arduino Micro (ATmega32U4), Adafruit Lux Sensor and four servo motors. The lesser the light, the faster the servo motors move, which in turn, causes the leaves to fall. These servos are attached to steel wires, housed inside clear tubes at the back of the dress.

“At the site of each hole, I attached the leaves by melting wax onto steel wires. When there is less light, the servos start to speed up and pull the steel wire. When the thread is pulled sideways, the leaf hits the side of the tube’s hole which breaks the wax. In that way, the mechanism makes leaves fall down,” she adds.

In true DIY fashion (no pun intended), the color palette for the ensemble was made to emulate that of autumn, while its fabric was laser cut into stylized leaf shapes, spray painted and eventually attached to a cotton base.

“I strongly believe that Fall can influence the fashion world to become more dynamic and to increase the way clothes can react to the world around them. I want clothing to have more responsiveness to the environment, so that instead of people always change their clothes, the clothes can sometimes change themselves.”

Want to see Özkan’s work in action? Watch the video below, and head over to the Maker’s official page to discover how she is converging both fashion and technology in an extremely unique way. Hat tip to our friends over at Adafruit for coming across this project!

Create your own muscle-controlled Wolverine claws

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These DIY Wolverine claws will extend when you flex your muscles.

While we’ve seen plenty of X-cellent DIY Wolverine projects in the past, this recent project from Advancer Technologies founder and die-hard Maker Brian Kaminski has surely topped the list of clawesomeness. He simply flexes his arms — and snikt! — the claws extend in a matter of seconds.

This project was devised as a way to celebrate the successful launch of the team’s fourth-generation muscle sensor, the MyoWare. For those who may not be familiar with the campaign currently live on Kickstarter, the wearable sensor platform is used to measure a muscle’s electric potential. The harder a wearer flexes, the more motor units are recruited to generate greater muscle force. The greater the number of motor units, the more the muscle electrical activity increases. MyoWare then analyzes this electrical activity and outputs an analog signal that represents how hard the muscle is being flexed. The harder it is flexed, the higher the MyoWare output voltage will go — as demonstrated in the latest Wolverine project.

To bring this claw to life, Kaminski attaches a few sensors to his arm and proceeds to making a muscle. As this occurs, MyoWare detects the flexing via EMG and converts it into a digital signal. This information is transmitted to an Arduino Pro Mini (ATmega328) embedded within the claw tasked with controlling the mechanism. Meanwhile, the Arduino’s built-in 5V regulator is also used to power the MyoWare.

An added bonus to the already X-tremely cool build is that a majority of its parts were 3D-printed. Intrigued? We thought you might be. Fortunately, Advancer Technologies has provided a step-by-step breakdown of its build over on MAKE: Magazine. However, those looking to get started may have to wait until MyoWare begins shipping in July.

This dancer’s LED dress responds to hand motion

WellBe will let you know certain people and situations stress you out

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Feeling stressed at work? The WellBe bracelet will tell you to calm down.

Whether it’s competing with deadlines at work or cramming for an upcoming test, stress can take a toll on the body. Rather than wait for the disrupted sleeping habits, neck pain, upset stomach issues and dizziness to kick in, a New York City startup has devised a wearable solution that seeks to monitor and manage anxiety levels before reaching those dangerous levels.

Dubbed WellBe, the bracelet is designed to track a user’s heart rate, and in combination with a patent-pending algorithm, determine stress and calmness levels based on time, location and people that the wearer encounters throughout your day, like a boss, an in-law or a colleague that just won’t leave you alone.

Crafted from cork, the device is extremely lightweight yet durable enough to withstand everyday use. It works by pairing with an accompanying app to provide a detailed breakdown of an individual’s triggers along with some personalized stress reducing programs — ranging from meditation to guided imagination — to retain a calm state of being.

The app collects the data from the wristband on an hourly basis, and allows users to configure it to send an alert when a certain threshold is exceeded. Beyond that, WellBe visualizes a ‘before and after’ effect of each practiced relaxation mechanism.

What’s nice is that WellBe can be used anywhere and anytime someone may need it, whether that’s an intense meeting in the office, a first date or awaiting test results at doctor’s office. The bracelet can even be employed as a personal life coach as the app includes mental workouts for a variation of seven, 14 and 21 days from professionals in the team’s Mentors Channel.

Sure, wearable heart rate monitors are nothing new. What sets this gadget apart is that it can serve as a well-being coach to help pave the way to a healthier, more relaxed life, not to mention prevent reaching those boiling points. Intrigued? Head over to its Indiegogo campaign, where the WellBe team is currently seeking $100,000. To start, the bracelet will be available in black, dark brown and natural colors, and will ship in December 2015.

