SEPTEMBER 2014

Skintight
Technology
Flexible Sensors Collect Vitals

Next-Gen Signal
Conditioners
Lighter & More Robust

Smaller
Than a

Grain
Sand

of

Interview with Ben Lee

President and CEO of mCube

mCubes Sensors
Enable IoMT

Sensor SignalFEATURED PRODUCTS

SENSOR TECHNOLOGY
Conditioners

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arena, driven by efficiency, safety, and emission requirements.

Powerful
Unipolar
Switch with Self Diagnostics
and Flexible
yet Easy to Use
Allegro MicroSystems developed the A1160, a complete unipolar Hall-ef-

Next-Generation Sensor Signal Conditioners

Powerful and Flexible yet Easy to Use

TECH REPORT

The proximity of the coils to the Hall sensing element allows the element
to sense the field generated by the coil, while ignoring external fields. In
diagnostics mode the device will output a PWM signal of 50% duty cycle
when the device is properly sensing the internally generated magnetic
field...Read More

Smaller
Than a

The MLX92242 is a 2-wire EOL programmable hall-effect latch/switch

featuring customer end-of-line programming and programmable permanent magnet. It has reverse supply voltage protection and integrated
self-diagnostic functions activating dedicated safe-mode.
The device integrates a voltage regulator, Hall sensor with advanced
offset cancellation system and a current sink-configured output driver, all
in a single package. Based on a brand new platform, the magnetic core
is using an improved offset cancellation system allowing faster and more
accurate processing while being temperature insensitive and stress
independent. In addition a programmable temperature coefficient is
implemented to compensate the natural behavior of certain types of
magnets becoming weaker with rise in temperature...Read More

Grain
Sand
of

mCubes Sensors
Enable IoMT
Interview with Ben Lee
President and CEO of mCube

TECH REPORT

fect switch that is unique with any other devices. The device was released
recently in January this year. The A1160 features an integrated coil that
surrounds the Hall sensing element, and a built-in diagnostics. During norDavid Grice, Applications Engineer
mal operation, By
the
device functions as a typical unipolar switch (output
Zentrum Mikrokelektronik (ZMDI), Dresden, Germany
turns on in the presence of south-pole magnetic field and turns off when
the field is removed), but, when the diagnostics pin is pulled high, it enters
diagnostics mode. This patented feature allows current to pass through
the integrated coils, generating ~20 G of magnetic field.

2-Wire EOL Programmable

Hall Effect Switch

CONTENTS

f
range o

Non-Contact ECG Measurement

Possibilities with EPIC Sensors

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW

nalysts project that by

2020 there will be over
50 billion connected

devices in the now-nascent

Internet of Things (IoT). However,
the technology that will enable the

mCubes Super Small Sensors

Ben Lee, President and CEO of mCube

12

20

IoT of the future may look a little

different than todaysin fact,
you may not be able to see it at all.
Many new mobile devices require
motion sensors in order to monitor,
analyze, and deliver real-time data
and analysis to improve the way
consumers interact with everyday
technology. While traditional
sensor platforms require multichip
modules or stacked die within a
device, mCube, a new MEMS sensor
company, is driving the emergence
of Sensor 3.0, which will lead the
development of the smallest

TECH REPORT
Skintight Technology
Flexible Sensors Collect Vitals

26

sensors to datesmaller than a

grain of sand.

By EEWeb Contributing Writers

to enable the kind of constant and

complex data accumulation that the
Biostamp promises.
In the interim, MC10 is partnering up
with other medical and pharmaceutical
companies to develop integrated sensor
and monitoring products. The company
plans to become a certified, medicalready partner for companies who dont
have access to this unique and proprietary
technology. Even the U.S. Army has
begun working with MC10 on militarygrade sensors that will add further safety
features for troops in the field. This
funding from NIH grants, Department
of Defense grants, as well as foundation
grants will help the company get one
step closer to realization of devices so
flexible that users might forget theyre
wearing them.

The company has been bringing on board

app developers with cloud computing and
algorithm development expertise to help
support MC10s devices.

