Samsung Electronics’ System LSI Business Department has developed ‘Bio Processor (BP)’, which monitors electrocardiogram (ECG) to check one’s health, and is preparing for its release. It is a system in package (SiP) that implements embedded flash memory that uses 45-nm processing, application processor (AP), and Bluetooth into one package and has its size and thickness reduced.
Executive Director Park Yong In of Samsung Electronics’ System LSI Business Department’s Sensor Products Development Team had introduced and demonstrated its own BP during his keynote speech at ‘International System on Chip Design Conference (ISOCC) 2015’ that was held at Hyundai Hotel in Kyeongbuk on the 3rd. With a topic of ‘Semiconductor that Helps Humans and Saves Lives’, he had explained importance of ECG monitoring and incidences of its application.
Samsung Electronics had presented that not only ECG sensor can monitor condition of one’s health, but it also can be used for one’s own information to distinguish one person from another. Because human has his or her own personal heartbeat, it will be difficult to copy heartbeat and will be possible to distinguish one person from another.
If one wears a wearable bracelet that has a ECG Sensor, he or she can get his or her personal schedule and information on a place of a business trip by being automatically logged into his or her PC without manually entering a password. ECG Sensor also can allow a car door or a house door to be opened automatically without using a separate key.
Ralph Lauren, which is a clothing company, once had showed its Smart Shirts that use ECG Sensor at US Open Tennis last year. If an athlete wears this Smart Shirt under his or her left breast, Smart Shirt automatically measures ECG and allows coaches to give an appropriate coaching by knowing an athlete’s heartbeat, breathing rate, and level of stress.
“Not only is it useful for athletes, but a normal person can also use this sensor to objectively check how much he or she is angry or agitated.” said Executive Director Park Yong In. “Professional coaches can properly advise athletes based on this data, and one can personally understand how much he or she needs to work out in order to reach an appropriate level.”
BP that is developed by Samsung Electronics’ System LSI Business Department provides functions such as algorithm, software, and wireless connection in a reference platform so that it can be appropriate for mobile healthcare. It is comprised of Samsung Electronics’ AP, BP, Power Management IC (PMIC), CMOS Image Sensor (CIS), Display Driver IC (DDI), Wi-Fi, Touch Controller, and Security Smart Card.
Its size is 75% smaller than current 130-nm single chip due to 45-nano processing. Not only is it good for ECG, it can also be used for Photo PlethysmoGraph (PPG) that measures blood flow rate and bacterial inhibition assay (BIA) to measure body fat.
“We have combined all of measuring functions such as ECG, PPG, and BIA into a single chip. We are at a point where we are almost finished with a development, and one can buy it at under $200 from a market.” said Executive Director Park.
On this day, Executive Director Park had demonstrated ‘S-Patch’, which is a concept product that has BP. It is a product that allows one to know possibilities of disease in advance by regularly measuring his or her ECG and allows one to check information of ECG in real-time through a Smartphone if is attached under a left breast.
“Just like how a doctor can check a possibility of an illness by examining one’s pulse, it can help a person to know what kind of an illness one can have in advance by checking ECG more than 2 days. If an immediate abnormal symptom is present, it can be checked within a minute by monitoring it.” said Executive Director Park Yong In.
Samsung Electronics is predicting that if ECG monitoring system becomes vitalized, variety of Smart Healthcare services such as providing continuous medical service by sharing personal ECG information with hospitals will be possible.
“Our future tasks are to create 20-nano-level fine processing, have higher battery efficiencies and smaller chip sizes. We are actively telling businesses that are preparing Smart Healthcare equipment or services about our BP.” said Executive Director Park.
Gyeongju = Staff Reporter Bae, Okjin | withok@etnew.com