After its continued success in the mobile SoC segment with the Exynos series of chips, Samsung is diversifying into the wearable segment. Called Bio-Processor, the South Korean vendor’s latest chip comes with the ability to monitor body fat, and skeletal muscle mass, heart rate, heart rhythm, skin temperature and stress level.
According to Samsung, the Bio-Processor is “specifically designed to allow accelerated development of innovative wearable products for consumers who are increasingly monitoring their health and fitness on a daily basis.” The vendor is able to provide an all-in-one solution by integrating sensors to measure bioelectrical impedance analysis, photoplethysmogram, electrocardiogram, skin temperature, and galvanic skin response.
As the Bio-Processor contains several Analog Front Ends, a microcontroller unit, digital signal processor and eFlash memory, it can crunch the data from all the sensors without the need for any external processing unit. The chip is in mass production, and we’ll see the first devices that are based on the hardware sometime early next year. Samsung has mentioned that it will license the chip to other companies as well.
Source: Samsung