STMicroelectronics and Mobile Physics join forces to create EnviroMeter for accurate air-quality monitoring on smartphones
February 12 2024 - 12:15PM
STMicroelectronics and Mobile Physics
join forces to create EnviroMeter for accurate air-quality
monitoring on smartphones
Time-of-flight optical sensing enables world’s
first accurate personal air quality monitor and smoke detector for
smartphone
Geneva, Switzerland, Kfar Saba, Israel -- February 12,
2024 -- STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), a global
semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of
electronics applications, and Mobile Physics, a
software-development startup specialized in environmental physics,
have revealed an exclusive collaboration that enables smartphones
and other devices to measure household and ambient air quality with
a built-in optical sensor.
Developed exclusively for ST’s multizone ranging sensors, which
are widely used for features like camera autofocus and presence
detection, this solution measures particulates in the surrounding
air. With accuracy comparable to purpose-designed air-quality
monitors, Mobile Physics’ EnviroMeter app acts as a personal,
portable environment monitor and smoke detector to safeguard health
- and enhance fire safety. Manufactured using ST’s low-power
technology, it can operate ‘always on’ to provide constant
awareness with minimal impact on battery life.
Each year, 3.2 million people die prematurely from illnesses
attributable to household air pollution. The combined effects of
ambient air pollution and household air pollution are associated
with 6.7 million premature deaths annually (1). Monitoring air
quality has become a real necessity and a public health issue.
Leveraging ST’s market positioning to accelerate integration, the
two companies have integrated Mobile Physics’ software and ST’s
VL53L8 direct time-of-flight (dToF) sensor on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon
8 Gen 3 smartphone platform. As showcased at the Qualcomm
Snapdragon Summit 2023, this project creates the world’s first
smartphone with always-on air-quality sensing and smoke
detection.
“Personal environment monitoring can give everyone greater
control over their own health and safety, using their smartphones.
The customer will also have the option to opt in to access wider
environmental data covering their local area,” said Erez Weinroth,
CEO, Mobile Physics. “ST’s direct ToF sensors enabled us to deliver
a solution with accuracy close to that of high-end dedicated
environment monitors but at lower cost and in a smaller
package.”
“The team at Mobile Physics has made ingenious use of the data
from our dToF sensor to produce this groundbreaking yet economical
and elegant environment monitor,” said Alex Balmefrezol, General
Manager, Imaging Sub-Group at STMicroelectronics. “We are delighted
to enable this new, wellness-enhancing feature that complements the
established ToF use cases providing even more value to our
customers.“
The air-quality sensing solution developed with ST is included
in Mobile Physics’ EnviroMeter Software Development Kit (SDK),
which also provides data on temperature, wind, precipitation,
humidity, light-intensity, UV, and noise-level monitoring. Sensing
can detect particles smaller than 2.5 micron and thus empower users
to protect their health. The solution does not require any
additional equipment; a standard dToF sensor and the Mobile Physics
software is all that is needed.
To learn more about this solution, come to the ST booth (7A61)
at Mobile World Congress 2024 where we will showcase the
air-quality monitoring demonstration.
Technical Notes to Editors:The VL53L8 is used
in diverse electronic products including smart speakers,
projectors, laptops, robots and home appliances, and door-entry
systems, as well as IoT devices such as occupancy sensors. Any of
these products can now deliver extra value by providing air-quality
indication and fire protection with no extra hardware components
required. The sensor’s small size, measuring just 6.4mm x 3.0mm x
1.75mm, eases integration anywhere a small form factor is
required.
Engineers can accelerate projects including proximity and
presence detectors using the development ecosystem available from
ST. This includes the X-Nucleo-53L8A1 development board, the
P-Nucleo-53L8A1 evaluation pack that also contains a
microcontroller development board, and SATEL-VL53L8 breakout
boards. The VL53L8 is in production now. Pricing information and
sample requests are available at local ST sales offices.
About STMicroelectronicsAt ST, we are over
50,000 creators and makers of semiconductor technologies mastering
the semiconductor supply chain with state-of-the-art manufacturing
facilities. As an integrated device manufacturer, we work with more
than 200,000 customers and thousands of partners to design and
build products, solutions, and ecosystems that address their
challenges and opportunities, and the need to support a more
sustainable world. Our technologies enable smarter mobility, more
efficient power and energy management, and the wide-scale
deployment of cloud-connected autonomous things. We are committed
to achieving our goal to become carbon neutral on scope 1 and 2 and
partially scope 3 by 2027. Further information can be found at
www.st.com.
About Mobile PhysicsFounded in 2019, Mobile
Physics is led by a team of 25 engineers and scientists. Its
EnviroMeter provides hyper-localized environmental information and
real-time environment monitoring to enable users to fully
understand their exposure to various conditions and influences so
they can make informed health decisions. Mobile Physics’ patented
proprietary technology can be accessed through any smart devices
with no extra hardware and can work offline, both indoors and
outdoors.
For Press Information Contact:
Alexis
Breton
Corporate External Communications,
STMicroelectronics
alexis.breton@st.com
Erez Weinroth
CEO, Mobile Physics
erez@mobilephysics.com
- T4603D -- Feb 12 2024 -- ST ToF in Mobile Physics enviro
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- T4603D -- Feb 12 2024 -- ST ToF in Mobile Physics enviro
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