wearables News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

April 6, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Beacon W5+ SoM – A tiny (27x15mm) Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ System-on-Module for wearables

Beacon EmbeddedWorks’ W5+ SoM is an ultra-compact (27×15 mm) system-on-module powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ platform for wearables with a quad-core Cortex-A53 processor, a co-processor with an Arm Cortex-M55 core and an Ethos U55 ML accelerator, and WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity. The Snapdragon W5/W5+ wearables platforms were introduced in the summer of 2022, but so far, all I could find was a $2,000 devkit (TurboX W5+) suitable for ODM/OEM manufacturers. The upcoming Beacon W5+ SoM will be one of the first hardware solutions based on the Snapdragon W5+ platform designed for commercial applications. Beacon W5+ specifications: Platform – Snapragon W5+ SW5100P-0 SoC CPU – Quad-core Cortex-A53 processor @ up to 1.7 GHz GPU – Qualcomm Adreno A702 @ up to 1,010 MHz with OpenGL ES 3.1, Vulkan 1.0, OpenCL 2.0 API support DSP – Dual Qualcomm Hexagon DSP V66K ISP – Dual ISP VPU 1080p30 Video Decode […]

April 4, 2025 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

LILYGO T-Watch S3 Plus smartwatch gets GPS and 940mAh battery

LILYGO has recently introduced the T-Watch S3 Plus, an ESP32-S3 smartwatch which can be considered an upgrade from the previous generation T-Watch S3, adding a u-blox MIA-M10Q GPS and a larger 940mAh LiPo battery for extended battery life. The T-Watch S3 Plus smartwatch still supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE, and LoRa connectivity, and integrates a 1.54-inch 16-bit full-color TFT LCD display with capacitive touch and a wide-viewing angle. The smartwatch also features an infrared (IR) transmitter that can be used for remote control or proximity detection. T-Watch S3 Plus specifications Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-Core 32-bit Tensilica LX7 @ up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI/ML acceleration Memory – 512KB SRAM, 8MB PSRAM Storage – 16MB flash, 384KB ROM Wireless – Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth 5 LE/Mesh Display – 1.54-inch 16-bit full color TFT LCD display with 240×240 resolution, capacitive touch; ST7789V SPI controller Audio – […]

March 19, 2025March 20, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

The Pebble Smartwatch is back with the Core 2 Duo and Core Time 2 models running PebbleOS open-source firmware

The Pebble Smartwatch was first introduced in 2012 with a black and white e-Paper display, a week of battery life, and an amazingly successful Kickstarter company that raised over 10 million dollars. It was followed by the Pebble Time with a color display in 2015, and the Pebble 2 & Time 2 watches followed in 2016. But then it all went south from there, and Pebble’s assets were purchased by Fitbit in December 2016, all projects were canceled that year, and cloud services were discontinued in June 2018. Since then, the community has taken over working on the Rebble project to keep existing watches running, and Google acquired Fitbit in 2021. However, the project is slowly coming back to life. First, Google released the source code for the Pebble smartwatches and Pebble’s founder, Eric Migicovsky, and a team of engineers worked on reviving the project which now culminates with the […]

March 13, 2025March 13, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Tiny Silicon Labs BG29 Bluetooth LE SoC measures just 2.8 x 2.6mm for wearables and sensors

Yesterday, we wrote about the world’s smallest microcontroller (TI MSPM0C1104), which measures just 1.38mm2 in its smallest package. However, it is designed for general-purpose applications without built-in wireless connectivity. If you need Bluetooth LE in a tiny form factor, Silicon Labs BG29 wireless SoC, with a 2.8x 2.6mm package, is worth a look. The BG29 features a Cortex-M33 core clocked at up to 76.8 MHz, up to 256KB SRAM, up to 1MB flash, various digital and analog peripherals, and security features that make it suitable for Bluetooth LE applications such as wearable health and medical devices, asset trackers, and battery-powered sensors. Silicon Labs BG29 (EFR32BG29) specifications: CPU core – Arm Cortex-M33 @ 76.8 MHz with DSP instruction and floating-point unit Memory – Up to 256 kB RAM data memory Storage – Up to 1 MB flash program memory Wireless – 2.4 GHz radio Protocols – Bluetooth 5.4 Low Energy (LE) […]

March 12, 2025March 12, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

Texas Instruments MSPM0C1104 is the world’s smallest microcontroller with a size of 1.38mm2

