ANT: ANT+ iPhone HEALTH & FITNESS APP ACCESSORY
The DigifitTM Connect accessory wirelessly connects - using Nordic Semiconductor's 8-channel nRF24AP2 ANTTM chip - to widely available ultra low power ANT+ sensors to converge fitness and health computing into mobiles. Digifit's wireless bridge is the enabling interface to the DigifitTM Ecosystem which has been short-listed for Andrew Seybold's Wireless University MobileApp Challenge award held in conjunction with one of the largest international technology events hosted in the U.S., CTIA Wireless 2010
Las Vegas, U.S. - March 22, 2010 - Ultra low power (ULP) RF specialist Nordic Semiconductor ASA (OSE: NOD) today announces that Digifit Connect - the first iPhone and iPod touch accessory to enable fully integrated fitness and heart rate monitoring - employs a Nordic Semiconductor 8-channel nRF24AP2 single chip ANT solution with ANT+ interoperability (see 'About nRF24AP2' below).
Digifit Connect is the enabling interface to the Digifit Ecosystem which is one of three finalists in the MobileApp Challenge at Andrew Seybold's Wireless University (see "About Wireless University" below), held in conjunction with one of the largest international technology events, CTIA Wireless 2010, in Las Vegas (www.ctiawireless.com). The finalists will demo their apps at the event and the audience will select the winner today at Wireless University.
In operation, the Digifit Ecosystem comprises three parts:
1. The Nordic Semiconductor nRF24AP2-based wireless bridge known as Digifit Connect that connects via the 30-pin connector to an iPhone or iPod touch to allow 2.4GHz ULP wireless communication with widely available ANT+ compatible health and fitness sensor products (such as heart rate belts, foot pods, weight scales and cycling speed, cadence and power monitors).
2. Digifit Ecosystem apps (see below).
3. ANT+ interoperable wireless ULP health and fitness sensors, such as heart rate monitors, foot pods, cycling speed and cadence sensors, as well as weight scales.
Developed in response to real health issues (see "The personal story behind DigifitTM below), the Digifit Ecosystem is a suite of interacting apps that track any kind of cardio exercise anywhere a user takes their iPhone. The following apps in the Digifit Ecosystem are now available on the App StoreSM (U.S. and Canada only at present):
- iCardoTM - heart rate monitor tracks heart rate, calories burned and time in target zones
- iRunnerTM - the only running app with integrated heart rate monitoring
- iSpinnerTM - a cycling computer that tracks heart rate, calories, cadence and time in target zones
- iBikerTM - a cycling computer that tracks heart rate, calories, speed, distance, cadence
- iPowerTM - cycling computer that tracks watts, speed, distance, cadenceheart rate and calories
"I have a running watch, a bike computer, use exercise equipment with computing displays at the gym, have an iPod and a mobile phone and a weight scale, yet I had no way to see all of my fitness and health data in one place so I had to track it all manually," says Michael Williams, Founder and CEO of the company behind the Digifit Ecosystem, iTMP. "Now, with our revolutionary Digifit Ecosystem, all of my fitness and health information is tracked in one central repository right on my iPhone. And because I have itall together nowSMon one internet-enabled device, I can send my data to the cloud with a single tap."
Michael Williams, Founder and CEO of the
company behind the Digifit Ecosystem, iTMP
Williams continues: "And while there are many great fitness apps for the iPhone, most require lots of manual input or use GPS which does not work indoors and really drains your battery outdoors. Our apps track your cardio exercise anywhere you take your iPhone and because we use ultra low power wireless our battery consumption is negligible. Furthermore, GPS apps estimate calories burned based on speed and distance so you get the same credit for climbing up a hill as you do coasting down one, at the same pace. At Digifit, we believe tracking the intensity of your "cardio" workouts based on your heart rate is the only way to go."
"ULP wireless is a key technology enabler that is allowing fitness and health monitoring to become mainstream by making it simple, easy, fun and dare I say - even cool - as products like the Digifit Ecosystem are already demonstrating," comments Geir Langeland, Nordic Semiconductor's Director of Sales & Marketing. "In fact this product connects the dots between fitness and health monitoring and will give the millions of iPhone and iPod touch users worldwide a simple plug-and-play, ultra low power way to conveniently track all their health and fitness data in one place using any of the widely available ANT+ interoperable sensors they wish."
Nordic's nRF24AP2 ANT chip integrates a ULP 2.4GHz transceiver with ANT Wireless' production-proven ultra low power protocol stack, ANT, to create a true wireless connectivity-on-chip solution (see "About the nRF24AP2" and "About ANT / ANT+" below). The microampere average power consumption and interference immune performance of the chip allows it to run off coin cell batteries and operate reliably in the crowded license-free 2.4GHz Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) RF band. Combined with the interoperability ensured by the 220-member ANT+ Alliance, the nRF24AP2 ANT chip is an ideal solution for compact, ULP wireless sensors in the sports and fitness sector. Together with its predecessor, the nRF24AP1 ANT chip, the device is employed in over seven million wireless devices across the globe.
Nordic Semiconductor is a member of the ANT+ Alliance.
iPhone, iPod and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.
