Stop searching, Start finding, with Blutooth smart tags

            Proximity tags have emerged as a popular application of Bluetooth Smart’s low-power features, allowing users to attach a tag to anything valuable or that tends to lose frequently, and then use an app to track the tag.

While many companies have sprung up offering variations of the application, the underlying Bluetooth Smart implementation can greatly affect the user experience and determine which of these start-ups will last.

For anyone who’s ever spent time rushing around trying to find keys, a wallet, or even kids, the spate of tracking devices and related applications from companies such as Tile, Protag, TrackR, Hippih, Pally and Audiovox, just to name a few, are a welcome relief.

With a range of up to 30m, these tags can be attached to anything that is likely to move or get left behind, and will alert the user that they’re out of range with a beep, buzz, chime or choice of tune on their smartphone, depending on the design.

The designs also vary by loudness of the tags’ own buzzers (50 to 80dB, typical), price, accuracy, response time, radar capability, geo fencing, crowd-sourcing/finding features, size and form factor, platforms supported and of course, battery life. Battery life ranges from 6 to 12 months, or some may have rechargeable batteries.

The crowd-sourcing/finding feature is particularly interesting as the greater the number of users in the community, the greater the odds are that the device will be found if left at a park, restaurant or beach.

For devices that measure typically 1 x 1 inch, can combine all the wireless features mentioned above, and still be able to last 6 to 12 months, is a tribute to Bluetooth Smart, also called Bluetooth Low Energy (LE), the underlying wireless communications technology that all these devices have in common

Why Bluetooth Smart

Bluetooth has been with us since 1994 in various forms. Conceived by Ericsson, the intent was to enable low-power connectivity for everything, but it quickly became relegated to human interface devices (HIDs) like keyboards and mice, as well as audio. Later, hands-free mobile phones became a key application.

However, when power-consumption issues were addressed and Bluetooth LE emerged in 2010 as part of the Bluetooth 4.0 spec, Apple added it to the iPhone 4S in 2011. That’s when Bluetooth Smart really took off.

Bluetooth Smart differs from Classic Bluetooth (pre-Bluetooth 4.0) in a number of important ways that make it an attractive option for low-power proximity tags.

Classic Bluetooth radios typically draw around 40mA at 3V but best-in-class Bluetooth Radios producing 0dBm output and draw less than 5mA at 3V, while still offering a range of up to 50m in many environments.

Average power consumption in some applications may be only 100th of that of Classic Bluetooth, due to the relatively long periods during which a Bluetooth Smart device will be in sleep mode. Wake up time is just 6ms, versus around 100ms for Classic Bluetooth. It can send authenticated data in just 3ms, versus up to 1s for Classic Bluetooth. It offers 128-bit banking-level security to keep data safe.

Bluetooth Smart is actually split into two functions: Bluetooth Smart and Bluetooth Smart Ready, the only difference is that the “Ready” refers to the features required for the main controller device, whether it is a smartphone or TV.

Bluetooth Smart radios are now built into battery-powered, stand-alone devices that can be found in applications from broadcasting advertising messages to shoppers as they come within range, to robot trackers, and of course, fitness devices.

The modifications to Bluetooth also made it suited to proximity-tag applications, which need to operate for up to a year on a single coin-cell battery.

Not all Bluetooth Smart implementations are created equal

Despite the energy savings promised by Bluetooth Smart, how the technology is implemented can have a dramatic affect on system energy consumption and battery life. The primary criteria for choosing a Bluetooth Smart radio system-on-chip (SoC) to form the heart of a proximity tag are peak current consumption, energy consumption over time (taking into account the requirements of the application), receiver sensitivity (the tags need to receive a signal from a smartphone to know that it’s out of range), and the ability to work from a single small battery, usually a coin cell, to minimise size.

In real-world applications, battery life will also depend upon the signalling interval – how often the tag is required to transmit– so when comparing device data, it’s important to ensure that the operating conditions under which the figures are quoted are the same, or at least very similar.

