This post is here to comments links and news on intetesting IoT products I see. I plan to post mainly information on new products, but sometimes I can post also information on older but what I see still relevat IoT products. I might also post here some embedded systems products that are not directly related to IoT as well.
474 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kniwwelino Is An ESP8266 Micro:Bit
https://hackaday.com/2018/04/05/kniwwelino-is-an-esp8266-microbit/
Kniwwelino is the latest in a line of micro:bit-inspired projects that we’ve seen, but this one comes with a twist: it uses an ESP8266 and WiFi at the core instead of the nR51 ARM/BTLE chip. That means that students can connect via laptop, cellphone, or anything else that can get onto a network.
That’s not the only tradeoff, though. In order to get the price down, the Kniwwelino drops the accelerometer/magnetometer of the micro:bit for a programmable RGB LED. With fewer pins to break out, the Kniwwelino is able to ditch the love-it-or-hate-it card-edge connector of the micro:bit as well. In fact, with all these changes, it’s hard to call this a micro:bit clone at all — it’s more like a super-blinky ESP8266 development kit.
http://www.kniwwelino.lu/en/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Is this true or april fools joke?
Hackster Announces Project MagicDragon
The World’s Largest All-In-One Hardware Development Tool
https://blog.hackster.io/hackster-announces-project-magicdragon-63c70670f3d8
Today we’re excited to announce Project MagicDragon, a smart hacker kit enhanced with a multi-screen display, artificial intelligence-driven interaction, unmatched wireless capabilities, secure over-the-air (OTA) updates, and compatibility with Arm, RISC-V, Leg, SPARK, and x86 architectures.
Project MagicDragon is a modular, fully open source, and brand agnostic system equipped with everything a developer needs to bring their connected projects to life. This industrial-enterprise, hacker-ready tool is set to disrupt the semiconductor, cloud, AI, and IoT industries in one. Boasting an incredibly large, H-shaped form factor, Project MagicDragon is compatible with all of today’s leading platforms — like Arduino, Raspberry Pi, BeagleBoard, Particle, and ESP, among others — and supports most wireless protocols including Wi-Fi, BLE, 2G/3G, telepathy, LTE Cat-M1, Zigbee, Morse Code v1, LoRa, Sigfox, LAN, WAN, Sign Language, AOL dial-up and satellite VSAT communications.
In terms of software, Project MagicDragon can be programmed via nearly every popular IDE and supports a wide range of services, such as AWS, Amazon Alexa, Microsoft Azure, Android Things, Facebook Open Privacy Console, Google Cloud IoT Core, IBM Watson, IFTTT, and Windows 2000 Millennium Edition, to name just a few.
Tomi Engdahl says:
RealWear aims to dominate assisted reality market with head-mounted tablet
https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/5g-waves/4460460/RealWear-aims-to-dominate-assisted-reality-market?utm_source=Aspencore&utm_medium=EDN&utm_campaign=social
In essence, the HMT-1 has almost all the same elements as an Android tablet, including a Qualcomm 8-core Snapdragon 625 processor, 16 GB of memory, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, along with USB and MicroSD slots. Those elements are reformatted into a ruggedized, horseshoe-shaped rig that can be mounted to a hardhat or other headgear. That’s the derivation of HMT, by the way – it stands for head mounted tablet. Aside from the configuration, the most obvious difference is that the screen is smaller, roughly the height and width of a matchbox – though clearly visible from a centimeter or three away.
The rig runs on a rechargeable battery roughly the size of a standard AA, and just as easily replaced. It lasts roughly 12 hours with ordinary usage.
Being Android-based, the HMT-1 can host any number of apps.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Review: Robotics system learning kit
https://www.edn.com/electronics-products/electronic-product-reviews/other/4460463/Review–Robotics-system-learning-kit
The TI robotics system learning kit (TI-RSLK) was developed in collaboration with Dr. Jon Valvano, professor of electrical and computer engineering at The University of Texas at Austin.
This low-cost robotics kit includes a classroom curriculum that provides students with a deeper understanding of how electronic system designs work. Developed with faculty at UT Austin, the TI-RSLK is designed to supplement university-level curriculum. This does not mean that younger ‘geeks,’ like I was in the ’60s, cannot tinker and learn with this kit as well.
The TI-RSLK Maze Edition Curriculum comes with 20 learning modules that cover basic to advanced topics. Each module is complete with lecture videos and slides, lab documentation and demonstration videos, quizzes, and classroom activities. The kit teaches embedded systems and applications to all levels of techies.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Osram debuts Lightelligence IoT platform architecture at L+B
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2018/03/osram-debuts-lightelligence-iot-platform-architecture-at-l-b.html?eid=293591077&bid=2061351
A layered approach to connected-SSL-enabled IoT applications that spans a local application layer through standard services to the cloud holds the promise of allowing a developer community to more quickly deliver new application functionality.
Light+Building (L+B) featured some sort of smart lighting or Internet of Things (IoT) demonstration in seemingly every booth, but Osram stood apart with its new solid-state lighting (SSL)-focused Lightelligence announcement. The platform is intended to be enabled by networked LED-based lighting infrastructure while delivering a variety of applications that range from energy savings to office space utilization to emergency services in nature. The architecture is unique in that shared services are sandwiched between the applications and cloud access for storage and analytics.
