Context-aware: How PCs are leading the way

By HP and ST.

EliteBook 1000 - World’s first PC with ‘on table’ and ‘on lap’ autosensing modes

In 2020, billions of employees suddenly found themselves experiencing hybrid work, alternating between working in the office and remotely from home. For the first time in history, professional PCs were exposed to multiple environments, from the cozy confines of people’s couches to the more traditional office desks.

Because HP knew that this shift was not just a temporary trend, the company released the world’s first context‑aware PC that same year: the EliteBook 1000. Designed for professionals, the series leverages ST’s ultralow power motion sensor with AI at the edge to detect employees’ environment and automatically adjust their PC settings accordingly. All this without gobbling up the battery.

Adapting professional PCs to the hybrid work model

Imagine a world where sensors could do more than just collect data. At the time of its release, ST’s motion sensor was a revolutionary device, being the first to integrate AI. Highly compact, this ‘always‑on’ sensor, also called LSM6DSOX, observes our environment, process data, and runs machine learning algorithms. To achieve this high level of autonomy and intelligence, the motion sensor relies on a tiny but powerful hardware block: a machine learning core.

The best part? The block offloads algorithms from the application processor to the motion sensor itself.

And this migration certainly changed the game for the personal electronics industry. By enabling the implementation of context aware features while maintaining energy efficiency, edge AI laid the foundation for a new generation of smart devices.

Challenge

Solution

Impact

Edge AI: a key enabler for context-aware features

HP worked closely with ST’s experts to develop and train AI models that recognize different user activities based on device and user motion. Several use cases were addressed, including scenarios where the laptop is placed on a table, on the user’s lap, or carried inside a bag and taken out. Various groups within HP volunteered to conduct these activities to analyze and collect these unique motion patterns, which then were fed into a machine learning tool. This helped create an AI model specific to HP devices. The machine learning core—embedded in the sensor— executes this model, allowing HP computers to detect changes in the user’s scenario and respond accordingly.

ST's AI-enabled motion sensor with machine learning core

Now imagine a sensor with edge AI running at 34 microamps. This is precisely what ST’s motion sensor has brought to developers. TheLSM6DSOX was in 2020 a brand‑new AI‑enabled sensor packed with an inertial measurement unit featuring a high‑performance accelerometer and gyroscope.

With this sensor onboard, HP developers were able to create a new line of context‑aware laptops—EliteBook 1000— with minimal impact on battery life.

The simplicity of the machine learning core is a key element in achieving an unparalleled level of low power. The hardware block allows for the running of up to eight decision trees in just five simple steps: capture data, label it, build a decision tree with free tools, embed it in your application and finally process data in real time. With this streamlined method—yet ultra reliable—each new tree requires a power budget equivalent to that of a sleep mode. This enables the application processor to stand by and save power for what really counts.

Context‑awareness has already proved its worth. Carving out its status as a global leader in PCs, HP worked together with ST to set a new standard across the personal electronics industry.

CUSTOMER

HP Inc.

hp.com

ST TECHNOLOGIES

Personal computer