The National Applied Research Laboratories (NARL) yesterday unveiled a compact integrated chip that can not only track users’ exercising habits and analyze their physical condition, but also meshes well with wearable devices.
Project leader and NARL Chip Implementation Center researcher Tsai Han-hui (蔡翰輝) said the integrated chip is the result of the laboratories’ collaboration with local chip manufacturers and is the first of its kind.
With the help of the technology, people could wake up in the morning to the voice of a microcomputer in a headset informing them of the state of their health and things to look out for in their lifestyle.
Combining sensor chips that detect the conditions in one’s surroundings — such as air quality and humidity — motion and physical conditions, the integrated chip recommends the best exercise for users at a given time and informs them of changes in their blood sugar level and heartbeat, while using a built-in antenna to transmit the data to a nearby hospital for processing, Tsai said.
Following analysis, the data is then transferred back to the chip to inform user of the state of their health and make suggestions accordingly, he said.
The chip measures just 2mm2, making it small enough to fit onto a headset or an earring and, therefore, is true to the concept of Internet of Things (IoT) applications, Tsai said.
Existing technologies deals with sensor chips and ordinary chips separately because the manufacturing processes are very different, Tsai said.
Previous attempts by researchers to combine the chips have resulted in damaged circuits, but the NARL was able to overcome the technical difficulties by developing the world’s first multitasking chip that integrates different types of sensors, as well as circuits for electromagnetic signal transmission and data processing, into a single circuit board, Tsai said.
The next-generation chip is low-cost, compact and consumes less energy than ordinary chips, he said.
Citing a survey by French market research firm Yole, Tsai said Taiwan, a leader in integrated circuit fabrication with a 60 percent global market share, has room for improvements in terms of sensor chip design, with local firms making up less than 1 percent of the number of firms in the sector globally.
Tsai said the chip is remarkable since all the major technologies on sensor chip fabrication are owned by overseas firms.
He said the Chip Implementation Center would seek opportunities to work with academic institutions and the private sector to develop more types of sensor chips that offer consumers more options on IoT applications and help Taiwan become a world leader in IoT and wearable devices.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as