At first glance, it appeared that Lightelligence was similar to other emerging IoT brands. For example, Philips Lighting (soon to be Signify) announced the Interact IoT brand at L+B.
Indeed, it seemed that Osram’s primary goal in creating Lightelligence was to enable third parties to quickly build applications while reusing proven software to a large extent. “With Lightelligence, there is no need to reinvent the wheel when developing an application for lighting and building services,” said Thorsten Müller, head of innovation at Osram. “Development departments can make use of the know-how within the community. That leads to an enormous increase in efficiency in IoT development.”
At L+B, Osram debuted a multilayer IoT platform founded on LED lighting infrastructure that leverages both cloud- and locally-based services for developers to build functionality for applications.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Data is the new lighting as Philips unfurls IoT platform
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2018/03/data-is-the-new-lighting-as-philips-unfurls-iot-platform.html?eid=293591077&bid=2061351
All data, all the time: The company’s new Interact system continuously collects and analyzes information gathered from lighting and other sources.
In the biggest declaration yet that the Internet of Things represents the industry’s future, the world’s largest lighting company, Philips Lighting, unveiled an IoT platform that turns lighting into a byword for collecting and analyzing data about everything, everywhere.
“You can imagine all these devices — lamps, drivers, luminaires, sensors — being connected, sending information through software, and all this software sending this information back to a cloud-based platform, an IoT platform that is called Interact,” Rondolat said at the Light+Building exhibition in Frankfurt. “That platform is taking in account data security, data authentication, data storage, but also data analytics that we can, with our own services but also with open APIs with the services of third companies, be able to extract further value from the data.”
Minutes after Rondolat introduced Interact, Philips issued a press release that used the word “data” 17 times in noting that Interact “supports the company’s strategy to deliver new data-enabled services as value expands from lighting products and systems to services.”
Philips and many lighting vendors have been talking up such broad IoT lighting schemes for a couple of years, and some such as chipset company Gooee and others have already launched lights-to-cloud programs. But Interact is Philips first formal IoT “platform,” and coming from the industry leader, its introduction marks a symbolic coming out for the concept.
The press released noted: “Connected light points, sensors, and devices, as well as systems, can collect large volumes of data for which Interact was designed to handle. The highly secure, scalable cloud-based Interact platform uses sophisticated and modern data management and data processing capabilities, including machine learning, to bring sense to all manner of data — creating data-enabled services for customers that will deliver benefits beyond illumination. Interact will not only support customers to improve their lighting experiences but can also generate and upload data to the Interact IoT platform.”
Philips Lighting reveals new name: Signify
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2018/03/philips-lighting-reveals-new-name-signify.html?eid=293591077&bid=2061351
The change reflects the industry’s new IoT lighting-and-beyond zeitgeist. Shareholder approval pending.
Sounding as much Wittgenstein as lighting vendor, the company noted that the choice of Signify “originates from the fact that light becomes an intelligent language, which connects and conveys meaning.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Siemens Buys Agilion to Boost IoT
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333174
Siemens has acquired German wireless location solutions developer Agilion GmbH to boost its real-time location systems (RTLS) offering in the ultra-wideband (UWB) frequency spectrum for factory automation and automated guided vehicles (AGVs).
Targeting applications like smart factories and logistics, RTLS enables precise monitoring of the production process and a transparent material flow.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Andrew Brust / ZDNet:
Qualcomm launches SoCs for vision intelligence and IoT, combining an image signal processor, AI, CPU, and GPU tech for camera apps, robotics, smart displays
Qualcomm launches systems-on-chips for vision intelligence, IoT
https://www.zdnet.com/article/qualcomm-launches-systems-on-chips-for-vision-intelligence-iot/
The new QCS605 and QCS603 SoCs combine image signal processor, AI, CPU and GPU technology to accommodate a variety of camera applications, robotics and smart displays.
Two weeks ago I covered a series of announcements from GPU powerhouse Nvidia, around new AI-focused products. Among these announcements was a partnership around the integration of certain Nvidia technology into ARM chip designs, specifically to deliver optimized AI processing in IoT devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Qualcomm launches its new vision intelligence platform for IoT devices
https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/11/qualcomm-launches-its-new-vision-intelligence-platform-for-iot-devices/?utm_source=tcfbpage&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29&sr_share=facebook
Earlier this year it launched its new embedded platform for IoT developers; today, it’s introducing two new systems-on-a-chip for IoT, the QCS605 and QCS603, that combine a multicore ARM processor with the company’s AI engine and an image signal processor.
For these new chips, that custom design focuses mostly on the AI engine. That part of the chip can handle 2.1 trillion operations per second for neural network inferencing. That’s only a little bit slower than the promised performance of a Mobileeye EyeQ4 chip. As Madhavapeddy stressed, it’s far more efficient to bring inference to the edge, both in terms of latency and bandwidth. There’s no need for the data to make a roundtrip to the data center, after all. “We anticipated that trend, we have seen that trend, and we are catering to that,” he said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Splunk turns data processing chops to Industrial IoT
https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/10/splunk-turns-data-processing-chops-to-industrial-iot/?utm_source=tcfbpage&sr_share=facebook
IIoT is data found in manufacturing settings, typically come from sensors on the factory floor giving engineers and plant managers data about the health and well-being of the machines running in the facility. Up until now, that data hasn’t had a modern place to live. Traditionally, companies pull the data into Excel and try to slice and dice it to find the issues
Splunk wants to change that with Splunk Industrial Asset Intelligence (IAI).
