Samsung makes SoC for health-tracking wearables

Samsung's new Bio-Processor has built-in sensors that collect biometric data.

Samsung has created a kind of system on a chip for wearables that is able to track health data. The product is called the Bio-Processor, and is now being mass produced. It includes analog front-end or AFE and power management ICs, an MCU, DSP and eFlash memory. With everything embedded on a single chip, it can "process five different biometric signals," according to vice president of marketing Ben K. Hur. So Samsung has created a more efficient chip for wearables that can monitor health "without the need for external processing parts."

Do wearables need their own, unique SoC? It could be beneficial to have a base set of sensors used across such devices. It could also mean more consistent results if these chips become the norm. Samsung said the AFEs included are bioelectrical impedance analysis, photoplethysmogram, electrocardiogram, skin temperature and galvanic skin response. These ICs are used to measure "body fat, and skeletal muscle mass, heart rate, heart rhythm, skin temperature and stress level."

Health tracking is one of the most popular uses of wearables, especially smart bands. Manufacturers would no doubt benefit from these kinds of chips. However, this is another innovation that may take time for other suppliers to match. China chipmakers such as Rockchip and Allwinner have been able to make headway getting their SoCs into cheaper devices, but they are still outcompeted in R&D by major industry players, including Qualcomm, Samsung and MediaTek. It may not be long before China companies start looking at ways to produce similar chips, though.

See a comparison table of PCB assembly suppliers on GlobalSources.com