About Wireless University (www.AndrewSeybold.com/events/wireless-university)
The Wireless University is held twice-yearly in conjunction with the CTIA trade shows. It focuses on issues facing wireless mobility by examining its key elements - applications, content, devices, and technologies.
The personal story behind Digifit
The Digifit Ecosystem is the brain child of Michael Williams, Founder and CEO of the company behind the Digifit - iTMP (see "About iTMP" below) - who was inspired to start the company to develop the product after successfully losing 50 pounds and getting healthy through fitness.
As Williams explains himself: "Three years ago on a major U.S. network news channel, I saw a five part series on obesity. On Monday they linked obesity to high blood pressure, high cholesterol on Tuesday, acid reflux on Wednesday, and asthma on Thursday.
"I was 42 years old and on meds [medications] for all of the above but it wasn't until Friday that I decided it was time to do something about it. On Friday, they reported that obesity was "socially contagious" and that there wasn't much you could do about it and it was OK. I was infuriated by such nonsense and over the weekend came up with a plan to lose 50 pounds through healthy eating and exercise in seven months.
"I had a physical examination and told my doctor that I was going to get back to my "college weight" and get off all of the meds. He told me that it was likely that my conditions were genetic and as such I'd probably be on the meds for the rest of my life so I shouldn't get discouraged. I told him I'd be back in seven months.
"Seven months later, to the day, I came back 50 pounds lighter. He took me off all of those medications and consequently I have been saving, together with my healthcare provider, U.S. $25,000 annually ever since.
"The hardest part of that whole journey was tracking my data. Everyday when I woke up, I took my resting pulse and blood pressure, weighed myself and tracked my caloric burn during exercise. I recorded this data manually in Excel spreadsheets and charted out my plan and the results.
"After the first month I could see as my weight declined that my blood pressure was perfectly correlated to my weight and there was no stopping me! I had total control over the two things that determined what happened with my weight - food intake and caloric burn during exercise - and therefore I could control my blood pressure. I simply had to eat healthy foods in reasonable portions and then I had to find what seven day average caloric burn during exercise would allow me to maintain a healthy weight through fitness.
"When the iPhone came out I decided to quit my day job and dedicate the next few years of my life to making the hardest part of my journey the easy part for others. I knew that if I could "automagically" track all of that data for people on mobiles, then not only could people have a dashboard for healthy livingSM, but they could also share that information with their healthcare providers, communities and personal trainers.
"We need a fundamental paradigm shift away from "testing to health" - where you go to a physician and pop pills to make your health metrics appear "normal" even if you are still overweight - towards "living to health" - where you track the right fitness and health metrics and maintain your "healthy" weight. Our mission is to make that vision a reality for a great many people."
Williams also invites all interested journalists and editors to read a closely related article at the following link: www.tinyurl.com/yf7ogg4.
About the nRF24AP2TM
Based on Nordic's class-leading nRF24L01+ transceiver core, the nRF24AP2 integrates an ultra-low power 2.4GHz transceiver with ANT Wireless' production-proven ultra low power protocol stack, ANT, to create a true connectivity-on-chip solution.
The nRF24AP2 core provides a range of benefits including substantial enhancements in wideband blocking and intermodulation as well as 5dB of extra sensitivity compared to its predecessor. This extra sensitivity increases immunity to disturbance from other 2.4GHz sources in the vicinity. The ANT protocol stack implementation includes new features such as support for up to 8-channels, proximity search, frequency agility, and continuous scanning mode.
The device operates at a peak current of just 17mA. Average operating currents are in the microampere range (for example, in simple broadcast mode, average operating current is 9µA) leading to extended operation from small coin cell type batteries.
The nRF24AP2 is available in two variants. The single-channel nRFAP2-1CH is a cost optimized and flexible product specifically designed for us in a wide range of sensors. Combined with different host microcontrollers it provides a low cost, ultra low power solution for everything from simple sensors like bike cadence meters to more complex sensors like heart rate monitors and blood glucose monitors.
The 8-channel nRF24AP2-8CH is an advanced and flexible product specifically designed for ANT hubs. Supporting up to 8-channels and without compromising power consumption, it enables devices like sports watches, bicycle computer and gym machines computers, for example, to connect to up to eight sensors simultaneously.
The device is fully interoperable with existing Nordic Semiconductor nRF24AP1 ANT chipsets and supports the ANT+ managed network alliance platform, assuring interoperability between wireless products from different vendors.
About DigifitTM and iTMP Technology, Inc. (www.digifit.me)
iTMP Technology, Inc. was founded in Santa Barbara, California, to revolutionize health and fitness tracking and computing. Our mission is to empower our customers to get and stay healthy by offering a totally simple and completely automatic way to track and share relevant health and fitness data.
iTMP contact information:
Phone: +1 805 504 0066
Michael Williams, x701
Kelly Lazarus, x703
Website: www.digifit.com
E-mail: info@itmptech.com
About ANT / ANT+ (www.thisisant.com)
ANT is a proven protocol and silicon solution for ultra-low power (ULP) practical wireless networking applications. ANT+ facilitates interoperability between ANT+ Alliance member devices and the collection, automatic transfer and tracking of sensor data. Applicable in sport, wellness management and home health monitoring, ANT+ (built on the base ANT protocol) defines device profiles that specify data formats, channel parameters and network key. The ANT+ Alliance is an open special interest group of companies who have adopted the ANT+ promise of interoperability. The Alliance ensures standardized communications through optimized brand value and partnerships with other top tier products.