The new product takes advantage of some existing Splunk tools being built on top of Splunk Enterprise, but instead of processing data coming from IT systems, it’s looking at Industrial Control Systems (ICS), sensors, SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems and applications and pulling all that data together and presenting it to the key constituencies in a dashboard.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Introduction to ThingSpeak
https://www.mathworks.com/videos/introduction-to-thingspeak-107749.html
ThingSpeak is an open data platform for the Internet of Things. Your device or application can communicate with ThingSpeak using a RESTful API, and you can either keep your data private, or make it public. In addition, use ThingSpeak to analyze and act on your data. ThingSpeak provides an online text editor to perform data analysis and visualization using MATLAB®. You can also perform actions such as running regularly scheduled MATLAB code or sending a tweet when your data passes a defined threshold. ThingSpeak is used for diverse applications ranging from weather data collection and analysis, to synchronizing the color of lights across the world.
How to Use MATLAB and Simulink with ThingSpeak
https://www.mathworks.com/videos/how-to-use-matlab-and-simulink-with-thingspeak-1483731838111.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Open IoT Platform with MATLAB Analytics
https://www.mathworks.com/products/thingspeak.html
ThingSpeak™ is an IoT analytics platform service that allows you to aggregate, visualize, and analyze live data streams in the cloud. You can send data to ThingSpeak from your devices, create instant visualizations of live data, and send alerts using web services like Twitter® and Twilio®. With MATLAB® analytics inside ThingSpeak, you can write and execute MATLAB code to perform preprocessing, visualizations, and analyses. ThingSpeak enables engineers and scientists to prototype and build IoT systems without setting up servers or developing web software. Key capabilities of ThingSpeak include:
ThingSpeak Support from Desktop MATLAB
Prototype Internet of Things (IoT) applications using ThingSpeak and MATLAB
https://www.mathworks.com/hardware-support/thingspeak.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://se.mathworks.com/help/thingspeak/getting-started-with-thingspeak.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
FrostBite IoT dev board
http://www.epanorama.net/newepa/2018/04/16/frostbite-iot-dev-board/
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/04/16/bluetooth-5-ja-thread-ssuomalaiseen-iot-kehityskorttiin/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Qualcomm enters smartphone computing with IoT devices
Sandiegol Qualcomm dominates the market for mobile application processors in its Snapdragon circuits, but in the future IoT devices can have a larger market. Now, the company has introduced two new IoT chipsets on its new Vision Intelligence platform.
The 10-nanometer FinFET process circuits are called QCS605 and QCS603. Their purpose is to bring computing power for machine vision and artificial intelligence to devices requiring small size, low heat output, and low battery operation.
Vision Intelligence circuits use the same artificial intelligence processor as the Snapdragon mobile phone circuits. Circuits support algorithms developed in TensorFlow, Caffe and Caffe2 environments. According to Qualcomm, the circuits make up to 2.1 trillion operations per computing power per second in their neurological calculation. According to the company, this is more than twice as much as in the corresponding competing IoT processors.
he performance of Qualcomm’s IoTs gives the impression that processors can play 4K video at 60 frames per second.
Of the first circuits, the QCS605 consists of eight Kryo 360 processors (two Arm Cortex-A75 cores and six Arm Cortex-A55 cores), the Adreno 615 graphics processor and the Hexagon 685 processor. This corresponds in many respects to the Snapdragon 845 chipset, but according to Qualcomm, the platform has been optimized for the requirements of IoT devices.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/7859-qualcomm-vie-alypuhelinlaskennan-iot-laitteisiin
Tomi Engdahl says:
Qualcomm Brings AI, Vision Processing to IoT
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333185
After surpassing $1 billion in IoT revenue in FY2017, Qualcomm is announcing new product families purpose-built for IoT applications. The company began by announcing a new family of IoT chipsets, the QCS603 and QCS605, along with software and reference designs, all dubbed the Qualcomm Vision Intelligence Platform. The platform brings the image and artificial intelligence (AI) processing capabilities found on its Snapdragon chipsets for premium smartphones to a wide range of consumer and industrial applications.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Abner Li / 9to5Google:
Google releases updated DIY AI Vision and Voice Kits for $89.99 and $49.99, with a Raspberry Pi Zero and a companion app for Android, available at Target
Google launches updated DIY kits for AI voice & vision w/ edu focus, available at Target
https://9to5google.com/2018/04/16/google-aiy-projects-target/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://blog.hackster.io/updates-for-the-google-aiy-projects-kits-889c1dffb3f
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Amazon introduces Alexa Blueprints that let anyone create custom Alexa skills and responses without coding
Amazon’s new ‘Alexa Blueprints’ let anyone create custom Alexa skills and responses
https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/19/amazons-new-alexa-blueprints-let-anyone-create-custom-alexa-skills-and-responses/
Amazon this morning is introducing “Alexa Blueprints,” a new way for any Alexa owner to create their own customized Alexa skills or responses, without needing to know how to code. The idea is to allow Alexa owners to create their own voice apps, like a trivia game or bedtime stories, or teach Alexa to respond to questions with answers they design – like “Who’s the best mom in the world?,” for example.
