Wearable devices are increasingly adopting MPUs, making human-machine interfaces more attractive

In addition to introducing more micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) sensors into their products, wearable device brands also plan to equip their next-generation product lines with color screens and operating systems (OS) such as Android, Windows Embedded, and Linux, as well as microprocessors (MPUs) with higher computing performance, in order to create more eye-catching human-machine interface functions and increase product added value.

　　飞思卡尔（Freescale）市场行销暨业务发展经理刘聪雄表示，现阶段大多数可穿戴设备係配备黑白萤幕与即时作业系统（RTOS），且为延长电池使用寿命，因此选用微控制器（MCU）作为主处理器；然下一代产品为提供更丰富的人机界面功能，将逐步改採彩色萤幕，并内建作业系统，微控制器的运算效能将捉襟见肘，因而须换搭微处理器。

Freescale's marketing and business development manager Liu Congxiong said that
in order to achieve cooler human-machine interface functions, the introduction of microprocessors in wearable devices is unstoppable.

　　刘聪雄透露，目前已有不少智慧手表系统开发客户採用该公司的微处理器i.MX6设计新一代产品，将配备彩色萤幕和作业系统，以突显旗下产品的差异化。

　　然可穿戴设备品牌商採用微处理器开发产品面临的尺寸、功耗及成本挑战，将较采用微控制器更高，也因此，飞思卡尔已于2013年第三季携手软硬体合作伙伴 Revolution Robotics与Kynetics，发布採用i.MX6开发的可穿戴设备参考设计（Reference Design），助力系统商克服开发难题，大幅缩短产品开发时程，以加速提高穿戴式终端装置客户群于2014年搭载微处理器的比例。

　　刘聪雄指出，现今Android在作业系统市场独占鰲头，因此该公司发表的可穿戴设备参考设计系配备Android作业系统，未来将不排除再开发出内建Windows Embedded、Linux作业系统的参考设计。

　　刘聪雄预期，随着微处理器在可穿戴设备市场渗透率扩大，更多处理器厂商将会积极抢进，而相较于后进者，该公司微处理器加入本身拥有的MEMS感测器技术，将可为客户省却外挂採用微控制器开发的感测器中枢（Sensor Hub）于印刷电路板（PCB）的体积和成本，成为最大的竞争优势。

　　In addition, Freescale continues to expand its i.MX6 microprocessor product line, and has developed single-core, dual-core and quad-core microprocessors to meet the performance and power consumption requirements of different customer groups.

　　However, Liu Congxiong also emphasized that since wearable devices have more stringent requirements on size and power consumption, the use of microprocessors to develop wearable devices still needs to continue to break through the shackles of reducing the form factor of the motherboard and extending the battery life, which will become a technical problem that processors and wearable system developers will strive to solve.