EnviroMeter, a collaboration between STMicroelectronics and Mobile Physics, allows for precise air quality monitoring on smartphones.
ST ToF in Mobile Physics enviro app. Image Credit: STMicroelectronics
The world's first smartphone-based smoke detector and personal air quality monitor is made possible by time-of-flight optical sensing.
Mobile Physics, a software development startup focused on environmental physics, and STMicroelectronics, a leading global semiconductor company that serves customers across a wide range of electronics applications, have announced an exclusive partnership that enables smartphones and other devices to measure ambient and household air quality with an integrated optical sensor.
This solution measures airborne particulates and was created specifically for ST's multizone ranging sensors, which are widely used for features like camera autofocus and presence detection. The EnviroMeter app from Mobile Physics serves as a personal, portable environment monitor and smoke detector to protect health and improve fire safety, with accuracy matching that of specially made air-quality monitors. Because it is made with ST's low-power technology, it can run “always on” to give continuous awareness while consuming less battery life.
Around 3.2 million premature deaths are attributed to illnesses brought on by home air pollution each year. Each year, 6.7 million premature deaths are linked to the combined effects of home and ambient air pollution. It is now absolutely necessary and a public health concern to monitor air quality.
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, taking advantage of ST's market positioning to expedite integration.
This project, which will be on display at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit in 2023, produces the first smartphone in history with continuous smoke and air quality 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. 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.
Erez Weinroth, CEO, Mobile Physics
“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. We are delighted to enable this new, wellness-enhancing feature that complements the established ToF use cases providing even more value to our customers,” states Alex Balmefrezol, General Manager, Imaging Sub-Group, STMicroelectronics.
The EnviroMeter Software Development Kit (SDK) from Mobile Physics includes the air-quality sensing solution created with ST. This kit also offers data on temperature, wind, precipitation, humidity, light intensity, UV rays, and noise level monitoring. Sensing enables users to take preventative measures for their health by detecting particles smaller than 2.5 microns. All that is needed for the solution is a standard dToF sensor and the Mobile Physics software; no additional equipment is needed.