You could also create a skill that includes helpful information for the babysitter, which could be triggered by the command, “Alexa, open My Sitter,” Amazon suggests.
“Alexa Skill Blueprints is an entirely new way for you to teach Alexa personalized skills just for you and your family,”
To build your own skill or custom Alexa response, users will visit the website blueprints.amazon.com and select a template.
At launch, there are over 20 templates across categories like Fun & Games, At Home, Storyteller, and Learning & Knowledge.
https://blueprints.amazon.com/
Tomi Engdahl says:
RAK8211-NB ITracker Battery / Solar Powered Module Comes With NB-IoT & Bluetooth 5 Connectivity, GPS, And 5 Sensors
https://www.cnx-software.com/2018/04/20/rak8211-nb-itracker-battery-solar-powered-module-comes-with-nb-iot-bluetooth-5-connectivity-gps-and-5-sensors/
RAK8211-NB iTracker specifications:
Connectivity
NB-IoT via Quectel BC95-G (Global) wireless communication module + SIM card socket
Bluetooth 5 via Nordic Semi nRF52832 Arm Cortex-M4F micro-controller (Arduino compatible)
GPS/GLONASS via Quectel L70 GNSS module
Sensors
LIS3DH 3-axis “nano” accelerometer
LIS2MDL 3-axis digital magnetic sensor.
Tilt sensor
BME280 pressure, humidity and temperature sensor
OPT3001 intensity of light sensor
Tomi Engdahl says:
Personalize Your Alexa Experience in Minutes with Alexa Skill Blueprints
April 19, 2018
https://developer.amazon.com/blogs/alexa/post/9c769704-b6c1-466d-ac90-2c386848e508/personalize-your-alexa-experience-in-minutes-with-alexa-skill-blueprints
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/04/25/langaton-iot-kehityskortti-laajentaa-tukeaan/
Particle LTE E Series
The all-new E Series, with LTE connectivity designed for enterprise IoT applications
https://www.particle.io/lte/
If you’re building an IoT product, you should know most US carriers are no longer accepting 2G or 3G device certifications as early as June 2018. Which is why the newly updated E Series comes with LTE Cat-M1 that is designed for sensors. It consumes less power, and supports everything from water meters to asset trackers.
With the newly updated E Series, connect your devices knowing your cellular coverage won’t be disrupted for the next 10+ years.
Tomi Engdahl says:
There’s an Echo Dot for kids now
https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/25/theres-an-echo-dot-for-kids-now/
This was nothing if not inevitable. Alexa’s steady home takeover just found its way into your kids’ rooms — and it’s doing so with a brightly colored case. Amazon just unveiled the Echo Dot Kids Edition — the first time the company’s popular smart speaker line has targeted children directly.
Alexa is going kid-friendly
https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/25/alexa-is-going-kid-friendly/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The New Particle E-Series Now Available
https://blog.hackster.io/the-new-particle-e-series-now-available-eb66e19020c5
On the heels of the announcement of Particle Mesh and their three mesh network-enabled boards back in February, yesterday Particle launched their all-new E-Series board, with LTE connectivity.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Particle brings an LTE cellular model to market for networked devices working off of 2G and 3G
https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/24/particle-brings-an-lte-cellular-model-to-market-for-networked-devices-working-off-of-2g-and-3g/?utm_source=tcfbpage&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29&sr_share=facebook
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chipmakers seek new edge
http://www.ecns.cn/business/2018/04-24/300159.shtml
Chinese companies well placed to offer solutions tailored to AI, cloud-based IoT
Artificial intelligence and the cloud-based internet of things are two major areas where China’s homegrown chips have a good chance of competing with global players, industry experts said.
“In these two areas, we are roughly at the same position compared with the United States,” said Zhang Jianfeng, chief technology officer of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
The remarks came after the internet giant announced on Friday its decision to buy out local chipmaker Hangzhou C-Sky Microsystems to help boost the nation’s self-sufficiency in the sector.
“In light of the ongoing intelligence wave, companies who own enough data and run crucial AI-backed applications would have a competitive edge in producing smart chips,” Zhang said.
Founded in 2001, C-Sky claims to be the only embedded CPU volume provider in China with its own instruction set architecture. The company has thus far shipped 700 million chips globally, said Li Chunqiang, the firm’s vice-general manager.
“Thanks to Alibaba’s rich experience in application scenarios, we are in a good position to deeply integrate technology with real-life industrial needs to take chip design to the next level,” said C-Sky’s Li.
It is because many real-world AI applications－from recognizing objects in images to understanding human speech－require a combination of different kinds of neural networks with different numbers of layers.