To gain a more detailed understanding of how energy is consumed while a tag is operating, designers need to determine the charge consumed versus time for each transmit/receive operation. These parameters include:

•The transmit interval and charge per transmit
•The time taken and charge consumed from cold boot until the first transmit
•The time, peak current and charge consumed by each of the three transmit channels normally used

Also, you need to consider the processor resources that may be available for application code within the Bluetooth Smart SoC. If it’s possible to produce a completely hosted solution without resorting to an external microcontroller, this will again save design time, cost and space.

In selecting a Bluetooth Smart radio, other important considerations are sometimes overlooked. Functional integration will determine how many external components are needed to create the beacon. The fewer you need, the less design effort is required and the lower the cost of the end product. Fewer components also means you can make smaller products that will be more reliable. Design effort is also reduced if the Bluetooth Smart vendor offers a reference design and proven software.

A Bluetooth Smart proximity tag reference design

A good reference design is founded upon a solid SoC. Dialog Semiconductor’s DA14580 “SmartBond” SoC integrates a Bluetooth Smart radio with an ARM Cortex-M0 application processor and intelligent power management. The processor and on-chip digital and analogue peripherals are accessible via up to 32 GPIOs

To help get designers of proximity tags up and running quickly, the SoC is accompanied by the SmartTag reference design (Figure 3). This offers all the required functionality, including a LED and buzzer to provide visual and audible signal link-loss or find-me alerts, as well as a push button to silence the alarm. The design also supports software over the air updates (OTA) to provide an easy way to upgrade devices that are in the field with the latest improvements. The DA14580 runs both the application and the Bluetooth stack and is powered from a single CR2032 battery. To save on bill of materials, only five passive components are required for the tag’s core system: no 32kHz XTAL is required.

The reference design consumes 5mA peak current consumption in active mode and less than 600nA in stand-by and comes in a typical proximity tag form factor with schematics, layout information, user manual, a test report, source code and SmartTags app source code.

Conclusion:

The applications of Bluetooth Smart are many and varied thanks to the ultra-low power consumption and ecosystem support it has received. However, designers need to move quickly as the applications are emerging more quickly and so a good reference design is critical to meeting the window of opportunity. Proximity tags are a classic example, with many companies vying for attention, but many will fall by the wayside as power consumption and reliable connectivity emerge as key differentiators.

  

Lightest Metal Ever Is 99.9 Percent Air

                          How do you build the world’s lightest metal? Make it mainly from air, according to scientists.The material, known as a "microlattice," was developed by scientists at HRL Laboratories in Malibu, California, which is co-owned by Boeing and General Motors. The new microlattice is made up of a network of tiny hollow tubes and is roughly 100 times lighter than Styrofoam.

                         In an effort to save fuel, aerospace and automotive companiesconstantly strive to make their materials as lightweight as possible without sacrificing structural integrity. The process used to build the new microlattices holds huge promise, the researchers say, because the materials created are not only incredibly light, but also very strong. [Humanoid Robots to Flying Cars: 10 Coolest DARPA Projects]

                       Boeing showcased the material in a recent video, by demonstrating how a small piece of metal microlattice could be balanced on top of a delicate dandelion seed head.

"People think it must be the metal that's the light part, so they assume we made some new alloy," said Sophia Yang, a chemist at HRL Laboratories. "This was actually made from nickel-phosphorous, a very well-known metal, but we are able to engineer how the metal is architected in order to create a structure that can still stand by itself, yet be so light it can sit on top of a dandelion and not perturb it."

                          The material’s remarkable properties are based on the same principles that allow the Eiffel Tower to support a skyscraper-size structure at a fraction of the weight of a conventional building. HRL's innovation was to translate these principles to very small scales.

The microlattice’s network of interconnected hollow tubes mimics the structure of bridge supports, the researchers said. But in this case, the walls of the tubes are just 100 nanometers thick — 1,000 times thinner than the width of a human hair — meaning that the material is 99.99 percent air.

                         The structure is built using an innovative additive manufacturing process, similar to 3D printing. But while 3D printing builds up structures layer by layer, the solution developed by HRL Labs uses special polymers that react to light to form the entire structure in one go.

