The team at mbientlab wants developers to concentrate on their end uses and apps instead of worrying about sensor technology and controls. The team is currently running a successful Kickstarter campaign for MetaWear, a health and fitness development board that works with the company’s software development kit.
The company has previously run several Kickstarter campaigns for health and fitness entrepreneurs to develop new products. This new MetaHealth development board makes the leap to heart rate monitoring. Pulse rate, beats per minute, and heart rate variation can be measured using the MetaPPG optical heart rate sensor. The sensor uses reflective photplethysmography and three green 535 nanometer LEDS with a photodiode to optimize signal inputs.
A Bosch BMI160 sensor is used as the accelerator and gyroscope to track motion in six axes. The MetaGSR galvanic skin response sensor measures changes in the skin’s conductivity. A thermistor that operates between -40 and 125 degrees Celsius measures temperature, and the nRF51822 SoC acts as the Bluetooth low energy receiver. The board runs on a CR2032 battery – there are conflicting durations on the page that say one battery can last several months or two weeks.
It’s inspiring to me to see a company make a tool that allows entrepreneurs and inventors to start their projects basically in the middle of the development process. Using a proven system of sensors, inputs and outputs should be a way to kickstart innovation. Applications for the MetaHealth board might be in fitness, internet of things, gaming, medical, education or manufacturing.
It’s also worth noting that mbientlab says that within three months they will be able to build the MetaHealth board at production quantities, if any developer decided to use the board as is inside their product. The campaign will be funded on July 14, 2016 and units are expected to ship in October 2016.