According to a national action plan on AI from 2018 to 2020, China has set a target to be able to mass produce neural network processing chips, robots that will make accomplishing daily tasks easier for disabled people, and machine learning that will help radiologists read X-ray scans.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mouser – Enhanced base for compliant street and smart grid lighting (TE Connectivity 2314786-1)
https://www.electropages.com/2018/04/mouser-enhanced-base-compliant-street-smart-grid-lighting/?utm_campaign=2018-04-25-Electropages&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=article&utm_content=Mouser+-+Enhanced+base+for+compliant+street+and+smart+grid+lighting
Mouser now stocks the LUMAWISE Endurance N Enhanced base from TE Connectivity. The base creates a platform for the fast development and manufacturing of NEMA/ANSI-compliant street and outdoor lighting controls, smart grids, and other commercial lighting solutions.
The device takes the existing base assembly to the next level of performance needed for smart street light controls by combining a switch-mode AC/DC power supply, 16A switching relay, and metal-oxide varistor surge protector onto the NEMA/ANSI C136.41-compliant base. The enhanced base gives commonly used DC voltages to a system’s control PCB, which stacks on top of the assembly using the integral standoffs and standard wire jumpers.
TE Connectivity LUMAWISE Endurance N Enhanced Base
https://eu.mouser.com/new/TE-Connectivity/te-connectivity-lumawise-endurance-n/?utm_source=Electropages&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=electropagesprodnews-OL&utm_content=LearnMore-Image-Text
TE Connectivity’s LUMAWISE Endurance N Enhanced Base creates a platform for rapid development and manufacture of NEMA/ANSI street and outdoor lighting control solutions. This enhanced base takes the TE LUMAWISE light controller base assembly to the next level of performance. This LUMAWISE Endurance N Enhanced Base provides AC power switching and DC power supplies necessary for complex control node solutions. These performance features allow designers more time to focus on value-adding features. The enhanced base presents organized DC power and signaling interfaces to the designer. The base incorporates a mechanical architecture that supports design reuse and modularity across lighting control products.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Amazon is now selling home security services, including installations and no monthly fees
https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/26/amazon-is-now-selling-home-security-services-including-installations-and-no-monthly-fees/?utm_source=tcfbpage&sr_share=facebook
Amazon’s made a slew of acquisitions in the area of smart home services, and now it’s offering a product that brings them together under one roof — your roof.
Amazon has quietly launched a portal offering home security services — which include all the equipment you would need and in-person visits from Amazon consultants to advise and install the kit.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Lowers The Artificial Intelligence Bar With Complete DIY Kits
https://hackaday.com/2018/04/26/google-lowers-the-artificial-intelligence-bar-with-complete-diy-kits/
Last year, Google released an artificial intelligence kit aimed at makers, with two different flavors: Vision to recognize people and objections, and Voice to create a smart speaker. Now, Google is back with a new version to make it even easier to get started.
The main difference in this year’s (v1.1) kits is that they include some basic hardware, such as a Raspberry Pi and an SD card.
AIY Projects: Updated kits for 2018
https://developers.googleblog.com/2018/04/aiy-projects-updated-kits-for-2018.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nordic Semiconductor has added Zigbee support to its popular IoT networks nRF52840. Now the same circuit can be used to implement the IoT network either with Bluetooth 5, Bluetooth mesh, Thread or Zigbee technology.
Multicast support supports the implementation of an IoT device running on multiple networks. With Zigbee support, the nRF52840 chip supports all of the most popular mesh networking technologies.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7909&via=n&datum=2018-04-25_15:07:39&mottagare=30929
Tomi Engdahl says:
Analysis tool for IoT solutions
The Amazon AWS cloud service provides a new kind of IoT Analytics tool. It can be used to analyze data from the internet (IoT) of objects and sensors. The Novelty Tool can make more specific decisions for IoT and machine learning applications.
AWS’s IoT Analytics collects, pre-processes, enriches, stores and analyzes IoT device data so companies can easily identify different things about their solutions.
Source: https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/04/26/analysointityokalu-iot-ratkaisuihin/
More: https://aws.amazon.com/iot/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Raspberry Pi Can Now Connect to the Particle Cloud
https://makezine.com/2016/11/16/raspberry-pi-can-now-connect-particle-cloud/
Particle’s cloud service has proven to be a useful tool. Though previously it was mainly the domain of the boards produced by Particle, such as the photon and electron, they have decided to open up the Particle Cloud to Raspberry Pi.
Starting on November 22nd, Raspberry pi will be welcomed into the system
Here’s a bit of what is new:
Simple Arduino Code: Use the existing Particle Web IDE, and program your Pi with Wiring. No more complicated tooling, setup, or scripting to perform simple tasks like trigger a pin, blink an LED, or read a sensor value.
Over-the-Air Updates: Safely reprogram code running on your Pi’s one at a time in the Web IDE or as a fleet of devices in the Console.
Batch Script Execution: Remotely execute customized scripts on groups of Raspberry Pi’s using the exec command.
Remote Data Collection: Collect and publish data to the Particle Cloud, or store it locally by logging it on your Pi.
Integrations: Integrate with IFTTT, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure.
https://blog.particle.io/2016/11/15/raspberry-pi-joins-the-particle-cloud/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Teardown: Google’s Home Mini
https://www.edn.com/design/consumer/4460586/Teardown–Google-s-Home-Mini
Bright Steve says:
Nice products! Thank you!
