Wearables
Wearables encompass a broad variety of products that inhabit our person gathering data and feeding data back to us for all sorts of different purposes.
Wearable monitor offers Nordic-powered wireless connectivity to provide heart rate and activity analytics
24
Apr
2017
2017
Oslo, Norway
The ‘LifeTrak ZoomHRV’ from Salutron employs Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF51422 multiprotocol ANT+ and Bluetooth Low Energy SoC to deliver fitness and exercise recovery data to smartphones, tablets, and ANT+ devices.
Nordic Semiconductor today announces that Newark, CA-based activity monitoring solutions company Salutron Inc., has selected the nRF51422 multiprotocol System-on-Chip (SoC) for its LifeTrak ZoomHRV sports and fitness wearable. The device is equipped with ANT+ and Bluetooth® Low Energy wireless connectivity provided by the nRF51422 SoC’s multiprotocol capability.
The ZoomHRV can be worn on the wrist, upper arm, lower arm, or ankle, and integrates advanced heart rate monitoring alongside steps tracking, distance covered, calories burned, sleep monitoring, and blue light exposure data, combining to provide a detailed insight into the user’s fitness and general wellbeing.
The device can also capture automatic heart rate variability (HRV) data—the variation in the time interval between heartbeats—considered an important indicator of personal fitness and physical recovery from training. Other features of the ZoomHRV include underwater heart rate measurement and a swim lap counter, heart rate zone and inactivity alerts, as well as a smart alarm and an LED-based time indicator.
Daily activity, HRV information, and workouts are automatically stored in the ZoomHRV, allowing the user to view their exercise and activity data via the simple, single button interface. Once paired with the user’s Bluetooth 4.0 (or later) smartphone or tablet—or compatible ANT+ device—the data is automatically synced to the device using the nRF51422 SoC’s ANT+ and Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity for post-activity review and analysis. The iOS- and Android-compatible ZoomHRV app provides standard feedback on the user’s activity (for example steps, distance, calories, sleep), along with summaries of any workouts that are recorded, as well as results from HRV measurements taken both during the day and night. This includes guidance for training readiness, to help users understand when to rest, when to train lightly, or when to train at a high level.
In the world of rechargeable wearables, optimizing the battery life of the device is a critical design factor, and the nRF51422 SoC helped support this objective, especially with its power-saving ‘system off’ feature.
Bob Gerstenberger, Salutron
The nRF51422 SoC integrates a 32-bit ARM® Cortex™ M0 microcontroller, 2.4GHz radio, 256kB/128kB Flash memory, and 32kB/16kB RAM on a single chip. The powerful, highly flexible multiprotocol device ensures interoperability between the ZoomHRV and iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, as well as ANT+ devices simultaneously.
The ZoomHRV is powered by a rechargeable Li-Poly battery that provides approximately five days of battery life between recharge—including tracking of daily HR and automatic HRV recording—thanks, in part, to the ultra low consumption of the nRF51422 SoC. The ZoomHRV is recharged via a standard USB connection from a pod docking station included with the device.
“In the world of rechargeable wearables, optimizing the battery life of the device is a critical design factor, and the nRF51422 SoC helped support this objective, especially with its power-saving ‘system off’ feature,” says Bob Gerstenberger, VP, OEM Sales & Operations at Salutron. “Nordic’s leadership in supporting Bluetooth LE and ANT+ also helped us position ZoomHRV for the sports market, and was a big part of our decision to select the chip.
“The nRF51422 SoC also helped us save development time in fine-tuning of RF performance, and its compatibility with other components helped in reducing the overall layout size.”
