13.7 nW/Mbit is claimed by Renesas as a record low stand-by power for embedded SRAM. Speed has been retained at 1.8 ns for an active read-out. The firm said it used its in-house 65-nm silicon-on-thin buried oxide (SOTB) process for the prototype, and used substrate biasing to adjust the leakage/speed compromise. The technology is claimed overcome challenges with conventional CMOS, such as the increased leakage with low-threshold transistors and high variability in gate threshold voltage.

A new type of flexible micro-supercapacitors developed by a research team from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore may well sprout developments in the realm of wearable technology, with a variety of applications such as smart T-shirts charging mobile phones.

Designers of wearables, fitness-monitors, IoT applications, mobile and all kinds of connected devices work hard to make the battery life of the newest generation of products as long as possible – and that is becoming increasingly difficult as functionality and speed go up but the enclosure size continues to go down. Power supply solutions for these problems require a high degree of integration and a design that mainly minimizes the quiescent current...

With the rise of the (digital) cameras that are head mounted (or worn on the body), there is also the opportunity to automatically recognize hand movements and gestures. This is not only useful for physical therapy but can also simplify the control of digital applications…

At the CES, Bosch Sensortec unveiled the BMP380 barometric pressure sensor, the smallest and most accurate pressure sensor in their portfolio to date, with dimensions of 2x2x0.75 mm. The BMP380 is targeted at applications in drones, smartphones, tablets, wearables and other mobile devices for precise measurement of elevation changes.

Two companies — one small, Valencell, and one gargantuan, STMicroelectronics — have worked together to produce “an accurate and scalable development kit for biometric wearables”. The kit has essential components from both companies, with Valencell contributing their Benchmark biometric sensor system, and ST throwing in their compact SensorTile turnkey multi-sensor module.

Data glasses mirror information to the eye without interfering with the wearer‘s vision. However, the battery runs down quickly, because the electronics consume a great amount of electricity while playing back the images. Engineers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP in Dresden have developed a particularly energy-saving display that is also very bright.

With the skiing season just around the corner it must be time to break out the ski pants and start waxing your snowboard. Although it’s proven that regular physical activity has positive health benefits, cold winter air can be an irritant to the respiratory system and increase the chances of runners and skiers picking up infections. A new heated balaclava designed by the German company Stoll could well be the answer to this seasonal problem...

Frustrated with a computer controlled tabletop loom “that looked kind of fun to work with” but whose Java software failed to identify itself to a MacBook Pro running OS-X, Fred Hoefler heard his spouse Gina’s advice to “build a computer controlled loom with one of those Raspberry Pi things of yours”. Whether an idea, a rebuke or a marching order, Fred followed suit and turned techie

Made in collaboration with American Kennel Club (AKC) the Smart Collar from Link comes packed with features normally found on a GPS enabled fitness tracker for yuppies in Central Park. The collar features a built-in activity monitor and GPS and has the ability to store information on dog’s veterinary log and its ambient body temperature.