By shining ultraviolet light through a specially patterned filter onto the liquid form of the polymer, an interconnected three-dimensional lattice can form in seconds. This structure can then be coated with a wide variety of metals, ceramics or composites (depending on the application) before the polymer is dissolved, leaving a microlattice of connected hollow tubes.

                          Researchers can vary the rigidity of the structure by tweaking the chemical makeup of the polymer, or adjusting the pattern of the filter. This means they can create both highly flexible structures suited for damage absorption and very strong ones designed to provide structural support, Yang told Live Science.

                         "The way we see this technology growing is as a fundamental manufacturing process. It can be applied to a number of different applications," she said. "We are working on really scaling up the process. We do R&D, but these materials can't stay in the lab — we need to work out how to make them on a larger scale."

                         Boeing is collaborating with NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the branch of the U.S. Department of Defense responsible for developing cutting-edge military technologies, to build new materials for spacecraft and hypersonic vehicles. The lightweight metal could also be used in projects aimed at developing next-generation parts for the lab's co-owners.

In one promising avenue of research, microlattices are being used in the so-called sandwich structures that have become the standard for lightweight design in the aerospace industry. By attaching thin sheets of a stiff material to a thick but lightweight core, it is possible to create highly rigid structures that aren't heavy, the researchers said.

Normally, the cores of these structures are made using foam or lightweight materials arranged in a simple honeycomb pattern, but using a microlattice instead could not only reduce weight but also drastically increase the strength of the structures. This is the focus of HRL Lab's work with NASA and DARPA.

Despite the promise of the microlattice approach, Yang says it will likely be years before the metal can be widely used commercially, because there are stringent rules surrounding aerospace and automotive materials. But, because the microlattice fabrication process is both quick and cheap, she is confident that the ultralightweight metal could soon be commonplace.

"It's cost-competitive with some of the materials and manufacturing processes required for existing car parts they will be replacing," Yang said. "And if it’s getting cheap enough to go in a car, it definitely should be cheap enough to go in an airplane."

CLOUD COMPUTING AND DIGITAL PEN

Analysts predict that the latest technology inventions in cloud computing will significantly influence how we use our computers and mobile devices.

Cloud computing is where tasks and file storage on your computer are performed and stored elsewhere.

By using an internet connection you can connect to a service that has the architecture, infrastructure and software to manage any task or storage requirement at less cost.

The advantages of cloud computing is that it eliminates the difficulty and expense of maintaining, upgrading and scaling your own computer hardware and software while increasing efficiency, speed and resources.

Your computer's processing speed, memory capacity, software applications and maintenance requirements are minimized.

You could store and access any size or type of file, play games, use or develop applications, render videos, word process, make scientific calculations, or anything you want, by simply using a smart phone.

As a comparison, let's say you had to generate your own electricity. You would need to maintain, upgrade and scale these resources as required to meet your demands. This would be expensive and time consuming.

Cloud computing could be compared to how a utility provides electricity. It has the architecture, infrastructure, applications, expertise and resources to generate this service for you. You just connect to their grid.

Microsoft, IBM and Google are some of the companies that are investing heavily into the research and development of cloud technology.

- See more at: http://www.inventor-strategies.com/Latest-technology-inventions.html#sthash.12lVaMYh.dpuf

This digital pen is a computer invention that transmits writing into digital media.

Although touch screen devices represent a movement away from paper, approximately eighty-percent of businesses still use paper based forms.

Many professions hand-write their notes, tables, diagrams and drawings instead of using tablets or other devices.

The computer pen is comparable to a regular ink pen (even uses refillable ink) that writes on regular paper, except it has an optical reader that records motion, images and coordinates. The recorded data is then transmitted to a computer via a wireless transmitter.

You can browse and edit your written notes, diagrams, tables, or drawings.

Another useful feature of this computer invention is that hand-written digital files can be easily converted into text fonts for use in word documents or emails.

