One of the smallest trends—in terms of actual size—in fitness and health care, wearable technology is made with help from Austin-based companies such as NXP Semiconductors. Many components that make such devices work are developed at NXP’s offices on William Cannon Drive in Southwest Austin, said Sujata Neidig, NXP microcontroller marketing manager.
“What we have focused on in the last few years is developing solutions that provide the right processing capability, but at a lower-power, smaller-form factor, and therefore lower cost,” Neidig said.
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Insulet Omnipod insulin pump[/caption]
Insulet Omnipod insulin pump
Introduced in 2015, www.myomnipod.com
What it does: Diabetics who have to monitor their insulin can use the device to automatically dispense insulin and keep track of insulin levels through a smartphone app. How it works: When powered by a battery, the device uses software in the chip to execute code. The device checks the status of a pin, and if the status changed it can alert the user that it is low and might need refilling. A microcontroller monitors activity and decides what action needs to be taken. What does it mean? The device gives users the freedom to live a more active lifestyle.
