But the current ARM architecture, with its greater computing power (1 GHz+, along with dual- and quad-core capabilities), as well as Android support and energy efficiency, is rapidly gaining ground as the architecture of choice for medical device manufacturers. VIA, with its licensed x86 (CISC) and ARM (RISC) products, is a one-stop solution provider for wearable medical devices, offering “Dual ISA (Instruction Set Architecture)” products at the chip, board, system, and platform levels.
ARM architecture, also known as System-on-Chip (SoC), currently offers true flexibility and expandability to wearable medical device designers, along with a performance margin traditionally associated with and available only from x86 architecture. For example, Android is now optimized for ARM, while several embedded Linux systems and Windows Compact operating systems can run on both x86 and ARM architectures. With today's constant pressures related to time to market and recurring costs, not to mention potential regulatory requirements and standards such as FDA, IEC, and SIL (Safety Integrity Level) for wearable medical devices, choice and flexibility are crucial allies for embedded system designers.
There are two main uses for wearable medical devices: those intended for hospitals or clinics, and those aimed at consumers, such as for telehealth. Regardless of the end applications, one of the fundamental goals for these devices is to continue reducing power consumption. Lower power consumption will allow embedded medical device engineers to create wearables with longer battery life (or with a smaller battery to reduce weight and size) and decrease the total power that needs to be dissipated as heat. This will also extend the mean time between failures (MTBF) and product lifecycles, which are other critical aspects. VIA offers a full range of energy-efficient compute engines and aggregation solutions, in both x86 and SoC architectures.
Another area of concern for wearable medical devices is security. These devices are operational for extended periods, typically 10 to 15 years, making the ability to implement future-proof security policies critical. VIA offers several security solutions, including various microprocessor-level encryption technologies such as AES-128 and AES-256.
Connectivity, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 3.5G/4G wireless networks, will be integrated directly into wearable devices, enabling easy access to electronic health record databases or the medical cloud of the future. In anticipation of this paradigm, VIA offers a wide range of these hardware products, along with a full suite of Software Development Kits (SDKs), toolchains, and custom software engineering services, allowing medical device manufacturers to design and develop their wearable medical devices quickly and efficiently.
Cliff Moon is the Senior Director of Global Marketing at VIA Embedded, a division of VIA Technology, Inc. In his role, he is responsible for driving the global roadmap and establishing product directions. He has over 28 years of experience in the IT industry in various roles, including Engineering, Marketing and Sales. He has also volunteered his time as a PC/104 Consortium Technical Committee Chairman and has worked in various embedded companies. He can be reached at
