By Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing and Regional Marketing at Newark Manufacturers often assume that data gleaned from the factory floor can only come from the newest machinery, built from the ground-up with built-in intelligence and network connectivity. Those seeking to modernize for what some call the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) are […]
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Bluetooth direction finding brings a new dimension to indoor asset tracking
By Mikko Savolainen, Senior Manager, Industrial and Commercial IoT Products, Silicon Labs Since opening the Global Positioning System (GPS) for civilian use in the 1980s, GPS technology has become a mainstream and de facto solution for outdoor positioning and asset tracking, finding its way first from commercial airplanes to smartphones and smartwatches to match-box-sized GPS […]
Starting an HMI design? Here are four things to watch
The human-machine interface (HMI) is growing in consumer as well as industrial applications ranging from lighting to HVAC to digital signage. There are many HMI solutions, including the ones that use buttons, sliders, wheels, capacitive proximity sensing, and even human voice. There are tools and kits available that simplify the fine-tuning of HMI designs. What’s […]
Billions of reasons to build a trusted safe and secure IoT world
by Marc Vauclair, Senior Security System Architect, NXP Semiconductors The IoT (Internet of Things) devices we use in our homes, cars, mobile communication devices, and payment systems are also becoming increasingly accessible across healthcare and industrial domains. These billions of connected devices – some forecast 75 billion IoT devices by 2025 — will be a […]
AI-assisted screening for COVID-19 using CT images
Although COVID-19 tests are one means to determine infection, the rapid spread of the disease has created a shortage of test kits and a tight supply of reagents that are used to create test kits. Symptoms are another indication, but some of the infected show very mild or no symptoms. Another method leading to a […]
Breaking BLE — Vulnerabilities in pairing protocols leave Bluetooth devices open for attack
Despite built-in safe-guards, Bluetooth Low Energy IoT devices are vulnerable to hacks when they communicate over the air. Here are the basics of the problem. Leland Teschler, Executive Editor If you eyeball internet-of-things items ranging from smart ac plugs to motion sensors you typically find connectivity via the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) standard. A lot […]
Developing connected medical devices for the IoT
Super-small radio SoCs are being paired with innovative battery technologies to bring inexpensive medical electronics online. Adrie Van Meijeren, Low Power Connectivity • Dialog Semiconductor The Internet of Things (IoT) has disrupted many industries in short order. However, when it comes to adopting the IoT, the medical and pharmaceutical space has largely been held back. […]
How to test USB4 designs
Designers must look at and characterize the entire Type-C ecosystem when testing USB4 designs. Jit Lim • Keysight Technologies The USB Type-C connector has received significant adoption with ubiquitous standards like USB, DP, and Thunderbolt. The next-generation variant of USB is USB4. USB4 will transmit and receive on all four lanes of the Type-C connector […]
Selecting the right Bluetooth Low Energy SoC
Tricks of the trade for optimizing the energy consumption of BLE chips affect memory size, clock speed, operating modes, and other factors determined during the initial design. Emmanuel Sambuis, Silicon Labs It can be challenging to optimize Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) applications for minimal energy consumption. An understanding of BLE and the underlying system-on-chip (SoC) […]
No, IoT RF radiation won’t cause a pandemic
leland teschler | executive editor I once had a lengthy exchange with a guy who claimed RF from WiFi was making him sick. After numerous emails back and forth in which I tried to correct his misconceptions about WiFi signals, I gently suggested that he go find an RF screen room and sit in it […]