The zOrigin Fitness Tracker Is the First Commercial Implementation of zGlue Chip-Stacking…

Designing virtually any new device requires the implementation of multiple individual chips. Take a look at the circuit boards in the…

Designing virtually any new device requires the implementation of multiple individual chips. Take a look at the circuit boards in the gadgets you own, and you’ll see many chips connected by traces and eventually ending up with some sort of output. Traditionally, those chips are arranged on a 2D plane — the circuit board. The new zGlue system is designed to stack them instead in order to save space, and the zOrigin fitness tracker is the first device to use the new technology.

zOrigin, which is currently in the crowdfunding stage on Crowd Supply, is a fairly straightforward wearable fitness tracker. Like a Fitbit, it’s worn on the wrist and connects to your phone via BLE. It has a heart rate monitor, an accelerometer for tracking steps, and a temperature sensor. It doesn’t have a display screen of its own, but it can last a week or two on a single charge, which puts it ahead of all of the Fitbit models.

What you’re really funding, however, is the new zGlue Integration Platform (ZiP) that the zOrigin is built on. ZiP includes zCAD, which is software that lets you design 2.5D chip stacks like the ZGZL1BA that powers the zOrigin. In addition to the hardware rewards, backers will also receive a free trial of the zCAD software. zGlue claims that designs created with zCAD can be manufactured in volume within days, which makes it a very attractive option for launching new devices.

The Crowd Supply campaign is already completely funding (their goal was only $1), and will run until June 29th. $49 will get you a zOrigin, and for $99 you can get a zOrigin Dev Board. Rewards should ship in August.

Cameron Coward
Writer for Hackster News. Proud husband and dog dad. Maker and serial hobbyist.
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