Tomi Engdahl says:
Green IoT with Revolutionary Ultra-low-power Precision Real-Time-Clock
https://www.eeweb.com/profile/eeweb/news/green-iot-with-revolutionary-ultra-low-power-precision-real-time-clock
EM Microelectronic announced the release of its EM3028 Extreme low power Real-Time Clock (RTC) module, setting a new industry benchmark for accuracy and power consumption.
EM3028 leads the way for green IoT applications, with 50% extended battery life compared to its closest competitor, at double the accuracy. It extends the device life span at a reduced overall BOM cost.
The EM RTCs provide an elegant solution for increasing the autonomy of connected devices, by providing accurate sleep and wake-up timing for their power-hungry elements, thus enhancing the global user experience. The frustrating need to frequently charge or replace the batteries of a wearable device becomes a thing of the past with the EM3028 used as an ideal companion for EM’s energy harvesting solutions, this unique combination requiring, in certain applications, no charging or battery replacement throughout the complete device life span.
The high accuracy and long-term stability of this RTC guarantee consistent performance throughout the device lifetime without the need to calibrate during manufacturing. Its 1-ppm accuracy guarantees a staggering 30 seconds precision over one year, twice as good as the best-in-class RTC previously on the market, while consuming the energy equivalent of 4 water drops per day.
The device features an integrated backup switch and, thanks to the extreme low power operation, allows waking up a sleeping device even years after it has been switched off for power saving purposes, all at extremely low BOM cost.
“Today we set a new world record, with 40nA current consumption for 1-ppm accuracy, making the EM3028 the perfect embodiment of our watchmaking DNA: Swiss precision timing combined with ultra-low-power microelectronics”, says Michel Willemin, CEO of EM Microelectronic. “This development is a major stepping stone for our vision of a green IoT with a seamless user experience, based on zero-maintenance devices”.
Other key features of EM3028 include a 32-bit UNIX timer, operating voltage range as low as 1.2V
http://www.emmicroelectronic.com/products/timing/real-time-clocks-modules
Tomi Engdahl says:
R00ZZ0008EU0100-synergy
Renesas Synergy™Software Package(SSP) Redefines Software Development for the IoT Market
https://www.renesas.com/en-us/doc/products/renesas-synergy/doc/r00zz0008eu0100-synergy.pdf?ls=email&cid=em_nws_s3a1_eew_00002
RX65N, RX651
https://www.renesas.com/en-us/products/microcontrollers-microprocessors/rx/rx600/rx65n-651.html?ls=email&cid=em_nws_rx65n_eew_00001
RX65N and RX651 Groups are new mainstream RX microcontrollers with RXv2 core, large-capacity RAM, and enhanced security, connectivity, and HMI
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ron Amadeo / Ars Technica:
Android Things, Google’s IoT platform for developers, out of beta with version 1.0, as Google promises to deliver updates for every device for three years — Google’s solution to IoT security is to do all the updates itself, for free. — It’s Google I/O week and even though the keynote …
Android Things 1.0 launches, Google promises 3 years of updates for every device
Google’s solution to IoT security is to do all the updates itself, for free.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/05/android-things-hits-version-1-0-with-centralized-google-update-system/
It’s Google I/O week and even though the keynote isn’t until tomorrow, news is already hitting the (Wi-Fi) airwaves. After being announced all the way back in 2016 and going through eight developer previews, Android Things is finally hitting version 1.0. Android Things is yet another Android OS form factor that lives alongside Android TV, Android Automotive, and (Android) Wear OS. Things is meant for IoT devices, with a special focus on fixing the security nightmare that IoT devices usually create.
Most Android devices are not known as bastions of security (the phrase “toxic hellstew” comes to mind) but the root cause of security problems on most Android devices is the same problem that plagues IoT: device makers don’t want to update their devices. Google is going to solve this problem by just doing all the update work itself: every single Android Things-based product will get three years of OS updates, direct from Google, for free.
It sounds so simple doesn’t it? Just make Google do it. But the reason Google can do all the updates for all the Android Things is because device makers aren’t allowed to modify the Android Things OS. Just like Windows, Android Things is closed source and has a centralized update system. Google controls the operating system, and device makers can only make apps. Such a centralized update scheme could never work the open source Phone Android, where OEMs can—and do—change every little thing about the OS (usually for no good reason).
With Google in charge of updates, three years of support will come to any device running the “long-term support version” of Android Things, which is expected of end-user devices. Automatic updates are enabled by default and will arrive as monthly security updates and the occasional major OS update. Google also mentions that after three years there are “additional options for extended support.”
As part of this centralized update scheme, Android Things only supports certain pieces of hardware. With the 1.0 launch, Google is certifying System-on-Modules (SoMs) based on the NXP i.MX8M, Qualcomm SDA212, Qualcomm SDA624, and MediaTek MT8516. We normally deal with SoCs (System-on-Chips) around here, but an SoM is pretty much the same thing—a CPU, RAM, storage, Wi-Fi, I/O and anything else you need to run a mini computer. SoMs are just bigger (and cheaper!) than SoCs, since the components are strewn around a tiny circuit board rather than crammed into a tiny chip.
