Samsung introduced on Tuesday an all-in-one chip that could process several biometric signals minus the need for any external processing parts. Called the Samsung Bio-Processor, it is designed for health-oriented wearables.
The Bio-Processor could measure heart rate, body fat, skeletal muscle mass, heart rhythm, skin temperature and stress level, reports PCMag. By the first half of 2016, it would be available in Samsung fitness and health devices, according to the Seoul-based tech giant.
Now in mass production, the Bio-Processor integrates the Analog Front Ends, microcontroller unit, power management integrated circuit, digital signal processor and eFlash memory. It makes up only about one-fourth of the total combined size of the discrete parts.
Ben Hur, Samsung System LSI business vice president of marketing, says that the Bio-Processor is the most versatile health and fitness monitoring chip in the market and is expected to open up many news health-based service options for Samsung customers. He adds that improvements in smart, fitness gadgets and higher health consciousness among consumers result in more people searching for ways to monitor several biometric data to constantly manage their health beyond heart rates.
To demonstrate its various uses, the Bio-Processor is found in several wearable reference platforms such as wrist band, board and patch type reference devices.
As of September, wearable device shipment is expected to hit 76.1 million units in 2015, a 163 percent improvement from 2014's 28.9 million units, according to IDC. The shipments are anticipated to further expand to 173.4 million units in 2019.