Silicon Labs
|
Silicon Labs Community Silicon Labs Community
  • Products
    1. 8-bit MCU
    2. 32-bit MCU
    3. Bluetooth
    4. Proprietary
    5. Wi-Fi
    6. Zigbee & Thread
    7. Z-Wave
    8. Interface
    9. Isolation
    10. Power
    11. Sensors
    12. Timing
  • Development Tools
    1. Simplicity Studio
    2. Third Party Tools
  • Expert's Corner
    1. Announcements
    2. Blog
    3. General Interest
    4. Projects
How to Buy
English
  • English
  • 简体中文
  • 日本語
//
Community // Blog

Smart Jewelry: IoT Hero WiseWear Takes Safety Wearables to the Next Level

08/233/2017 | 01:30 PM
deirdrewalsh
Employee

Level 5


Silicon Labs had the opportunity to sit down recently with our customer Jerry Wilmink, CEO and Founder of WiseWear. With a Ph.D. in optical-sensing and biomedical engineering, Wilmink built a company that creates connected IoT devices that can predict, prevent and alert users in times of potential danger.

 

Banner-wise.jpg

 

Can you tell me about where the idea for the WiseWear application came from?

In 2010, I lost my grandfather shortly after he fell in his home and never recovered from the fall. After the loss, I asked the CTO of the Air Force if I could get a bunch of smart people to come to my house in San Antonio and build a product that could predict and prevent this from happening in the future. We built a bio-sensing hearing aid that could detect and alert a senior when they were dehydrated or when their gate or balance was off. With this prototype in hand, I completed an executive MBA at the University of Texas and put together a business plan. After winning several competitions with the prototype, I decided to build a business. So I cleaned out my retirement account and started WiseWear in 2013.

 

We’re now making a whole family of connected safety and security devices that keep everyone in your family safe and secure.  We launched our first consumer product last year at CES where we actually fused advanced-antenna technology and sensors for safety and security into a jewelry offering. We’re now making a standalone connected device using low-power and a wide access network with extended battery life that does not require a cellular connection for children’s health & safety. 

 

So you were able to marry your personal interests with your background. Tell me about some of your design challenges. What were some of the hurdles you had to make? Especially around the design to create something that people want to wear.

We are primarily technologists with an eye for design, but we ended up partnering with Iris Apfel, former interior designer for the White House and a bunch of New York-based jewelry executives. We had them fly down to San Antonio in the initial product design meeting, given we didn’t know what jewelry should look like. They flew down and it was like the Devil Wears Prada visits the nerds. We sat at the table and fused together these two worlds of fashion and engineering. And we had a tug of war about what’s possible and what’s not possible in terms of form factors. The thing about connected technology design is the product is never done – you’re always updating firmware and apps. But in fashion, once the product is made, it’s done.

 

The challenges of this process were significant because this was the first kind of fused jewelry with sensors and electronics. Most wearables are made of plastics or elastomers or use a watch screen to transmit the signals through. Our patented technology allowed us to transmit the Bluetooth signals right through the metal material.

 

Wisewear_2 copy.png

 

Was there any distortion or does that impact the signal at all?

Yes, but we have two patents to address this problem. For Bluetooth, we’re actually seeing the range from the bracelet to the phone is actually further than the phone to the bracelet, so the antenna works quite well, including distances of 50-70 feet. Manufacturing is a whole different challenge because we had to manufacture the jewelry piece with extensive orders for jewelry cuts. The cuts had to be precise enough that we could fuse the sensors and electronics into the jewelry piece while keeping quality and high fidelity signals.

 

I imagine size was an issue when getting the right components, such as sensors and chips?

Yes, we developed custom designs to get the right chips and components. We actually have one of the smallest boards inside any wearable. We couldn’t use anything that was off the shelf in terms of a complete board, so we had to design our custom builds with the antenna inside.

 

 

Tell me about how Silicon Labs got involved? What was it about our products that stood out over the competition?

You guys make the best components. Right now we’re using the Wonder Gecko 32-bit MCU and in some of our products going forward we’re going to be using even more of your components. We’ve always loved working with Silicon Labs and your components are just always the best that we come across in the industry. Given that we make a whole array and family of different types of products and services, Silicon Labs always seems to have some of the best in terms of quality and price.

 

Wisewear_One copy.png

 

Where do you see connectivity and IoT heading in the next 5 years?

Technology continues to gets closer to the body as we move from desktops, to laptops, to wearables, to smart apparel, to implantables - technology is invading us. The connectivity part is really the hot button item because the natural take on a wearable device is to just throw a CDMA or GSM chip in anything and connect it to the Internet. The reality is that’s like putting a gaming laptop on your wrist – it’s not a smart decision in terms of battery life or the utility of that connected product. So we’re starting to use low-power, wide access networks and make products that can connect at a very low cost.

