The wearables sector is taking off, with the arrival of sophisticated new products such as smart watches. Research firm IHS predicts the market will reach 135 million units by 2019 and sees designs becoming smarter and more sensor-rich to support advanced functions. Ease of use and extended battery life are already important points for buyers to consider, and voice control can enhance both by minimizing touchscreen usage.
STMicroelectronics’s wireless ICs, microcontrollers and MEMS2 sensors are designed for use in wearable electronics. With the new BlueVoice software, designers get all the drivers and libraries they need to implement voice transmission over a Bluetooth Low Energy connection in systems built around ST’s STM32 microcontrollers, BlueNRG ultra-low-power network processors and digital MEMS microphones.