LAS VEGAS — (January 5, 2015) – 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show — PNI Sensor Corp. today introduced SENtrode™, the first wearable development kit integrating sensors, PNI’s SENtral™ sensor hub, sensor fusion algorithms, programmable processor and wireless capabilities into a bracelet-sized form factor. SENtrode speeds design-to-delivery of smartwatches, activity and wellness monitors and other wearables that use sensors to generate a more satisfying user experience.
The company also announced a second version of SENtrode in a separate housing fit for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as smart home appliances and connected sensor networks. SENtrode for wearables is just 31.55mm x 37.15mm x 8.28mm with a bracelet, and SENtrode for IoT devices is 31.55mm x 37.55mm x 8.65mm.
“We built SENtrode from necessity,” said George Hsu, president and CEO, PNI Sensor Corp. “We wanted a hardware development platform that would allow us to accurately make sensor measurements and enable us to embed algorithms such as motion compensated optical heart rate monitoring — but with existing development kits, we needed a harness for the processor board and a cable to connect the sensor board to the wrist to measure heart rate. With SENtrode literally the size of a smartwatch, we can now develop and validate our algorithms for wrist-worn devices. No wires, harnesses or large battery packs required, and most of all, we can capture real use-case sensor readings, which is critical for accuracy.”
Hsu also pointed out the design-to-delivery benefits of SENtrode, “Unlike other development kits, SENtrode includes all the necessary hardware components from different manufacturers on one small form-factor board. Design engineers can focus on creative software and application development, instead of on hardware, so they can more quickly introduce new wearables and IoT products to market.”
SENtrode features:
- PNI’s SENtral M&M module, a small form-factor board integrating an accelerometer, gyroscope (gyro), magnetometer and pressure sensor with PNI’s sensor fusion algorithms running on SENtral, the company’s sensor-agnostic, ultra-low power sensor hub
- Integrated Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) mounted on an auxiliary sensor board
- Humidity and gas sensors will also be available on additional auxiliary sensor boards and will be managed by SENtral, along with the necessary sensor fusion algorithms for each of these sensors
- Bluetooth® Smart (formerly Bluetooth Low Energy, or BLE)
- An ARM Cortex M4 — with enough programmable memory and processing power to run the customer’s embedded software applications
- Rechargeable 70mAmp hour battery
- JTAG programming board
- Wearable housing in wrist band form; separate housing for IoT devices is also available.
- SENtrode for wearables includes:
o Gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetic sensor, pressure and optical heart rate sensor readings
o Sensor fusion algorithms:
- 9-axis sensor fusion
- 6-axis sensor fusion
- E-compass
- Step counting
- Significant motion
- Tilt to wake
- Altitude
- Motion compensated heart rate
- SENtrode for IoT includes:
o Gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetic sensor, pressure and humidity sensor readings
o Sensor fusion algorithms:
- 9-axis sensor fusion
- 6-axis sensor fusion
- E-compass
- Step counting
- Significant motion
- Tilt to wake
- Barometric pressure
- Relative humidity
Availability and Price
SENtrode development kits for wearables and for IoT devices are available today from PNI Sensor. Kits are priced at $299 each. For more information about SENtrode, please visit: http://www.pnicorp.com/products/sentrode or email: info@pnicorp.com.
Additional software and algorithm support for SENtrode will be posted to MEMS Industry Group’s Accelerated Innovation Community (AIC), an open-source algorithm community.
PNI Sensor Corp.
PNI Sensor Corporation develops the world’s highest-performance software and hardware solutions for extracting user context, activity and location awareness from the mass-produced sensors found in smartphones, wearables and other consumer products. The company’s software IP is the direct result of leveraging 30 years of geomagnetic sensing, motion measurement and sensor fusion experience. Its sensor-fusion IP features best-of-breed algorithms available via software and hardware delivery mechanisms, including SENtral, a tiny, ultra-low power motion co-processor.
For more information, please visit: http://www.pnicorp.com or email: press@pnicorp.com.