Also, I’m pretty bullish on the development of smart apparel products for physiological monitoring and safety and security. I think that’s going to the next very important move before we get to implantables.

The technology design transitions we are seeing today can be likened to the transition of matter as it moves from a solid to a liquid to a gas. The initial smart phone and wearables were clunky looking, sort of like an ice cube. And now they’re starting to turn into a liquid and follow form factors that are more ascetically appealing and wearable. Then it turns into a gas and it’s ubiquitous, right?

Note: WiseWear is no longer a company. For details, visit Smart Clothing Lab. 

  • Blog Posts
  • IoT Heroes

Tags

  • Wireless
  • High Performance Jitter Attenuators
  • EFR32FG22 Series 2 SoCs
  • EFR32MG21 Series 2 SoCs
  • Security
  • Bluegiga Legacy Modules
  • Zigbee SDK
  • ZigBee and Thread
  • EFR32BG13 Series 1 Modules
  • Internet Infrastructure
  • Sensors
  • Wireless Xpress BGX13
  • Blue Gecko Bluetooth Low Energy SoCs
  • Z-Wave
  • Micrium OS
  • Blog Posts
  • Low Jitter Clock Generators
  • Bluetooth Classic
  • Makers
  • Flex SDK
  • Tips and Tricks
  • timing
  • Smart Cities
  • Smart Homes
  • IoT Heroes
  • Reviews
  • RAIL
  • Simplicity Studio
  • Tiny Gecko
  • EFR32MG22 Series 2 SoCs
  • Mighty Gecko SoCs
  • Timing
  • Temperature Sensors
  • Blue Gecko Bluetooth Low Energy Modules
  • Ultra Low Jitter Clock Generators
  • General Purpose Clock Generators
  • EFR32BG22 Series 2 SoCs
  • Industry 4.0
  • Giant Gecko
  • 32-bit MCUs
  • Bluetooth Low Energy
  • 32-bit MCU SDK
  • Gecko
  • Microcontrollers
  • Jitter Attenuators
  • EFR32BG21 Series 2 SoCs
  • News and Events
  • Wi-Fi
  • Bluetooth SDK
  • Community Spotlight
  • Clock Generators
  • Biometric Sensors
  • General Purpose Jitter Attenuators
  • Giant Gecko S1
  • WF200
  • Flex Gecko
  • Internet of Things
  • 8-bit MCUs
  • Wireless Jitter Attenuators
  • Isolation
  • Powered Devices
  • Power

Top Authors

  • Avatar image Siliconlabs
  • Avatar image Jackie Padgett
  • Avatar image Nari Shin
  • Avatar image lynchtron
  • Avatar image deirdrewalsh
  • Avatar image Lance Looper
  • Avatar image lethawicker

Archives

  • 2016 March
  • 2016 April
  • 2016 May
  • 2016 June
  • 2016 July
  • 2016 August
  • 2016 September
  • 2016 October
  • 2016 November
  • 2016 December
  • 2017 January
  • 2017 February
  • 2017 March
  • 2017 April
  • 2017 May
  • 2017 June
  • 2017 July
  • 2017 August
  • 2017 September
  • 2017 October
  • 2017 November
  • 2017 December
  • 2018 January
  • 2018 February
  • 2018 March
  • 2018 April
  • 2018 May
  • 2018 June
  • 2018 July
  • 2018 August
  • 2018 September
  • 2018 October
  • 2018 November
  • 2018 December
  • 2019 January
  • 2019 February
  • 2019 March
  • 2019 April
  • 2019 May
  • 2019 June
  • 2019 July
  • 2019 August
  • 2019 September
  • 2019 October
  • 2019 November
  • 2019 December
  • 2020 January
  • 2020 February
  • 2020 March
  • 2020 April
  • 2020 May
  • 2020 June
  • 2020 July
  • 2020 August
  • 2020 September
  • 2020 October
  • 2020 November
  • 2020 December
  • 2021 January
  • 2021 February
Silicon Labs
Stay Connected With Us
Plug into the latest on Silicon Labs products, including product releases and resources, documentation updates, PCN notifications, upcoming events, and more.
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Community
  • Contact Us
  • Corporate Responsibility
  • Privacy and Terms
  • Press Room
  • Investor Relations
  • Site Feedback
  • Cookies
Copyright © Silicon Laboratories. All rights reserved.
粤ICP备15107361号
Also of Interest:
  • Bring Your IoT Designs to Life with Smart,...
  • A Guide to IoT Protocols at Works With...
  • IoT Hero Rainus Enhances the In-Store Shopping...