The Biostamp, a
prototype from
MC10, is a new kind
of wearable device
that will redefine
form in form
factor... pg. 26

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SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

Next-Generation

Sensor Signal
Conditioners
Powerful
and Flexible
yet Easy to Use

TECH REPORT

SO MANY SENSORS, SO LITTLE TIME

As demands increase for the number, type, and range of sensors in
almost every product category, the difficulty of implementing them
increases proportionately. This is especially true in the automotive
arena, driven by efficiency, safety, and emission requirements.
Existing sensor technologies are inadequate to meet many of these
new and more stringent requirements, spurring the development
of a new class of sensors based on micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). These new sensors
are smaller, lighter, more robust, less expensive,
and consume less power, but they also
produce electrical signals that
are smaller and more nonlinear
than their bulkier counterparts.

By David Grice, Applications Engineer

Zentrum Mikrokelektronik (ZMDI), Dresden, Germany

SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

s the quality of output from

transducers declines to meet
application demands, system
requirements such as measurement range,
accuracy, speed, and power consumption
continue to increase, squeezing the
performance of sensor signal conditioning
(SSC) circuits from both ends and making
the task of designing them exponentially
more difficult.

One of the key features

of next-generation SSCs
is flexibility.

TECH REPORT
NEXT GENERATION TO THE RESCUE
In the same way increasing demands have
spurred a new class of sensors, Zentrum
Mikroelektronik (ZMDI) is developing and
introducing the next generation of SSC
products and technologies to the sensor
marketplace. This article describes some
of the most important and beneficial new
features of these new SSCs.

FLEXIBILITY IS A BEAUTIFUL THING

One of the key features of nextgeneration SSCs is flexibility. The types
and combinations of physical quantities
measured for products are growing
rapidly and new SSCs must facilitate
fast development of complex sensor
modules with low component counts
and a user interface that is easy to learn
and use. This requires a signal interface
that is configurable for a wide range of
signals, and correction algorithms that
are much more complex than second
or third order polynomial curve fitting
offered by previous generations of
SSCs. For example, a single application
might require the conditioning of two
temperature inputs, one being a diode
and the other a thermocouple, and two
resistive pressure bridges with widely
varying output levels, each of which
require linearization and calibration.
Flexibility is not limited only to
signal types and ranges, however.
Another dimension of configurability
is required for the sequence of signal
processing tasks. Typically, some
signals must be acquired at a much
higher rate than others and the

quantization and correction algorithms

must be reconfigured quickly from
one measurement to another in a
programmable fashion. In addition
to this, sometimes it is necessary to
perform math operations between
signals, like subtracting two pressure
inputs to generate a differential pressure
output. The SSC must generate a userprogrammable sequence that samples
the inputs in a defined order and rate,
correct each signal according to a userdefined calibration algorithm, and
combine the conditioned outputs into an
orderly stream of data.
Finally, flexibility must include the
number and type of output signals and
protocols. Reliability, safety, weight,
and noise constraints are also driving
the creation of innovative new output
protocols like single-edge nibble
transmission (SENT) for the automotive
industry. Next-generation SSCs must
support new interfaces like SENT along
with the traditional analog, one-wire, and
serial interfaces such as *I2C and SPI. In
fact, the SENT interface is output only,
and requires an auxiliary interface like I2C
to configure and calibrate the SSC.

integrity level (ASIL) for automotive

applications. These requirements
include detection and notification of
faults due to open or short circuits, outof-range parameters, aging sensors, and
excessive temperature. Additionally,
the SSC must be able to monitor these
faults while tolerant of shorts to ground
or supply voltage, supply overvoltage
conditions, or reverse battery
connections.

A highly efficient and powerful

reduced-instruction-set computer
coordinates numerous control and
computational tasks.

Another important feature for nextgeneration SSCs is the ability to perform

self-testing and diagnostics
to meet critical safety standards
like the automotive safety

*I2C is a trademark of NXP.

SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

TECH REPORT
of different combinations of signal
processing sequences for each of the four
inputs. The number of output tasks varies
greatly depending on the type of output,
but for a complex protocol like SENT, the
number can be in the dozens.

