Analog Devices has launched a low power analog front end (AFE) to reduce the size of battery-powered biomonitoring systems.

The MAX30009 comes from the heritage of Maxim Integrated, and provides clinical grade measurements of bioimpedance (bioZ). The device is aimed at developers of small, battery-powered wearables and medical-grade patches. These have to operate on a small battery as part of small, compact designs that emphasise convenience and comfort.

Bioimpedance analysis measures body fat percentage and body composition such as respiration and impedance cardiography. The MAX30009 monitors a comprehensive range of these bioZ measurements through simultaneous I and Q measurements, 2-electrode (bipolar) and 4-electrode (tetrapolar) configurations at 16sps to 4ksps sampling rates.

This enables flexible inputs for BioZ measurements as well as a wide range of sample rates to support various medical measurements. A wider frequency range of 16Hz to 891KHz allows monitoring of respiration rate, galvanic skin response and electrodermal activity, body composition and fluid analysis, bioimpedance spectroscopy, impedance cardiography and plethysmography.

With a standby current of 0.6uA, the MAX30009 reduces power consumption by 62 percent compared to other AFE devices. It measures 2.028mm x 2.028mm in a 25-bump wafer-level packages (WLP). This is 30 percent smaller than other devices, allowing designers to reduce the size of vital signs measurement devices, making them more comfortable and convenient for consumers and patients.

“医疗这套由measurin拯救生命g the health of millions of patients with a broad range of conditions. Through bioimpedance (BioZ), medical professionals and scientists have been able to gain access to a new plethora of clinically meaningful physiological parameters that now can directly benefit consumers, including stress, hydration levels, and early detection of cancer,” said Dr. Benjamin Sanchez, Assistant Professor of ECE at University of Utah and bioimpedance expert. “I use devices like the MAX30009 AFE in my research and they play a valuable role in making BioZ monitoring more ubiquitous for healthcare device designers and fitness consumers.”