ams awarded IoT Wearables Innovation of the Year; rounds off year of recognition for innovative sensor design and business excellence

Premstaetten, Austria (February 4, 2021) -- ams (SIX: AMS), a leading worldwide supplier of high-performance sensor solutions, is proud to announce that it has been named winner of the IoT Breakthrough Award in the category of IoT Wearables Innovation of the Year for the AS7038RB, an ultra-thin sensor offering blood oxygen monitoring capability for earbuds, patches, and other wearable devices. The small form factor and high integration enables use in space-constrained designs, while the innovative flexible implementation allows use in a cross section of applications. This sensor was also a finalist at the recent Best of Sensors Expo 2020.

Wim Renirie, Vice President and General Manager for the Accessory and Wearable Solutions Business Line at ams, said: “The introduction of the AS7038RB marks another ams breakthrough in technology for remote diagnostics. The AS7038RB offers an additional diagnostic tool enabling the creation of wearable and disposable equipment for monitoring blood oxygen saturation accurately and safely, without requiring the presence of a medical practitioner.”

Another high-profile technology from ams, the AS7341L spectral sensor, was nominated for the Technological Innovation Award category at the recent Innovation Award of China IoT Congress in 2020. Based on this technology, ams was also awarded funding by the Austrian Government to speed development of a cloud-connected, highly-sensitive, and accurate Lateral Flow Test (LFT) with digital read-out to be used in the fight against the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus.

Awards for business and financial excellence, employment, and diversity

ams has also been recognized for its business excellence. The company was awarded the Corporate Finance Award 2019 (Boersen Zeitung/pwc) for the acquisition of OSRAM Licht AG. In the Financial Times Diversity Leaders 2021 survey, a large Europe-wide study on corporate diversity, the company jumped to #32, reflecting ams’ efforts to attract employees from a wider talent pool, encourage diverse perspectives, and enhance global collaboration. 

Company leaders were also singled out for kudos, such as Jennifer Zhao, Executive Vice President and General Manager of ams’ Advanced Optical Sensors Division, who was named ‘Woman of the Year’ at Questex’s Sensors Innovation Week. 

The company was additionally nominated in the GSA 2020 Best Financially Managed Semi Company Award (Revenues above $1 billion category) and won several awards in Austria for business reputation and employment, including Top Employer Austria 2020 by Magazine Trend/Statistica; Leading Employer Award 2020, Austria by Institute of Research & Data Aggregation GmbH;  Best Employer Styria 2019 by Market Institute GmbH Linz (Key Performance category); and Austria’s Leading Companies Award – Styria by Die Presse (2nd place in the International category).

Other recognition for ams innovative sensor design 

During 2020, ams received a wide range of awards across global regions for its sensor solutions for consumer, medical and industrial, and automotive applications. 

Sensors and modules for smartphone cameras raise the bar on display and picture quality, our behind-OLED solutions enable smartphone manufactures to increase the ratio of usable display without compromising on performance, while 3D technology is creating new opportunities for secure and convenient access in commercial and industrial applications.

Some of the awards made to ams in 2020 included:

  • TCS3408 enables smartphone camera image systems to accurately measure and eliminate ambient light flicker in all lighting conditions:
    • World Electronics Achievement Award WEAA 2020 China (category Product of the Year) by AspenCore
  • TMF8801 enables laser detection auto-focus for a smartphone camera to zero in on the target with accurate distance measurement even when the cover glass is smudged or dirty: 
    • Artificial Intelligence Awards (Excellent Product Application in AI Industry) by OFweek China
    • Innovation Award of China IoT Congress in 2020 by Elecfans
  • TCS3701 enables front-facing ambient light and proximity sensing measurements in smartphones – maximizing edge-to-edge display screen size – with sensor operation under OLED display:
    • Finalist: Electronic Product of the Year 2020 by Elektronik Magazin
    • Electronics Industry Award 2020 (Display category) by Datateam Business Media & CIE Magazine
  • TMD3719 behind-OLED ALS/proximity/flicker sensor enables OEMs to design smartphones that have no bezel and so maximize screen-to-body ratio:
    • Finalist: Best of Sensors Expo 2020 (Mobile Devices category).
  • MERANO-PD flood illuminator offers the high beam control and quality needed in face recognition, 3D scanning, and AR/VR applications:
    • Finalist: Electronics Industry Award 2020 (Embedded Solution category) by Datateam Business Media & CIE Magazine
  • Micro Lens Array technology for Automotive operates as ultra-small projectors which have images integrated into the micro-optic lens, producing sharp images in brilliant color;
    • 2020 Innovation Technology Award by Vogel AI
  • AS3460 Digital Augmented Hearing companion chip provides world’s best performing noise cancellation for loose- and closed-fit earbuds:
    • Editor’s Choice – China’s Most Competitive Sensor Products 2019 by China Electronic Market, China