Additionally, the NXP i.MX7D and hacker favorite Raspberry Pi 3 Model B are supported as developer devices. These don’t have a promise of 3 years of updates and aren’t meant for production devices, but they’re good for prototyping.
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/7947-kaksi-eri-iot-moduulia-4g-verkkoon
Tomi Engdahl says:
New Arm IP Helps Protect IoT Devices from Increasingly Prevalent Physical Threats
https://www.arm.com/news/2018/05/new-arm-ip-helps-protect-iot-devices-from-increasingly-prevalent-physical-threats
News highlights:
New Arm Cortex-M35P processor, first Cortex-M to combine anti-tampering technology and robust software isolation – bringing smartcard levels of security to emerging applications such as smart metering, door locks and automotive
Enhanced security IP protects silicon against increasingly prevalent physical attacks by bringing higher levels of protection against close proximity side-channel attacks, including power and electromagnetic analysis
Together, the new suite of IP empowers Arm partners to achieve a flexible and robust level of physical security enabling emerging IoT use cases
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nordic Semicondutor nRF91
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/05/03/langattomiin-iot-verkkoihin-uutuuspiiri/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mentor
IoT Framework and Cloud Demonstration
https://www.mentor.com/embedded-software/resources/overview/iot-framework-and-cloud-demonstration-1ed66dd8-2287-4b59-8b86-d499be3088fa
End-nodes powered by Nucleus RTOS, an edge gateway powered by Mentor Embedded Linux both use Mentor Embedded IoT Framework to connect the devices to a cloud to show sensor information along with time-sensitive system behavior and remote profiling using Sourcery Analyzer.
IIoT Evolution: An Approach To Reuse And Scale Your IIoT Technology Investment
https://www.mentor.com/embedded-software/resources/overview/iiot-evolution-an-approach-to-reuse-and-scale-your-iiot-technology-investment-a2f4e0d1-c168-4481-bbad-1971e23e9848?clp=1&mid=6818270&PC=L&c=2018_05_07_esd_iiot_evolution_scale_inves
Tomi Engdahl says:
VMware Pulse IoT Center is Now Generally Available
https://blogs.vmware.com/pulseiot/2018/01/19/vmware-pulse-iot-center-now-generally-available/
Today, we are proud to announce the general availability of VMware Pulse IoT Center, the first solution in a new family of VMware Internet of Things (IoT) offerings. I want to thank our engineering, product management and product marketing teams for all of their efforts and diligence to deliver the solution to market.
We put VMware Pulse IoT Center, a secure, enterprise grade IoT device management and monitoring solution, through the paces in an extensive beta test with customers and partners going back to June 2017. Companies across a broad range of vertical industries including automotive, entertainment, healthcare and industrial participated in the beta program.
Since unveiling the solution at Dell EMC World in May of last year, we have been busy readying key partnerships to help customers better manage and monitor their ‘things’ and infrastructure in a secure fashion and at scale. In that time, we have established an ecosystem featuring collaborations with ADLINK, Dell EMC, Eurotech, Fujitsu, Harman, Samsung and SAP, among numerous other leading vendors in IoT, to help customers take the guesswork out of IoT implementations. You can expect more details regarding those collaborations in the coming months as we work together to enable our respective solutions to interoperate.
VMware Pulse IoT Center
https://www.vmware.com/products/pulse.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Gartner names Haltian a Cool Vendor for IoT Services 2018
https://haltian.com/news/gartner-names-haltian-a-cool-vendor-for-iot-services-2018/
“A Cool Vendor is a company that has figured out a way to bring to light the technology trends that are happening today. It’s really about picking up a current trend in the market and turning it into a new way to do something — like a new product or service.” , says Forbes
Tomi Engdahl says:
Introducing the Top 10 Dev Boards of 2018
https://www.arrow.com/en/research-and-events/videos/the-top-10-development-platforms-dev-kits-2018
Tomi Engdahl says:
Andrew Gebhart / CNET:
Google says blinds, kettles, ovens, refrigerators, air purifiers, fans, air conditioners, coffee makers, and sprinklers now work natively with Google Assistant — After all the bombast over Duplex had died down, Google quietly rolled out a more immediately relevant smart home upgrade at Google’s I/O Developer Conference.
Google Assistant gets native controls for ovens, coffee makers and more
https://www.cnet.com/news/google-assistant-gets-native-controls-for-ovens-coffee-makers-and-more/
The days of asking Google to ask LG or Rachio to talk to your refrigerator or sprinkler are blessedly almost over.
After all the bombast over Duplex had died down, Google quietly rolled out a more immediately relevant smart home upgrade at Google’s I/O Developer Conference. During a developer keynote session, the search giant revealed nine new device types that will now work natively with Google Assistant — blinds, kettles, ovens, refrigerators, air purifiers, fans, air conditioners, coffee makers and sprinklers.