MAKING IT EASY

Figure 1. An example block diagram of a next-generation SSC from ZMDI.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Figure 1 shows the block diagram of a
next-generation SSC. In this particular
case, the SSC supports two temperature
inputsone resistive, one diodeand two
resistive bridge inputs. The conditioning
signal chain includes sensor check and
common mode (SCCM) adjustment,
multiplexing (MUX), programmable gain
(PGA) from 1 to 200 V/V, and an analog
to digital converter (ADC) with adjustable
sample rate and resolution from 12 to
18 bits.
The SSC in figure 1 looks similar to other
SSCs that are presently available, but
most of its potential and flexibility
lies in the calibration microcontroller
(CMC). A highly efficient and powerful
reduced instruction set computer (RISC)
coordinates the numerous control and
computational tasks necessary to provide
the tremendous amount of flexibility
required for next-generation SSCs. The
controller also combines the multiple
output data packets into a structured
stream in a wide variety of formats that
can be either analog or digital.

The cycle of tasks performed by the

RISC engine consists of three main
types: measurement tasks, conditioning
tasks, and output tasks. Measurement
tasks include operations that select
the MUX input and signal polarities, the
gain and offset of the signal path, the
speed and resolution of the quantizer,
and auxiliary tasks such as auto-zeroing
gain stages. The output values of
all the main measurement tasks are
stored in registers for processing by the
conditioning tasks. These tasks range
from simple operations like shifting and
synchronization to basic math functions
such as add, subtract, multiply, and
divide to complex functions such as
logarithms, polynomial evaluation,
spline curve fitting, and digital filtering.
Output tasks include synchronization of
data streams, formatting, packetizing,
encoding error detection, and safety
features like redundancy or inversion.

However, it is also vitally important that

the flexibility, power, and complexity
of next-generation SSCs do not
require a commensurate level of time
and resources for system designers
implementing them. The example shown
in figure 1 is a member of a product family
that is preconfigured by the manufacturer
for a specific application using firmware.
All of the measurement, conditioning,
and output tasks are programmed
so that the designer need only focus
on determining gain, resolution, and
calibration coefficients for the correction
algorithm, all of which are facilitated
by software that is easy to use and

consistent across the product line. Special

use cases can be implemented easily in
firmware by the manufacturer should
the need arise, but the standard factory
configuration will cover the majority
of designs. Additional family members
of the product line are optimized for
different numbers and types of inputs
and outputs and also preconfigured for
the intended application use.
Finally, one thing that should not be
flexible in next-generation SSCs is the
user interface, including the physical
dimensions, pin or pad locations, and
software user interface. The product
family exemplified in figure 1 has a
standardized footprint, pinout, and
software user interface to minimize the
costs, time, and resources associated with
board layout, calibration, and climbing
the learning curve.

One thing that should not

be flexible in next-generation
SSCs is the user interface.

The SSC shown in figure 1 provides for

up to 20 measurement tasks and 62
conditioning tasks, enabling thousands

SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

Non-contact ECG measurement

using EPIC Sensors
Measuring electrocardiogram (ECG) signals without skin contact is now
possible using novel Electric Potential Integrated Circuit (EPIC) sensors.
By: Alan Lowne CEO of Saelig Co. Inc.

12

TECH REPORT

he human heartbeat is arguably the single most important

(life-and-death) diagnostic indicator. Thus electrocardiograms
(ECGs) are one of the most significant diagnostic methods in that
they monitor heart function. ECGs are not only used in a clinical setting
but are increasingly seen in personal health devices. Traditionally,
ECG measurement conductive electrodes have been applied which are
directly attached to the skin. With the help of contact gel (wet or solid)
to ensure that there is good electrical contact between the skin and
the sensor, direct resistive contact is made with the patient. However,
conventional electrodes possess various disadvantages which are
not conducive for long-term use in non-clinical settings. In addition to
being potentially messy, metal allergies can cause skin irritations and,
as a single-use item, they are quite expensive.