Digital pen technology was first developed by the Swedish inventor and entrepreneur Christer Fåhraues.

Fåhraues is a physician and has an honorary doctorate degree in technology from Lund University in Sweden, and a M.Sc. degree in Bioengineering from the University of California San Diego.

Fåhraues served as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Anoto Group AB, a company he originally founded in 1996 as C Technologies to license his digital pen technology.

This computer invention has been licensed to companies around the world for various commercial products. Applications include data/signature capture, completing forms, mapping, surveying, document management, paper replay, whiteboards, toys and education.

There are great expectations for digital pen technology over the next few years.

- See more at: http://www.inventor-strategies.com/computer-invention.html#sthash.UTtyA1jV.dpuf

Analysts predict that the latest technology inventions in cloud computing will significantly influence how we use our computers and mobile devices.

Cloud computing is where tasks and file storage on your computer are performed and stored elsewhere.

By using an internet connection you can connect to a service that has the architecture, infrastructure and software to manage any task or storage requirement at less cost.

The advantages of cloud computing is that it eliminates the difficulty and expense of maintaining, upgrading and scaling your own computer hardware and software while increasing efficiency, speed and resources.

Your computer's processing speed, memory capacity, software applications and maintenance requirements are minimized.

You could store and access any size or type of file, play games, use or develop applications, render videos, word process, make scientific calculations, or anything you want, by simply using a smart phone.

As a comparison, let's say you had to generate your own electricity. You would need to maintain, upgrade and scale these resources as required to meet your demands. This would be expensive and time consuming.

Cloud computing could be compared to how a utility provides electricity. It has the architecture, infrastructure, applications, expertise and resources to generate this service for you. You just connect to their grid.

Microsoft, IBM and Google are some of the companies that are investing heavily into the research and development of cloud technology.

- See more at: http://www.inventor-strategies.com/Latest-technology-inventions.html#sthash.12lVaMYh.dpuf

Analysts predict that the latest technology inventions in cloud computing will significantly influence how we use our computers and mobile devices.

Cloud computing is where tasks and file storage on your computer are performed and stored elsewhere.

By using an internet connection you can connect to a service that has the architecture, infrastructure and software to manage any task or storage requirement at less cost.

The advantages of cloud computing is that it eliminates the difficulty and expense of maintaining, upgrading and scaling your own computer hardware and software while increasing efficiency, speed and resources.

Your computer's processing speed, memory capacity, software applications and maintenance requirements are minimized.

You could store and access any size or type of file, play games, use or develop applications, render videos, word process, make scientific calculations, or anything you want, by simply using a smart phone.

As a comparison, let's say you had to generate your own electricity. You would need to maintain, upgrade and scale these resources as required to meet your demands. This would be expensive and time consuming.

Cloud computing could be compared to how a utility provides electricity. It has the architecture, infrastructure, applications, expertise and resources to generate this service for you. You just connect to their grid.

Microsoft, IBM and Google are some of the companies that are investing heavily into the research and development of cloud technology.

- See more at: http://www.inventor-strategies.com/Latest-technology-inventions.html#sthash.12lVaMYh.dpuf

Analysts predict that the latest technology inventions in cloud computing will significantly influence how we use our computers and mobile devices.

Cloud computing is where tasks and file storage on your computer are performed and stored elsewhere.

By using an internet connection you can connect to a service that has the architecture, infrastructure and software to manage any task or storage requirement at less cost.

The advantages of cloud computing is that it eliminates the difficulty and expense of maintaining, upgrading and scaling your own computer hardware and software while increasing efficiency, speed and resources.

Your computer's processing speed, memory capacity, software applications and maintenance requirements are minimized.

You could store and access any size or type of file, play games, use or develop applications, render videos, word process, make scientific calculations, or anything you want, by simply using a smart phone.

As a comparison, let's say you had to generate your own electricity. You would need to maintain, upgrade and scale these resources as required to meet your demands. This would be expensive and time consuming.

Cloud computing could be compared to how a utility provides electricity. It has the architecture, infrastructure, applications, expertise and resources to generate this service for you. You just connect to their grid.

