Samsung mass-produces first all-in-one bioprocessor

Samsung Electronics said Tuesday it has started mass-producing the world’s first all-in-one bioprocessor that collects and analyzes biological information such as heart rate and body fat in a single chip.

In recent years, global device-makers have been piling into the soaring health care device market, but most of their fitness trackers have not gone much beyond heart rate or sleep quality monitors.

With the unprecedented one chip solution, Samsung said it aims to secure a competitive edge among its rivals.

According to the company, its new processor ― which combines a microcontroller, digital signal processor and flash memory into one chip ― can track more health care data while the size has been significantly reduced.

The chip can monitor five attributes ― body fat, skeletal muscle mass, heart rate, skin temperature and stress levels ― more accurately than any other chips.

Its smaller size, almost one-quarter that of other chips, also allows more design flexibility for manufacturers in developing future devices.

Samsung said it planned to offer reference platforms in wristband and patch types to device-makers within the first half of next year.

“As IT products continue to evolve and consumers get more conscious about their health, the market for health care devices is also soaring,” said Heo Koo, vice president of Samsung’s system LSI marketing team.

“The all-in-one chip will contribute to expanding health care services overall based on wearable devices.”

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)