13

SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

TECH REPORT

Non-contact measurement of
electrophysiological signals is of great
interest in healthcare settings, with the
potential of reducing disposable costs,
speeding up or simplifying measurement
techniques. Monitoring long-term medical
conditions within the home or observing pilots,
drivers, soldiers, and others in safety critical
situations is now possible without needing
skin contact. Monitoring vehicle drivers for
health and alertness by detecting heart rate
and respiration, or determining car occupancy
to adjust the ride, handling and air bag
deployment with the varying size and location
of occupants, is a vast potential market.
Capacitive (insulated) electrodes can register
ECG signals without conductive contact to the
bodyeven through clothesand represent

EPIC Sensors in
contact with clothing
Output
EPIC
demo box
Conductive fabric in contact
with clothing, e.g. on chair seat

Figure 1: Basic configuration for non-contact ECG

measurement including capacitively-oocupied
DR circuit

14

an attractive alternative for a wide range of

new applications. EPIC (Electric Potential
Integrated Circuit) is a completely new sensor
technology resulting from research at the
University of Sussex (UK). Novel, ultra high
impedance EPIC sensors measure electric field
changes without requiring physical or resistive
contact. This award winning, patent-protected
sensor can rapidly measure electric potential
sources such as electrophysiological signals
or even spatial electric fields. It therefore
has the ability to measure ECGs without
direct skin contact. By adjusting the DSP and
amplification circuitry, the sensors can be
tuned for detection at a distance as required
for differing automotive applications. EPIC
sensor electrodes can be easily and discretely
incorporated inside car seat backs to acquire
the necessary biometric data.
Signals measured on the human body always
include a large amount of noise, the major
component of this being 50 or 60 Hz power
line noise capacitively-coupled to the body
from the surrounding electricity supply.
Measurements such as ECG depend on being
able to extract the small electrophysiological
signals from the much larger noise signals.
EPIC sensors can be used in contact mode for
ECG measurement, where the subject touches
both the capacitive electrode surface and
some metal at the system ground directly with
the skin. This ground reference allows filtering
and differential amplification of signals from
two sensors to be effective in removing the
mains frequency noise, leaving a high quality
ECG signal. In non-contact ECG measurement
there is by definition - no skin contact,
and thus no direct connection can be made
between the subjects body and the system
ground. Some other method of reducing
the power line noise is therefore required to

enable the ECG signal to be extracted reliably

and accurately. One such method utilizes an
approach very similar to the Driven Right Leg
(DRL) system that is used for the same purpose
in conventional ECG measurement techniques.
In conventional ECG the DRL signal is coupled
directly to the patients skin. The DRL signal
reduces power line noise on the sensor signals
by feeding back an inverted average of the
signals from two sensors on to the patients
body. In non-contact ECG, the generated DRL
signal can be capacitively-coupled to the body
through clothing, via a piece of conductive
material placed for instance on the seat
or back of a chair. Capacitive coupling of DRL
signals is described by Lim et al1 and Lee et al2.

SYSTEM DESIGN
An ECG system can therefore be built into a
chair, a mattress, or clothing for instance. The
DRL circuit improves the sensor signal/noise
ratio enormously. In the example in Figure 1,
EPIC sensors are mounted on a chair back such
that the electrodes touch the clothing on the
subjects back when resting normally against
the back of the chair. The generated DRL signal
is connected to a piece of conductive material

placed either on the seat of the chair, or at

the bottom of the chair back, contacting the
subjects clothing in the normal sitting position.
Copper-coated nylon fabric is one possible
material suitable for the DRL coupling material,
but other conductive materials may be equally
successful. A thin, non- conductive material
such as a cotton fabric may be used to cover
both the sensors and the DRL coupling fabric if
required, for instance when building the sensors
into a seat. Consideration must be given as
to how material will reduce the coupling
capacitance between the sensor and the
subject, or add additional noise to the signals
through static charging effects.
Figure 2 shows the design of the DRL circuit. It
is a standard summing amplifier, generating an
amplified and inverted signal that is the average
of the individual signals A and B.
The optimum value for Rf will be dependent
on the type of sensors being used, as well as
the clothing being worn by the subject being
measured. It should be set to achieve maximum
noise reduction, while ensuring circuit stability.
A value of 27kohms is suggested as a suitable
starting point for EPIC sensors.

+5V

A
Inputs from
outputs of
demo box
B

Rf (27K*)
Ra
(11K)
Rb
(11K)

Rp (1.5M)
OP-AMP

Vout

C
(1nF)

To conductive
fabric on chair,
thus capacitively
coupled to body

-5V

Figure 2: DPL circuit. Voltage gain is set by Rf; Rp limits current fed back to the body (see text).
Operational amplifier output Vout = - (VA + VB) * Rf 11K

15

SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

TECH REPORT

"Monitoring long-term medical conditions

within the home or observing pilots,
drivers, soldiers, and others in safety
critical situations is now possible without
needing skin contact."
Rp, the protection resistor, is included to limit
the current that can be fed back to the human
body. This resistor is essential in ensuring that
the subjects wellbeing is not endangered and
must not be omitted.