Microsoft, IBM and Google are some of the companies that are investing heavily into the research and development of cloud technology.

- See more at: http://www.inventor-strategies.com/Latest-technology-inventions.html#sthash.12lVaMYh.dpuf

Analysts predict that the latest technology inventions in cloud computing will significantly influence how we use our computers and mobile devices.

Cloud computing is where tasks and file storage on your computer are performed and stored elsewhere.

By using an internet connection you can connect to a service that has the architecture, infrastructure and software to manage any task or storage requirement at less cost.

The advantages of cloud computing is that it eliminates the difficulty and expense of maintaining, upgrading and scaling your own computer hardware and software while increasing efficiency, speed and resources.

Your computer's processing speed, memory capacity, software applications and maintenance requirements are minimized.

You could store and access any size or type of file, play games, use or develop applications, render videos, word process, make scientific calculations, or anything you want, by simply using a smart phone.

As a comparison, let's say you had to generate your own electricity. You would need to maintain, upgrade and scale these resources as required to meet your demands. This would be expensive and time consuming.

Cloud computing could be compared to how a utility provides electricity. It has the architecture, infrastructure, applications, expertise and resources to generate this service for you. You just connect to their grid.

Microsoft, IBM and Google are some of the companies that are investing heavily into the research and development of cloud technology.

- See more at: http://www.inventor-strategies.com/Latest-technology-inventions.html#sthash.12lVaMYh.dpuf

Analysts predict that the latest technology inventions in cloud computing will significantly influence how we use our computers and mobile devices.

Cloud computing is where tasks and file storage on your computer are performed and stored elsewhere.

By using an internet connection you can connect to a service that has the architecture, infrastructure and software to manage any task or storage requirement at less cost.

The advantages of cloud computing is that it eliminates the difficulty and expense of maintaining, upgrading and scaling your own computer hardware and software while increasing efficiency, speed and resources.

Your computer's processing speed, memory capacity, software applications and maintenance requirements are minimized.

You could store and access any size or type of file, play games, use or develop applications, render videos, word process, make scientific calculations, or anything you want, by simply using a smart phone.

As a comparison, let's say you had to generate your own electricity. You would need to maintain, upgrade and scale these resources as required to meet your demands. This would be expensive and time consuming.

Cloud computing could be compared to how a utility provides electricity. It has the architecture, infrastructure, applications, expertise and resources to generate this service for you. You just connect to their grid.

Microsoft, IBM and Google are some of the companies that are investing heavily into the research and development of cloud technology.

- See more at: http://www.inventor-strategies.com/Latest-technology-inventions.html#sthash.12lVaMYh.dpuf

Analysts predict that the latest technology inventions in cloud computing will significantly influence how we use our computers and mobile devices.

Cloud computing is where tasks and file storage on your computer are performed and stored elsewhere.

By using an internet connection you can connect to a service that has the architecture, infrastructure and software to manage any task or storage requirement at less cost.

The advantages of cloud computing is that it eliminates the difficulty and expense of maintaining, upgrading and scaling your own computer hardware and software while increasing efficiency, speed and resources.

Your computer's processing speed, memory capacity, software applications and maintenance requirements are minimized.

You could store and access any size or type of file, play games, use or develop applications, render videos, word process, make scientific calculations, or anything you want, by simply using a smart phone.

As a comparison, let's say you had to generate your own electricity. You would need to maintain, upgrade and scale these resources as required to meet your demands. This would be expensive and time consuming.

Cloud computing could be compared to how a utility provides electricity. It has the architecture, infrastructure, applications, expertise and resources to generate this service for you. You just connect to their grid.

Microsoft, IBM and Google are some of the companies that are investing heavily into the research and development of cloud technology.

- See more at: http://www.inventor-strategies.com/Latest-technology-inventions.html#sthash.12lVaMYh.dpuf

           To known about cloud computing and digital pen click the link given below http://www.inventor-strategies.com/computer-invention.html 
           Thanks for visiting my blog.