STMicro Targets Smart Health Wearables Everywhere with Its AI-Enhanced ATVAFE3BX Biosensor
Capable of measuring everything from muscle activity to emotional state, the company says, this MLC-equipped chip is now available.
STMicroelectronics has announced the release of a new biosensing chip, featuring the company's on-device machine learning and artificial intelligence (ML and AI) acceleration core, targeting health and fitness monitoring wearables: the ST1VAFE3BX biosensor.
"Wearable electronics is the critical enabling technology for the upsurge in individual health awareness and fitness. Today, everyone can have heart-rate monitoring, activity tracking, and geographical location on their wrist," says STMicro's Simone Ferri in support of the company's newest launch. "Our latest biosensor chip now raises the game in wearables, delivering motion and body-signal sensing in an ultra-compact form-factor with frugal power budget."
The ST1VAFE3BX is biosensor designed to read biopotential signals, featuring a vertical analog front-end (vAFE) on-chip — synchronizing with a three-axis accelerometer, the company says, to provide impedance and motion readings, which provide each other with context. The sensor, STMicro claims, can be used to monitor heart-rate variability, cognitive function, and mental state, and isn't limited to wrist-worn devices: the company says the ST1VAFE3BX can be used in sports bands worn on the arm, smart rings, and even smart glasses, as well as the usual smartwatch devices.
To reduce battery consumption the sensor includes STMicro's Machine-Learning Core (MLC) and Finite State Machine (FSM) hardware, allowing for the execution of "simple decision trees" on-device. "These AI skills let the sensor handle functions such as activity detection autonomously, offloading the main host CPU to accelerate system responses and minimize power consumption," the company explains. "In this way, ST's sensors let smart devices provide more sophisticated functions and operate for longer between battery charging, enhancing usability."
The sensor's vAFE delivers a 12-bit analog to digital conversion (ADC) resolution with a maximum output rate of 3,200Hz, while the accelerometer offers a programmable full-scale range from ±2g to ±16g. Typical operating current, drawn from a 1.62-3.6V supply, is a mere 50µA, dropping to 2.2µA in the sensor's lowest power-saving mode. The sensor also includes on-device pedometer, step-detection, and step-counting features, STMicro has confirmed.
More information on the ST1VAFE3BX is available on STMicro's website; the part is priced at $1.50 per unit in 1,000-unit tray quantities, with free samples available from STMicro's eSTore.