OmniVision Technologies, Inc. announced in advance of CES the OV32B image sensor, featuring a 0.7-micron pixel size to provide 32 megapixel (MP) resolution in a 1/3” optical format. This enables smartphone designers to offer the highest possible front-facing, selfie camera resolution in the limited space available. The OV32B also supports 2- and 3-exposure HDR timing for up to […]
Wearables
Air quality sensor platform carries waterproof rating
Renesas Electronics Corporation expanded its popular ZMOD4410 Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) sensor platform with the industry’s first software-configurable IP67-qualified waterproof option for IAQ applications operating in wet or dirty environments such as kitchens, bathrooms, and hospital rooms, where they are frequently exposed to water, oils, and dust. The firmware-configurable waterproof ZMOD4410 sensor features a unique hermetically sealed package […]
RISC-V for ultra-low power processing and AI on the edge
RISC-V is an exciting and rapidly-emerging technology. RISC-V is software; it is an open standard instruction set architecture (ISA) based on established reduced instruction set computer (RISC) principles. So far, this FAQ series has looked at how “RISC-V is growing and offers stability, scalability, and security,” the “Growing availability of tools reducing the risk of […]
Curved, side-mounted capacitive sensor optimized for mobile devices
Fingerprint Cards AB announces the launch of a new, slim and curved capacitive touch sensor for biometric authentication. Following the success of the FPC1540 sensor, the uniquely curved FPC1542 sensor is set to enable innovation in the latest borderless smartphone designs. As demand for side-mounted touch sensors grows, the curved sensor offers OEMs enhanced design […]
Iridium global satcom system: Brilliant design, terrible business, last-minute reprieve, Part 1
This worldwide satellite-based communications system went from dream to reality in a decade but quickly failed in the market; its revival took persistence and luck, plus a new customer base. Business failures of companies with grand schemes and grandiose plans are part of the realities of technology-driven visionaries. Sometimes, however, the project is so large […]
Health sensor kit cuts development time for wearables
Save at least six months of development time using the Health Sensor Platform 3.0 (HSP 3.0) from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. Also known as MAXREFDES104#, this ready-to-wear wrist form factor reference design monitors blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), electrocardiogram (ECG), heart rate (HR), body temperature, and motion. Included algorithms provide HR, heart-rate variability (HRV), respiration rate […]
Tiny MEMs resonators integrate load capacitors
SiTime Corporation announced that it has entered the $2 billion precision resonator market with the ApexMEMS family of MHz resonators. These new devices are the third-generation of SiTime silicon MEMS technology and are available in a variety of MHz frequencies for high-volume electronics. Mobile and IoT applications such as Bluetooth wearables and wearables, high-speed connectivity […]
MCUs integrate configurable analog/digital peripherals, mixed-signal development environment
Sensor-based Internet of Things (IoT) applications rely on a combination of analog functionality and digital control capability to meet a challenging list of requirements including low cost, small size, performance, and low power. Addressing this challenge through a focus on increased microcontroller (MCU) integration, Microchip Technology Inc. announced the PIC18-Q41 and AVR DB MCU families that are the first […]
Digital I2S outputs added to MEMS microphone line
CUI Devices’ Audio Group announced the addition of digital I2S output models to its comprehensive line of MEMS microphones. The bottom port CMM-3526D-261-I2S-TR and top port CMM-4030D-261-I2S-TR are housed in extremely compact, low profile packages measuring 3.50 x 2.65 x 0.98 mm and 4.00 x 3.00 x 1.25 mm, respectively. Thanks to their digital I2S […]
Configurable sensor fusion software platform adds high-precision sensing to wearables
CEVA, Inc. introduced the Hillcrest Labs MotionEngine Hear, a sensor, and processor agnostic embedded software solution for hearable devices. System-on-Chip (SoC) vendors, OEMs and ODMs can utilize MotionEngine Hear to deliver a frictionless user interface, gesture control, activity tracking and spatial audio for a range of smart personal audio devices, including true wireless stereo (TWS) […]