IMPLEMENTATION
The demonstration of non-contact ECG is best
performed using an EPIC demonstration kit,
Plessey part no. PS25003, which includes the
necessary drive circuitry and switchable 50Hz
and 60Hz notch filters. The inputs to the DRL
circuit can be taken from the BNC outputs
A & B on the front of the demo box. The
DRL circuit will require its own bipolar power
supply: 5V or 6V is suggested. A circuit
design including a battery power supply is
shown in Figure 3.
Plesseys compact sensors (PS2520x) and disc
sensors (PS25101) provide equally good results,
although for demonstration purposes, disc
sensors are simplest to fix to a chair to make
contact with the occupants back. Compact
sensors are recommended when designing a
custom-built system.

16

EPIC sensors which are designed for contact

electrophysiology sensing give excellent
results in most cases. Initial trials suggest that
custom modifications to the sensor design (e.g.
lower gain and higher input impedance) can
offer increased sensitivity and the ability to
detect weaker ECG signals.
The shape of the measured ECG trace in
terms of relative magnitudes of the P, Q, R, S
and T waves will depend on the positioning
of the sensors behind the subjects back. If the
desire is only to measure the R-R interval to
determine heart rate, then the positioning of
the sensors is not critical. Placing one sensor
either side of the spine, separated by 6 -10 (1525 cm), at approximately the same height as
the heart is recommended as a starting point.
For applications where signals from other
parts of the cardiac cycle are required the user
should refer to texts on bio-electronic signals
for guidance on sensor position.

SETTLING TIME
When a subject first sits in the chair and leans
against the EPIC sensors, the changes in
electric potential will normally send both the

sensors and the DRL circuit into saturation.

Because the system contains some large
impedances, and hence has some very long
RC time constants, settling times of tens of
seconds can be needed before a clean ECG
signal is seen. During this period the signal can
either appear very noisy, or be virtually flat,
depending on whether one or both sensors, or
the DRL circuit, are railing. The subject should
sit still during this time and wait for the circuit
to settle, since continually adjusting position
will only make matters worse. Settling times
can sometimes be reduced by turning off the
power to the demo box for a few seconds.

to two layers of cotton material have been

successful. Examples are shown in Figures 6
and 7. If the key greatest interest is in the R-R
interval, adjusting filter settings to reduce
or re-center the signal bandwidth can give
improved signal quality.

STATIC
Because there is no direct physical contact
between the subject and any grounding point,
there is no path for any static build up to be
discharged. Under most circumstances, static
build-up does not present a problem, but
depending on factors including clothing,
footwear, flooring, humidity levels in the air
and so forth, static build up can sometimes
prevent the cardiac signal from being seen
clearly. Product design must take into account
a discharge to the system ground to remove
the static charge.

CLOTHING
Good results can be obtained with one or two
layers of cotton material between the sensors
and the skin. Other materials, including a woolmix sweater and a polyester fleece in addition

1
2

10F

3
4

7660
Switched
Capacitor
Voltage
Converter

+6V

8
7

6
5

10F

Ra
(11K)
Rb
(11K)

Rf (27K*)

OPAMP

Rp (1.5M)
Vout

DRL
Output

1nF

6V
battery
pack
4xAA

-6V

Figure 3: DRL circuit including battery power supply and voltage converter to provide -6v rail. Inputs A and
B are buffered outputs from the sensors and may be taken from the A and B outputs of the EPIC demo box.
Ground should be connected to the sensor 0V, the shielding of the BNC A and B outputs on the demo box
being a suitable connection point. See figure 2 and the text for further comments on the DRL design.

