A new device to help tackle sleep apnea has claimed first prize in the ARM® Smart Product Design Competition. The Apnea Observer was designed by developer Clemente di Caprio from Rome, Italy, who has been awarded $5,000 to help advance his prototype. Sleep apnea affects up to a quarter of the general population according to the British Journal of Anaesthesia, with 90 percent of sufferers remaining undiagnosed. If left untreated, this chronic sleep condition can lead to serious health problems including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and weight gain.

The competition was launched in February 2015 to raise awareness of how easily products can be designed with ARM CMSIS software components and middleware. It attracted more than 700 entries, with 350 moving to the development phase where entrants could choose to work with ARM Cortex®-M processor-based development boards from Freescale, Infineon, NXP or STMicroelectronics. Fourteen entries were selected as finalists, with the three prize-winners chosen by a panel of judges including Jens Nickel (Elektor), Reinhard Keil (ARM) and Christopher Seidl (ARM).

Other winners awarded prizes of $500-$3,000 include:

  • Stephan Lubbers of Dayton, USA, for his WhereSat portable ham radio satellite finder
  • Waldemir Cambiucci of Sao Paulo, Brazil, for his water consumption monitoring system with web interface
  • Fernando Lichtschein of Buenos Aires, Argentina, for his framework for IoT workshops
  • Bernhard Schloß of Tübingen, Germany, for his CamBot with optical image recognition.

“It was impressive that so many participants with limited experience of ARM technologies completed projects in the short timespan available,” said Reinhard Keil, director of microcontroller tools, ARM. “This has reinforced our confidence that CMSIS and ARM tools are easy to learn and use. The ready-to-use software components also proved flexible enough for use across a diverse range of applications and enabled seamless access to a range of different ARM-based microcontroller families.”

The winning Apnea Observer monitors sleeping noises and detects acute sleep irregularities. The application runs on the NXP LPC4330, a dual-core microcontroller that combines the ARM Cortex-M4 and Cortex-M0 processors. The Cortex-M4 performs the audio analysis, making use of its integrated digital signal processing functionality, while the Cortex-M0 handles the data acquisition and storage. The device also engages the ARM Keil® MDK-Professional file system component and CMSIS-Drivers to interface with the memory card and serial and audio capabilities.

Notes to Editors

Full details of all the winners’ innovations, along with other honourable mentions can be found on a dedicated blog on the ARM Connected Community.

About CMSIS

The Cortex Microcontroller Software Interface Standard (CMSIS) provides a ground-up software framework for embedded applications that run on Cortex-M based microcontrollers. CMSIS was started in 2008 and the initiative is in close cooperation with various silicon and software vendors. CMSIS enables consistent and simple software interfaces to the processor and the peripherals, simplifying software reuse, reducing the learning curve for microcontroller developers.

About Keil MDK

Keil MDK Version 5 is the most comprehensive software development solution for Cortex-M processor based microcontrollers. MDK includes IDE, C/C++ compiler, debugger, Software Pack management, and CMSIS software components. The MDK Professional Edition also includes the MDK-Professional Middleware with software components for TCP/IP networking, USB Host and Device, File System, and Graphical User Interfaces.

About ARMARM (LSE: ARM, NASDAQ: ARMH.US) designs technology at the heart of the world's most advanced digital products. We are enabling the development of new markets and transformation of industries and society, invisibly creating opportunity for a globally connected population. Our scalable, energy-efficient processor designs and related technologies deliver intelligence wherever computing happens, ranging from sensors to servers, including smartphones, tablets, digital TVs, enterprise infrastructure and the Internet of Things.

Our innovative technology is licensed by ARM Partners who have shipped more than 65 billion System on Chip (SoCs) containing our intellectual property. Together with our Connected Community, we are breaking down barriers to innovation for developers, designers and engineers, ensuring a fast, reliable route to market for leading electronics companies. Learn more and join the conversation at http://community.arm.com

ARM, ARM Powered, Cortex and Keil are registered trademarks of ARM Limited (or its subsidiaries) in the EU and/or elsewhere. All rights reserved. All other brands or product names are the property of their respective holders. "ARM" refers to ARM Holdings plc (LSE: ARM and NASDAQ: ARMH) and members of its corporate group as constituted from time to time. None of the information contained in this document may be adapted, republished, or reproduced in any form except with the prior written permission of the copyright holder, but links may be posted directly to this document from other websites, and the whole of the document correctly attributed and unmodified may be shared freely, unless the copyright holder at any time withdraws these permissions. This document is intended only to provide information to the reader about the relevant product(s) described or mentioned. All information is provided "as is" and without warranty. ARM makes no representation as to the product(s), and ARM shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising from the use of any information in this document or any error or omission in such information.

ARMAndy Winstanley, +44 1223 405244/ +44 7788 249712Director of Corporate PRandy.winstanley@arm.com

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