STMicroelectronics and Mobile Physics have collaborated to enable smartphones and other devices to measure household and ambient air quality using a built-in optical sensor. This collaboration integrates Mobile Physics' EnviroMeter app with ST’s multizone ranging sensors, commonly used for camera autofocus and presence detection, to measure particulates in the air. The solution offers accuracy comparable to dedicated air-quality monitors and operates efficiently on ST’s low-power technology, providing constant awareness with minimal impact on battery life. The collaboration addresses the need for air-quality monitoring by integrating Mobile Physics’ software and ST’s VL53L8 direct time-of-flight (dToF) sensor on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 smartphone platform, enabling always-on air-quality sensing and smoke detection.
The EnviroMeter SDK offers an air-quality sensing solution along with data on temperature, wind, precipitation, humidity, light intensity, UV, and noise levels. The solution, requiring only a standard dToF sensor and Mobile Physics software, can detect particles smaller than 2.5 microns, empowering users to protect their health. The VL53L8 sensor, widely used in electronic products including smart speakers, projectors, laptops, robots, IoT devices, and home appliances, offers a small form factor suitable for integration into various devices. Engineers can accelerate projects involving proximity and presence detectors using ST's development ecosystem, which includes development boards and evaluation packs. At Mobile World Congress 2024, where an air-quality monitoring demonstration will be showcased.