17

SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

CABLE SHIELDING
Careful shielding is necessary to reduce
unwanted noise artifacts. Grounding the
shielding of the sensor cable via the connection
between the outer casing of the sensor plugs
and the metal surround of the socket on the
control electronics is recommended.
CONCLUSION
EPIC sensors can be used to measure ECG
signals without physical skin contact. While

sensors can be embedded in a chair or seat, the

techniques are equally applicable to sensors
mounted on a mattress, in clothing or in other
situations. There are many variables that
will affect signal quality, from the strength
of cardiac signal generated by the individual
being measured, to clothing, to the surrounding
environment, but the designs given here are
a starting point in establishing an optimum
system for a particular application.

Figure 4: Non-contact ECG signals measured through a

single layer of cotton clothing with a capacitively coupled
DRL circuit. HP filter corner frequency is 50mHz, LP filter in
demo box has corner frequency of 30Hz.

Figure 5: Non-contact ECG signals measured through a

single layer of cotton clothing with a capacitively coupled
DRL circuit. Software filters limit the bandwidth to 8-25Hz.

Figure 6: ECG signals measured from a subject wearing a

wool-mix sweater over a cotton shirt. Sensors attached
to the chair-back were covered with an additional layer
of cotton material. Filter settings limit the bandwidth to
8-25Hz. The heart rate can be easily extracted

Figure 7: ECG signals measured from a subject wearing a

polyester fleece over a cotton shirt. Sensors attached to
the chair-back were covered with an additional layer of
cotton material. Filter settings limit the bandwidth to 1640Hz. The heart rate can be easily extracted.

Find us at Booth #37310

World Maker Faire New York

18

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW

SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

Smaller
Than a

Grain
Sand
of

mCubes Sensors
Enable IoMT
Interview with Ben Lee
President and CEO of mCube

nalysts project that by

2020 there will be over
50 billion connected

devices in the now-nascent

Internet of Things (IoT). However,
the technology that will enable the
IoT of the future may look a little
different than todaysin fact,
you may not be able to see it at all.
Many new mobile devices require
motion sensors in order to monitor,
analyze, and deliver real-time data
and analysis to improve the way
consumers interact with everyday
technology. While traditional
sensor platforms require multichip
modules or stacked die within a
device, mCube, a new MEMS sensor
company, is driving the emergence
of Sensor 3.0, which will lead the
development of the smallest
sensors to datesmaller than a
grain of sand.

By EEWeb Contributing Writers

20

21

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW

SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

Motion sensors are key components

in consumer devices, says Ben Lee,
president and CEO of mCube. The need
for smaller, more powerful sensors
has emerged from the rise in mobile
applications such as gaming devices,
tablets, sports equipment, and wearable
technology. This wave of new applications
is a part of the Internet of Moving
Things (IoMT), which depends on highfunctioning sensors like accelerometers,
gyroscopes, and magnetometers, to
deliver dynamic performance specs
for these moving devices. mCube has
developed microelectromechanical
system (MEMS) sensors with significant
size reductions that allow for simplified
integration and implementation in
new IoMT applications.

To achieve MEMS integration with

electronics, mCube developed a
monolithic, single-chip structural design
that is integrated with an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC). mCube
is the first company, tells Lee, to
successfully bring to market an integrated
MEMS+ASIC in high volume production.
Whereas traditional MEMS devices
occupied a larger area with lower yields,
mCubes MEMS is fabricated directly on
top of the complementary metal-oxide
semiconductor, allowing for unparalleled
integration and performance. This is
achieved by bonding a single crystal
silicon wafer to the surface of a CMOS
plate. A cap is then bonded over the
MEMS structures at the wafer level and
is protected in a hermetic environment.

mCube Technology Leapfrogs Existing Players

With this unique process, mCube is able

to overcome traditional drawbacks of
integrating MEMS due to the fact that
it is entirely monolithic, meaning the
alignment tolerance between MEMS and
CMOS in mCubes accelerometer is 0.1 m
as opposed to traditional distances of 3
to 5 m. As consumer needs are driving
rapid size reductions in the IoMT market,
mCube positions itself ahead of the curve
by enabling integrated, powerful, and
seemingly invisible sensor technology.
Just how small is mCubes solution?
Maximum size reduction is achieved by
ohmically connecting the MEMS to the
underlying CMOS through 3 m vias.
mCubes integrated device has four times
fewer the number of connected bonds,
which ends up significantly reducing the
surface area needed for implementation
and, ultimately, the cost.

mCube has developed

MEMS sensors with significant
size reductions that allow for
simplified integration in new
IoMT applications.