ReVault is the world’s first wearable private cloud

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Not just a smartwatch, ReVault lets you back up and access your files on the go.

We know, we know, another smartwatch? But before you say anything else, this wearable band has a rather unique feature. Not only can it reveal the time, it can impressively act as a wireless storage device that lets you back up your files and open them without ever needing an Internet connection. Think about it, in this day and age of multi-screen use, everyone has data that they want to access to on all of their gadgets. And sure, many of us tend to employ popular services like Dropbox or OneDrive to accomplish this; however, local storage happens to be a bit more secure.

Cognizant of this, one Swedish startup has set out to make the private cloud a little more personal and portable with ReVault. Currently live on Indiegogo, the Atmel | SMART SAM4S powered gizmo is being billed as “the world’s first wearable private cloud” that enables users to securely access and sync all of their files. Instead, the wearable drive connects to a laptop, smartphone or tablet over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Not only does ReVault allow wearers to easily carry their most important documents wherever they go at all times, but once connected, it can be set to automatically back up and synchronize those files across all devices via its accompanying app. This application is available on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, meaning it should be pretty simple to pair data despite the platforms one may use.

ReVault has been designed with the utmost security in mind, and rightfully so. We are talking about personal and sensitive information here! This was accomplished through AES-256 encryption, as well as two-factor authentication. In other words, only trusted devices and users can connect to the wearable unit.

Aside from safeguarding data, the watch has been created with superior durability to withstand the inevitable bumps and scratches of everyday use. Equipped with a stainless steel and water resistant case, the full-color display is protected with Gorilla Glass 3. A wearer can also choose between a variety of faces, including one for private cloud data, a digital or analog clock, as well as a custom screen built with the ReVault API. Though the battery only lasts for approximately three days, ReVault can be charged using a standard Qi wireless charger — 80% battery life takes roughly an hour, while 100% calls for just about an hour and a half.

ReVault comes in both 32GB and 128GB models. What’s more, for those who aren’t really into the whole “smartwatch thing,” it can be transformed into a necklace or keyring using its chain converter. Is it time to reclaim your data? Then hurry over to its official Indiegogo campaign, where the team is closing in on their $65,000 goal. Shipment is expected to begin in January 2016.

TZOA is a wearable tracker that will help you find clean air

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This elegant wearable device wants to help you breathe cleaner air and plan your day accordingly.

While a majority of the wearable space has been focused on tracking what’s inside of our bodies, such as activity and stress levels, a new kind of device is emerging, one in which monitors what’s going on outside of us — specifically in our environment. Unlike others on the market today, TZOA is a gadget that measures air pollution in a user’s immediate surrounding area using advanced sensor technology.

The tiny, round tracker — which recently made its Indiegogo debut — is equipped with an optical laser that quantifies air quality, as well as an assortment of sensors to keep tabs on things like UV light, humidity and temperature, all of which transmit data to a companion smartphone app via Bluetooth. With these tidbits of information, a user can determine whether they need to open a window in their home, step outside to catch a few rays, or simply take a different route on their way to the office.

TZOA comes with a social component, too. Once the device is activated, not only will the user access information specifically catered to their surroundings, that data is also relayed to a crowdsourced pollution map of their area. Should the levels of any tracked metric rise, the app will send a notification to the user’s phone to alert them.

At the heart of TZOA lies a custom optical quality sensor that is tasked with detecting tiny particles (known Particulate Matter 2.5 and 10), many of which have been proven to cause permanent damage to respiratory and cardiac systems. The palm-sized instrument features a fan directly beneath its triangular cover that swoops up the air in its vicinity, and a laser tasked with counting the pollutants. It can even identify larger particles in the air, including allergens, which can be rather useful this time of year.

“The air can be worse inside your home than outside (2-5 times worse on average). You spend the majority of your life in your home, we all have the right to know if its a safe environment,” the team writes. “If you suffer from asthma or allergies you’re already greatly affected by the air you breathe, if you have more data you can help to manage your condition and enjoy the air once again.”

What’s nice is that, even on the go, users can receive instant feedback without ever having to delve into their pockets for a smartphone. For instance, when riding a bike or jogging through the park, looking down at a mobile device isn’t always convenient. Instead, a simple tap will emit a color-coded system that fluctuates based on air quality levels. This data, in combination with GPS, can offer up real-time suggestions on the best pathways and neighborhoods for outdoor activities.

Seeing as though people often spend upwards of 90% of their daily lives indoors, even the littlest environmental changes can have a positive effect on mood and productivity levels, not to mention long-term health.. Interested? Head over to TZOA’s official Indiegogo page, where the team is currently seeking $50,000. Delivery is expected to begin in May 2016.

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