Weartech-Comms / Bluetooth / Wireless

Nordic Semiconductor prepares for Bluetooth LE Audio

Wed, Jan 08, 2020

This year, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) will release the Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) Audio specification. To support this forthcoming specification, Nordic Semiconductor has partnered with Bluetooth LE stack developer, Packetcraft, to develop an LE Audio evaluation platform.

It demonstrates the benefits of LE Audio and is designed to support the new LE Audio specifications which promise lower power consumption than classic Bluetooth audio, significantly extending battery life, improved audio quality and enables the development of devices capable of both wireless data transfer and audio streaming. The technology also supports broadcast for audio sharing.

Nordic’s LE Audio comprises a hardware reference design based on its nRF52832 Bluetooth LE system on chip (SoC), Cirrus Logic’s CS47L35 smart codec with an integrated low power audio DSP, Packetcraft’s Bluetooth LE host stack and link layer supporting LE Audio and an LE Audio software development kit (SDK). The platform allows developers to start evaluating the technology for Bluetooth LE Audio wireless speakers, over-the-ear headphones and true wireless ear buds.

It is designed to operate in either source (for example, audio source, voice call headset source, and peer-to-peer call) or sink (audio playback, headset playback, and peer-to-peer call). A pair of devices (source and sink) is required to complete an LE Audio link. The LE Audio solution also features Cirrus Logic’s SoundClear for uplink noise reduction and echo cancellation, playback enhancement, voice control, and hearing augmentation.

An acoustic connector is incorporate that can accommodate up to six microphones or two speakers, a 3.5mm headset jack, a 3.5mm source jack, and a USB connector for charging, debug (using Nordic development tools), and acoustic tuning (using the Cirrus Logic WISCE platform). When wirelessly streaming audio from a source device to wireless (sink) earbuds, the LE Audio evaluation platform extends battery life by around 40 per cent compared to contemporary off-the-shelf classic Bluetooth solutions, claims Nordic Semiconductor.

http://www.nordicsemi.com

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Integrated IP and software develop contextually-aware IoT devices

Tue, Jan 07, 2020

At CES this week, Ceva will demonstrate its SenslinQ integrated hardware IP and software platform, designed to streamline the development of contextually-aware IoT devices.

The platform collects, processes and links data from multiple sensors to enable intelligent devices to understand their surroundings, explains the company by aggregating sensor fusion, sound and connectivity technologies.

Contextual awareness adds value and enhances the user experience of smartphones, laptops, augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) headsets, robots, hearables and wearables. The SenslinQ platform centralises the workloads that require an intimate understanding of the physical behaviours and anomalies of sensors. It collects data from multiple sensors within a device, including microphones, radars, inertial measurement units (IMUs), environmental sensors, and time of flight (ToF) sensors, and conducts front-end signal processing such as noise suppression and filtering on this data. It applies algorithms to create “context enablers” such as activity classification, voice and sound detection, and presence and proximity detection. These context enablers can be fused on a device or sent wirelessly via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or NB-IoT, to a local edge computer or the cloud to determine and adapt the device to its environment.

The customisable hardware reference design is composed of an Arm or RISC-V microcontroller, CEVA-BX DSPs and a wireless connectivity island, such as RivieraWaves Bluetooth, wi-fi or Dragonfly NB-IoT platforms, or other connectivity standards provided by the customer or third parties. Each components of these three components are connected using standard system interfaces.

The SenslinQ software is comprised of a portfolio of ready-to-use software libraries from CEVA and its ecosystem partners. Libraries include the Hillcrest Labs MotionEngine software packages for sensor fusion and activity classification in mobile, wearables and robots, the ClearVox front-end voice processing, WhisPro speech recognition and DSP and artificial intelligence (AI) libraries. There is also third party software components for active noise cancellation (ANC), sound sensing and 3D audio.