Cost, Size, Power

Hybrid / MCM

Stacked Chip
3D Single-chip
MEMS
IC

The mCube monolithic, single-chip platform, shown above in a schematic cross-section,

integrates MEMS with CMOS more efficiently than in any other commercial MeMS product.

Performance, Function, Integration

Proprietary and Confidential. 2014 mCube, Inc. All rights reserved.

22

11

23

SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

As of 2014, mCubes complete

intertial sensor portfolio contains an
accelerometer, magnetometer, and its
proprietary iGyro gyroscope offering
nine degrees of freedom (9DoF). Through
reductions in cost, power consumption,
and size, mCubes sensor offerings make
it possible to place them onto nearly any
object or devicein some cases without
packaging. We aspire to put one or more
MEMS motion sensors on anything that
moves, remarks Lee. And with the IoMT
taking shape, and consumer expectations
for connected moving devices becoming
more concrete, developers of new
applications will turn to solutions like
mCube to deliver truly cutting-edge,
Inertialconnected
Motion devices.
Sensor Portfolio

Since sensors are so small and affordable,

dont be surprised to find unique
applications in the future. Lee speculates
that farmers might have sensor tags to
monitor livestock for abnormal activity,
patterns of grazing, potential illness and
herd behavior. Commercial trucking
might involve motion sensors connected
to video cameras in rear-view mirrors to
better assess the cause of an accident
and driving conditions. For shipping, Lee
describes motion sensors embedded
directly onto packages to record jarring
motions or accidents in order to determine
when and how contents were damaged.

Complete

Accelerometer

Magnetometer

iGyroTM

3DoF
3DoF

3x3mm
2x2mm

3DoF 1.4x1.4mm
3x3mm
6DoF

9DoF

3x3mm

Solutions for up to 9DoF (Degrees of Freedom)

At mCube we aspire to put one

or more MEMS motion sensors on
anything that moves.

Proprietary and Confidential. 2014 mCube, Inc. All rights reserved.

24

15

SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

TECH REPORT

SKINTIGHT
Technology

Electronics are becoming increasingly omnipresent in our

everyday lives. Industry trends of reduced device sizes,
seamless integration in our environments, and wireless

Flexible Sensors
Collect Vitals

connectivity are changing the way consumers interact with

technology. One of the upsides of ubiquitous technology is
the collection of data that was previously inaccessible. An
example of this is wearable health monitorsbracelets and
bands that collect vital health statistics to inform users of

By Alex Maddalena, Contributing Writer

trends in their everyday activity, which could ultimately lead

to healthier lifestyle and activity choices. However, one of the
biggest burdens of these health monitors is their form factor
rigid electronics are not the most natural option for wearing
during physical activities.

26

27

SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

TECH REPORT
The Biostamp device is as unobtrusive as a Band-Aid
and can link to any mobile device to deliver real-time
data on the bodys vital statistics.

s a result, MC10, a flexible device

developer based in Cambridge,
Massachusettes, is developing a
new kind of wearable device with UCB,
a patient-centric biopharmaceutical
leader, that will redefine form in form
factor. The Biostamp, a prototype from
MC10, is a flexible sensor that effortlessly
adheres to the body and is able to bend,
stretch, and flex along with the user. The
device is as unobtrusive as a Band-Aid
that can link to any bluetooth-enabled
mobile device to deliver real-time data
on the bodys vital statisticseverything
from hydration levels and heart rate, to
UV exposure and body temperature. The
Biostamp will enable users to receive
real-time data about their health.
MC10 was founded by Professor John
Rogers back in 2008 after years of
seminal research on flexible technology
at Bell Laboratories and UIUC (University
of Illinois UrbanaChampaign). The goal
of the research was to develop ways of
implementing electronics everywhere
imaginable by breaking down the devices
form factors. Rogers and his colleagues
eventually developed a way to form
silicon on incredibly thin elastomers
while still maintaining its properties.
MC10 is the culmination of this extensive

