Oslo, Norway, October 18, 2011 – Energy Micro, the energy friendly micro controller and radio company has announced that Zeo, Inc., the sleep management company, is using the EFM32 Gecko MCU in its revolutionary Zeo® Sleep Manager(TM) Mobile. Able to very accurately track both sleep quantity and sleep quality, the product helps people to take control of and improve their sleep patterns using a smartphone.
Sleep Manager Mobile is the very first of its type to offer scientifically-proven measurement of light, deep and REM sleep to provide a complete and accurate picture of the user’s sleep. A wireless headband tracks the different sleep phases and sends a nightly sleep quality score to the smartphone. The smartphone automatically syncs with a Zeo account, providing access to online analytical tools and customized expert guidance to help improve sleep.
Zeo selected Energy Micro’s ARM® Cortex(TM)-M3-based EFM32 Gecko microcontroller for its 32-bit processing capability combined with its ultra low power operating performance. By enabling multiple analog sensor monitoring and data processing to be handled in a small battery-backed Bluetooth wireless headband, the microcontroller was able to remove the need for a dedicated bedside base station and allow a smartphone-oriented product to be developed. From a 95mAh rechargeable battery cell a time between headband battery charging of 4 days was achieved by product designers.
Ben Rubin, Zeo CTO and Co-Founder said, “Tight management of battery energy levels in the Sleep Manager Mobile headband was a critical design consideration. Using the Gecko MCU we were able to surpass our battery lifetime goals, while at the same time ensuring continuous high accuracy sensor monitoring, complex 32-bit data processing and high-speed serial data communication.”
“We are proud to have been chosen to work with Zeo on its ground-breaking Sleep Manager Mobile,” said Geir Førre, Energy Micro’s CEO. “As a true innovator, Zeo is a great example of a forward thinking company that’s using the very latest energy efficient design techniques to create next generation smart mobile accessories.”
Distinguished by very low active and standby power consumption, fast processing speeds, short wake-up times and flexible energy modes, the EFM32 Gecko microcontrollers are capable of consuming a quarter of the battery energy needed by alternative 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit microcontrollers. The microcontrollers provide a variety of low power peripheral blocks that can operate autonomously and independently of the CPU. Comprehensive application energy debugging is supported through the microcontrollers’ unique Advanced Energy Monitoring system and Simplicity Studio software console. For further information, visit www.energymicro.com
The Zeo Sleep Manager Mobile is priced at $99 USD and is available now from Best Buy retail outlets. For further information, visit www.myzeo.com