Texas Instruments (TI) has expanded the MSPM0 Arm Cortex-M0+ MCU family with the MSPM0C1104 which is the world’s smallest microcontroller measuring just 1.38mm2 in its WCSP package, or about the size of a black pepper flake. Equipped with up to 16KB flash, 1KB SRAM, I/Os such as GPIO, I2C, UART, SPI, and a 12-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC), the MSPM0C1104 is optimized for space-constrained applications such as medical wearables and personal electronics. TI MSPM0C1104 specifications: MCU Core – 32-bit Arm Cortex-M0+ CPU clocked at up to 24MHz Memory – 1KB of SRAM Storage – Up to 16KB of flash Peripherals Up to 18x GPIO (5V tolerant) 1x UART, 1 I2C, 1x SPI Analog 1x Analog-to-digital converter (ADC) with up to 10 total external channels, 1.7Msps at 10 bit or 1.5Msps at 12 bit with VDD as the voltage reference Configurable 1.4V or 2.5V internal ADC voltage reference (VREF) Integrated temperature sensor […]

March 11, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Infineon PSoC 4000T multi-sense low-power MCU features capacitive, inductive, hover, and non-contact liquid sensing

Infineon 4000T multi sense low power MCU

Infineon Technologies has introduced the PSoC 4000T Multi-Sense low-power MCU, along with the upcoming PSoC 4100T Plus which will feature higher memory and more I/Os. These MCUs integrate fifth-generation CAPSENSE technology along with Multi-Sense capabilities, including proprietary inductive sensing, and non-contact liquid sensing solutions. This combination makes it easy to develop advanced HMI applications, such as touch-over-metal, hover touch, and accurate liquid-level detection. The MCU also supports SmartSense auto-tuning which eliminates manual calibration. It supports Always-On sensing with 10x lower power consumption and 10x higher SNR than previous generations. Additionally, the MCU enables hover touch detection through 2 cm air gaps and supports capacitive, inductive, and liquid sensing in a single device. The device also supports waterproofing for harsh environments and reduces system complexity and cost by integrating multiple sensing technologies into a single chip. Infineon PSoC 4000T specifications: MCU Core – 48 MHz Arm Cortex-M0+ CPU Memory – Up […]

March 5, 2025March 5, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

STMicro STM32U3 ultra-low-power Cortex-M33 MCU achieves 117 Coremark/mW in active mode, consumes 1.6 µA in stop mode

STMicro STM32U3 is a new family of Arm Cortex-M33 microcontrollers clocked at up to 96 MHz with ultra-low-power consumption designed for utility meters, healthcare devices such as glucose meters and insulin pumps, and industrial sensors. The company says the STM32U3 MCU family is a “market leader in terms of efficiency” with 117 Coremark/mW in active mode, and consumes 1.6µA in stop mode. The Coremark/mW score means the STM32U3 offers almost twice the efficiency of the STM32U5 series, and five times that of the STM32L4 series. Other highlights include up to 1MB of dual-bank flash, 256kB of SRAM, and various interfaces like MIPI I3C, SAI audio, 12-bit ADC, etc… STMicro STM32U3 key features and specifications: MCU Core 32-bit Arm Cortex-M33 CPU @ 96 MHz with TrustZone and FPU Performance 1.5 DMIPS/MHz (Dhrystone 2.1) 387 CoreMark (4.09 CoreMark/MHz) 500 ULPMark-CP 117 ULPMark-CM 202000 SecureMark-TLS ART Accelerator with DSP instructions Memory/Storage 256 KB […]

February 27, 2025February 26, 2025 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 7 Comments

Halliday Proactive AI Smart Glasses feature invisible display, real-time translation, and hands-free control for $369+ (Crowdfunding)

Like the wearable voice-activated assistants last year (Rabbit R1 and Humane AI), smart glasses have become quite trendy and will likely be the most popular AI-enabled form factor this year. The Halliday smart glasses are a pair of AI-enabled smart glasses with an invisible display and a proactive assistant that “helps before you ask”. The Halliday smart glasses integrate a small display module into the frame, unlike the Loomos and Looktech smart glasses launched earlier this year through crowdfunding campaigns. The display module, DigiWindow, is described as “the world’s smallest display module at 3.5mm” and invisible to onlookers. It uses a monochrome green MicroLED with projection optics to allow users to access information without obstructing their field of view. The Halliday proactive AI smart glasses come in a lightweight frame, weighing only 35 grams. They can be controlled by voice, the included controller ring, a rapid button for shortcuts, or […]