28

and groundbreaking research and is the

exclusive licensee of the patent portfolio
that Professor Rogers built up over the
years of research.
The innovations in materials science
revolved around the deconstruction of
the base material, silicon. Rogers team
was first able to dramatically reduce the
thickness profile of the silicon down to a
nano scale. The second innovation was
the development of discrete chiplets of
silicon, which could then be distributed
onto arrays comprised of nanomaterials.
In the case of the Biostamp, the array
is then embedded onto flexible, rubber
band-like material that still maintains
the silicon semiconductor characteristics,
allowing for unprecedented uses
adhering to the human body, and this
allows continuous monitoring.
Professor Rogers is very passionate
about the idea of being able to change
peoples lives through electronics,
said head of market development,
Nirav Sheth, offering a summary of the
companys mission statement. At MC10,
we are all about dissolving boundaries
between humans and electronics.
The Biostamps functionality reflects
the central tenets of the company by

collecting data that will ultimately

help users make important decisions
about aspects of their health. In fact,
the device is undergoing crucial patient
testing to determine the efficacy of the
data it yields and whether it can provide
concrete claims on the health of the
user. We never looked at MC10 as a
purely consumer technology company,
Sheth claimed. It is also a medical
health company.
Considering themselves a medical health
company poses a unique challenge to
the MC10 team because the market for
ubiquitous technology like the Biostamp
does not fully exist yet. However, this
does not deter MC10 from continuing
development of the device on all fronts
from material sciences research to
software and hardware development. In
fact, the company has been building its
team by bringing on board app developers
with cloud computing and algorithm
development expertise to help support
MC10s devices in the back end. The
software aspects may be, in the long
term, the most differentiating aspects of
the technology, Sheth stated, explaining
the companys software-related
investment. Conversely, the hardware
had to be at a certain advanced level

We never looked at MC10

as a purely consumer
technology company, Sheth
claimed. It is also a medical
health company.

29

SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

Your Circuit Starts Here.

Sign up to design, share, and collaborate
on your next projectbig or small.
to enable the kind of constant and
complex data accumulation that the
Biostamp promises.

The company has been bringing on board

app developers with cloud computing and
algorithm development expertise to help
support MC10s devices.

Click Here to Sign Up

In the interim, MC10 is partnering up

with other medical and pharmaceutical
companies to develop integrated sensor
and monitoring products. The company
plans to become a certified, medicalready partner for companies who dont
have access to this unique and proprietary
Affordable, versatile, and easy to use, the Tiva
READY TO LAUNCH
technology. Even the U.S. Army has
Series Connected LaunchPad is well suited for
begun
working
with
MC10
on
militarya broad audience and promises to facilitate
For the launch of the Tiva C Series Connected
the expansion of ingenious IoT applications in
LaunchPad,
TI has
with
Exosite,
grade
sensors that
willpartnered
add further
safety
the cloud. As Folkens concluded, The target
mentioned
briefly
toThis
provide easy
features
for troops
in above,
the field.
audiences actually are the hobbyists, students
access to the LaunchPad from the Internet. The
funding from NIH grants, Department
and professional engineers. A better way of
LaunchPad takes about 10 minutes to set up
of Defense
grants,
as
well
as
foundation
looking at it is that we are targeting people with
and you can immediately interact with it across
innovative ideas and trying to help them get
the will
Internet
do things get
like one
turn an LED on
grants
helpand
the company
those ideas launched into the cloud.
off remotely
fromof
the
website
stepand
closer
to realization
devices
soand see the
Join the
reported temperature as well. It can also display
flexible that users might forget theyre
approximate geographic location based on
DESIGNERS OF THINGS
wearing
them. IP address and display a map of all
the assigned
conference in San Francisco on
other connected LaunchPad owners if they are
September 23 and 24.
active and plugged-in to Exosite. In addition, it
supports a basic game by enabling someone to
Dedicated to the explosive and exciting potential of Wearable
interface to the Connected LaunchPad through
Tech, 3D Printing, and the Internet of Things, the conference
a serial port from a terminal while someone
else is playing with them through their browser. provides the growing design and development community
It is basically showing how you can interact
around these technologies a meeting place to discuss and
remotely with this product and a user even if showcase the newest products.
you are across the globe, Folkens explained.
Click here for more info:

START DEVELOPING

30

The Tiva C Series Connected LaunchPad

is shipping now and the price is right; at
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http://www.designersofthings.com/sanfrancisco/scheduler/
speaker/sheth-nirav-rav.33310

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