CES 2012 – STMicroelectronics’ unveils ‘cheap-ish’ smart suit prototype

Are wearable medical gadgets going to be big in 2012? Well STMicroelectronics NV (STM), Europe’s largest semiconductor maker, certainly thinks so. At CES it is due to unveil a smart-suit prototype with motion sensors which is designed to help people recover from injuries quicker, improve their co-ordination if they are suffering from conditions like Parkinson’s Disease or push their body that bit more if they are athletes.

It works by harnessing sewn-in multisensor nodes that can capture details about how the body is moving. This data is then delivered to computers, tablets and mobile phones for evaluation. Each node combines a microcontroller, nine sensors, including an accelerometer and a gyroscope, and software.

“The price of suits and other applications will be slashed with our new technology,” Nunzio Abbate, marketing director for automation, robotics and transportation said. He forecast the price of a suit may drop to a tenth of current levels of “several thousand euros,” opening up new markets. STMicroelectronics won’t produce the suits but will sell the technology to make such products, he said.

“This technology will improve the recovery of patients in rehabilitation after injuries and athletes’ performance as it can track, compare and address issues in their movements and posture. A tennis player will finally be able to compare his forehand with Nadal’s.”

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