ANT/ANT+ offer a superior ultra low power wireless technology solution that is:
- Mature, stable and proven with extensive infrastructure (development and manufacturing tools)
- Low cost solution (membership, development, certification, chips, etc)
- Ultra low power solution (offering longer battery life than comparative protocols for the same data through put)
- Capable of complex network topologies with multiple masters
- Available now a leading multi protocol (WiFi/BT/FM/ANT) chip for use in cell phones and other mobile hub devices
The company behind ANT Wireless is Dynastream Innovations Inc. (www.dynastream.com). Dynastream was established in 1998 and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Garmin International Inc. in December 2006. Dynastream is based in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada, and is a world innovator in the research and development of inertial and wireless technology.
About Nordic Semiconductor ASA
Nordic Semiconductor is a fabless semiconductor company specializing in ultra low power (ULP) short-range wireless communication. Nordic is a public company listed on the Norwegian stock exchange.
Nordic provides RF silicon solutions including:
- Highly integrated RF silicon
- Sophisticated and flexible development tools
- Application specific communication software
- Complete reference designs
The company's innovative range of wireless solutions includes:
- he nRF24LE1TM single-chip, ultra-low cost and power, fully integrated 2.4GHz transceiver with radio, microprocessor, flash memory and MultiCeiverTM technology supporting up to six simultaneous wireless devices (also available in a lower cost, one time programmable (OTP) variant, the nRF24LE1 OTP);
- The nRF24L01+TM ultra-low cost and power 2.4GHz transceiver with MultiCeiver technology supporting up to six simultaneous wireless devices;
- The nRF24LU1+TM single chip 2.4GHz transceiver with full-speed USB, microcontroller and flash memory enabling ultra-compact USB dongles for wireless peripherals (also available in a lower cost, one time programmable (OTP) variant, the nRF24LU1+ OTP);
- The nRF24AP2TM ultra low power 2.4GHz transceiver for wireless communication with ANT Wireless' production-proven interoperable low-power network protocol, ANTTM, and ANT+TM managed network platform;
- The nRF24E1TM and nRF24E2TM low cost transceivers paired with an industry standard 8051 MCU core, and leading peripherals to create complete low cost SoCs for 2.4GHz operation;
- The nRF24Z1TM single-chip solution for CD quality wireless audio streaming at up to 16-bit, 48-kHz resolution;
- The nRF905TM single-chip multiband radio transceiver for the 433, 868 or 915MHz ISM bands;
- The nRF9E5TM low-cost, single-chip solution with fully integrated RF transceiver for the 433, 868 or 915MHz ISM bands.
Nordic Semiconductor's nRF24xxx range of 2.4GHz transceiver and transmitter devices are aimed at applications including PC peripherals (wireless keyboards/mice/multimedia controllers), game controllers, intelligent sports equipment and wireless audio (for example, MP3 and portable CD player wireless headphones and wireless PC speakers). The latest nRF24LE1 is targeted at ultra-low cost and power applications such as wireless desktops and intelligent (for example, wristwatch-based) sports equipment.
Nordic is a member of the ANT+ Alliance and has successfully collaborated with ANT Wireless of Cochrane, Canada, since 2005. ANT devices such as the nRF24AP2 - using Nordic 2.4GHz transceivers and the proven ANT protocol - have been used in millions of wireless sensor nodes across the world.ANT is perfectly suited for any kind of low data rate sensor network topologies in personal area networks (PANs) and practical wireless sensor networks (WSNs). ANT+ (built on the ANT protocol) facilitates interoperability between ANT+ Alliance member devices and the collection, automatic transfer and tracking of sensor data. Applicable in sports, wellness, and medical health sensors, ANT+ defines device profiles that specify data formats, channel parameters and network key. The ANT+ Alliance is an open, special interest group of companies.
Nordic is an associate member of the Bluetooth SIG, and has contributed core expertise in ultra low power (ULP) RF design to Bluetooth® low energy wireless technology (formerly ultra low power Bluetooth). Bluetooth low energy is a short range RF communication technology featuring ultra low power consumption, a lightweight protocol stack and simple integration with Bluetooth chips. It is a hallmark feature of the latest Bluetooth Core Specification Version 4.0. The technology will support the next generation of RF communications by opening up many new opportunities for ULP wireless data links between suitably equipped mobile handsets or computers and small (typically coin cell) battery-powered devices such as sports, wellness, and medical health sensors.
Nordic's products are all manufactured in state of the art semiconductor process technologies through strong, long-term relationships with world-best manufacturing facilities. Sales are primarily made through a carefully selected worldwide distribution network. The company has offices in Trondheim and Oslo, Norway, the U.S. (West Coast), Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines. Nordic is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSX: NOD). All operations are managed according to the ISO 9001:2000-approved quality assurance system.
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