Google Assistant is the company’s voice-controlled digital helper similar to Amazon’s Alexa. You can talk to Google Assistant on your smartphone or a smart speaker such as a Google Home to control more than 5,000 devices. With support for native integrations, third-party developers can add Google Assistant controls to their devices, and they won’t have to include clunky extra activation language.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mouser – New PSoC 6 Wi-Fi kit for developing robust IoT and wearable applications (Cypress Semiconductor CY8CKIT-062-WiFi-BT)
https://www.electropages.com/2018/05/mouser-psoc-6-wi-fi-kit-developing-robust-iot-wearable-applications/?utm_campaign=2018-05-11-Electropages&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=article&utm_content=Mouser+-++New+PSoC+6+Wi-Fi+kit+for+developing+robust+IoT+and+wearable+…
Mouser now stocks the CY8CKIT-062-WiFi-BT PSoC 6 Pioneer Kit from Cypress Semiconductor. Perfect for IoT applications and wearable devices, the kit allows the development of Wi-Fi applications employing a high-performance Cypress PSoC 6 microcontroller.
The kit includes a PSoC 6 WiFi-BT Pioneer Board, TFT display shield, necessary jumper wires, and a USB cable. The board allows header footprints for compatibility with Arduino UNO shields and Digilent Pmod modules with operating voltages from 1.8V to 3.3V. The board also incorporates an onboard programmer and debugger with mass storage programming and custom applications support as well as 512Mbits of NOR flash for expandable memory.
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Smart building’ connectors aid new innovations
https://www.electropages.com/2018/05/smart-building-connectors-aid-new-innovations/?utm_campaign=&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=article&utm_content=%E2%80%98Smart+building%E2%80%99+connectors+aid+new+innovations
If there is anyone in the developed world for whom the word ‘building’ still conjures up an image of a structure comprising just four walls, a roof, a couple of doors and a few windows then the latest ‘smart building’ developments are likely to come as quite a rude shock.
Security is of course a major issue for smart homes and buildings. Indeed, there are now numerous products on the market that work in tandem with smart-phones so that a homeowner – even one hundreds of miles away – can see who’s knocking at the door or looking through the windows of his property. Other smart-door bell options can include two-way talk, infrared lighting and motion detection. And in addition to the increasingly ubiquitous smart-door bells, a number of other ground breaking new developments are now being rolled out that aim to address this issue.
Most of the latest DIY and top of the range home security systems now offer support for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple Siri. These allow for doors to be unlocked, thermostat settings to be changed, the garage to be opened, and the system to be armed or disarmed with a spoken command to a connected speaker device.
At a recent industry fair in Frankfurt, KNX Secure launched its first interoperable secure devices, based on security standard AES128 and KNX Secure Standard. KNX is a standardised, OSI-based network communications protocol for building automation. And it is the successor to, and convergence of, three previous standards: the European Home Systems Protocol (EHS), BatiBUS, and the European Installation Bus (EIB or Instabus). The standard is administered by the KNX Association.
AES128 is double encrypted and this feature is claimed by the association to have raised the security bar for smart homes and smart building.
“KNX is the first and only smart home and smart building standard that meets the highest security requirements in cyber security worldwide.”
Telegärtner Karl Gärtner GmbH, the developer of modules and cable connectors, said, “The trend of ever higher transmission rates is constantly increasing, also because more and more intelligent, mobile devices are spreading.”
The company recently presented its latest connection module and connector for home installations at an industry fair in Frankfurt. The components are the newly developed, field-terminable AMJ module and the field-assembled cable connectors. The connection module housing and shielding enables secure data transmission even in the event of external electrical interference. An important consideration in their development was to try and make the components as ‘future proof’ as possible. This is in anticipation of the future applications of 25GBase-T or 40GBase-T that is expected to replace the current 10GBASE-T Ethernet, whose 10 GB/s data rates are already insufficient in many cases.
Meanwhile, Atlantik Elektronik, the provider of innovative wireless solutions presented in Frankfurt a new multi-mode solution with integrated Bluetooth® 5, dual-band Wi-Fi and 802.15.4 technology from Qualcomm.
Other recent developments unveiled include a new EGPRS module with global coverage from the Swiss module maker U-blox. The ultra-compact LTE Cat M1/NB1 and EGPRS modules feature low power consumption and longer battery life, together with extended range in buildings, basements, and with NB1, underground. Easy migration between u-blox 2G, 3G and 4G modules is also afforded.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3G/4G/LTE antennas fit tiny PCBs
https://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4460547/3G-4G-LTE-antennas-fit-tiny-pcbs
Offered in left and right versions, Antenova’s Integra and Inversa chip antennas are just 3.3 mm high for use in slimline 3G and 4G/LTE devices. The antennas perform efficiently with a small ground plane, even on PCBs as small as 65 mm. For boards smaller than 75 mm, Antenova supplies an active tuning circuit to overcome bandwidth reductions.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Android Things to boost MediaTek IoT chip shipments
https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20180511PD206.html
MediaTek is expected to see its shipments of IoT chips expand significantly in the second half of 2018, buoyed by Google’s release of Android Things 1.0, according to industry sources.
Android Things 1.0, which was announced at the recently concluded Google I/O 2018, is Google’s managed OS that enables developers to build and maintain IoT devices at scale.
To accelerate the development and production of IoT devices by developers, Google also announced support of certified system-on-modules (SoMs) based on MediaTek MT8516 as well as NXP i.MX8M, and Qualcomm SDA212, SDA624 hardware platforms.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Symbisa – Mobile IoT Sensing Kit
https://www.element14.com/community/docs/DOC-89311#overview