The accompanying SenslinQ framework is a Linux-based hardware abstraction layer (HAL) reference code and application programming interfaces (APIs) for data and control exchange between the multiple processors and sensors.

https://www.ceva-dsp.com

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Wireless VR/AR haptic glove allows gamers to “feel” digital objects

Fri, Jan 03, 2020

At CES next week, BeBop Sensors will announce the Forte Data Glove, claimed to be the first virtual reality (VR) haptic glove integrated and exclusively designed for Oculus Quest, Oculus Link, Oculus Rift S, Microsoft Windows Mixed Reality, HTC Vive Cosmos, HTC Vive Pro, HTC Focus Plus, and Varjo VR headset technology. It is also the first haptic glove for the HTC Cosmos and for the Microsoft Windows mixed reality headsets, including HP, Lenovo, Acer, Dell, and Samsung, through integration with the HP Reverb. In addition, it is believed to be the first haptic VR glove to fully support Oculus Quest Link, which allows Oculus Quest to leverage the graphics capabilities and processing power of a VR computer for higher end VR interaction, says BeBop Sensors.

Described as the first affordable, all-day wireless VR/AR (augmented reality) data glove, the VR headset/data glove fits in a small bag for portability and requires almost no set-up, bringing VR enterprise training, maintenance and gaming to new areas. The Forte Data Glove ushers in the next generation of VR, says BeBop Sensors, by allowing people to do real practical things in the virtual world with natural hand interactions to feel different textures and surfaces.

A nine degree inertial measurement unit (IMU) is integrated, to provide low drift and reliable pre-blended accelerometer and gyro sensor data. Six haptic actuators are located on four fingertips, the thumb and the palm.

Up to 16 haptic sound files can reside on the glove and new files can be rapidly uploaded over Bluetooth or USB.

The sensors are fast, operating at 160Hz, with instantaneous (sub six millisecond) response. By providing touch feedback, the user experiences a more realistic and safer training for business and enhanced VR gaming experiences, says the company.

Hand tracking ties natively into each system’s translation system, with top-of-the-line finger tracking supplied by Bebop Sensors’ fabric sensors. Haptic feelings include those for hitting buttons, turning knobs, opening doors for touch sensations in VR/AR.

The universal open palm design fits most people and the glove can be cleaned, is hygienic and breathable with waterproof sensors.

The glove targets enterprise, as well as location-based entertainment (LBE) gaming markets, including VR enterprise training, VR medical trials/rehabilitation, robotics and drone control, VR CAD design and review and gaming.

BeBop Sensors will be at CES in Las Vegas, (7 to 10 January, 2020) Booth 22032 LVCC South Hall.

http://www.bebopsensors.com

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Infineon showcases smart security

Wed, Nov 27, 2019

At Trustech 2019 (26 to 28 November) Infineon is exhibiting its hardware-based security for digital identification and contactless payment.

Firstly, it will be showcasing Secora ID, a Java Card solution optimised for electronic ID. Based on Infineon’s security controllers, Secora ID comes with an operating system targeted to be certified according to highest security standards, standardised applets and a selection of packages. There will be a live demonstration showing how easily it can be integrated into ID projects and adapted to local needs.

For contactless payment systems, Infineon’s new generation of SLC3x security chips are based on a 40nm geometry which provides performance and scalability for a vast array of smart card applications as well as payment wearables. Smart card manufacturers and payment solution providers will benefit from an Arm-based architecture, Infineon’s contactless expertise, creating what Infineon describes as the industry’s most advanced security controller portfolio.

Biometric authentication for drivers is also featured. Infineon and Next have been working on reference platforms since November 2018, working together to accelerate the adoption of biometric smartcards. Next Biometrics’ fingerprint sensor technology for dual interface smart cards uses a secure element from Infineon. The biometric card module developed by Next operates seamlessly throughout the standard ISO/IEC 14443 near field communication (NFC) range.

Smart ticketing will also be represented with Infineon’s standardised ticket and payment solutions. This includes limited use tickets over seasonal and yearly passes to sophisticated versions for multi-application implementations. Infineon has recently become a gold member of the Calypso Network Association (CNA) and been named member of the board of directors of the CAN, underling the company’s commitment to provide a comprehensive transport ticketing portfolio based on open standards. 
Infineon will be exhibiting and demonstrating its security products at Trustech 2019 in Cannes, France from 26 to 28 November, booth RIV C 050.

The company will also be presenting on topics such as “Security by Design” or “JAVA Card”.

http://www.infineon.com/security

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