Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT


Nordic partnership bonds AI to IoT

26 February 2021 Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT

Nordic Semiconductor announced that, further to entering into a partnership with Edge Impulse, a leading provider of what’s termed ‘tiny machine learning’ or ‘TinyML’ tools designed to run on resource constrained semiconductor devices, all its nRF52 and nRF53 Series Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) chips will now be able to benefit from easy-to-use AI and machine learning features as standard. This is a first for the Bluetooth semiconductor industry.

“What AI and machine learning on resource-constrained chips does – which Nordic will now collectively refer to as TinyML – is take the application potential of wireless IoT technologies such as Bluetooth to a whole new level in terms of environmental awareness and autonomous decision making,” commented Kjetil Holstad, Nordic’s director of product management.

“Although we have had customers build and run TinyML applications on Nordic’s Bluetooth chips in the past, before now this required quite a high level of mathematical and computer programming expertise using professional science and academia software like MATLAB.”

nRF52840 design kit.

One example of the above is two successful projects in the Hackster.io and Smart Parks-backed ‘ElephantEdge’ wildlife tracker challenge that employed Nordic’s nRF52840 System-on-Chip (SoC). These included an award-winning design by Dhruv Sheth called ‘EleTect’, a TinyML and IoT smart wildlife tracker employing the nRF52840 SoC as well as an accelerometer, camera and microphone.

Sheth’s different TinyML models included: camera vision models to monitor the risk of poaching and predators or to monitor elephant movements; accelerometer data models to predict and classify common elephant behaviours; and audio data models to detect and classify elephant musth data and mood swings (a periodic condition in male elephants characterised by highly aggressive behaviour that can place them in conflict with humans). These models were made ready for deployment in three forms including a C++ library, Arduino library and OpenMV library, all available on GitHub.

Holstad says prime engineering areas for TinyML include, but are not limited to, audio and vibration, where it can be used to establish normal operating patterns and rapidly detect anomalies. Example applications include anti-poaching (listening for gun shots), predictive and preventive maintenance (listening for tell-tale changes in the vibration signature of a public escalator or lift), and utilities (power line failure detection after a storm). But Holstad says all Nordic customer applications stand to benefit from TinyML, from asset tracking to wearables.

The Nordic Edge Impulse partnership will centre around Edge Impulse’s Edge Optimized Neural (EON) compiler that is said to optimise computer processing and memory use by up to fifty percent when running TinyML on resource-constrained semiconductor devices.


Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Quectel partners with GEODNET
Quectel Wireless Solutions Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
Quectel Wireless Solutions has partnered with GEODNET to deliver Quectel’s Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) correction services, enabling high-precision positioning for IoT applications.

Read more...
Bringing Bluetooth Channel Sounding to automotive and beyond with KW47
Altron Arrow Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
NXP’s new Channel Sounding-certified KW47 and MCX W72 wireless MCUs are set to help automakers with distance measurement, bringing an additional ranging solution for car access and autonomous systems, and will be utilised across a broader spectrum of applications.

Read more...
Dual-band GNSS antenna
RF Design Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
The Taoglas Accura GVLB258.A, is a passive, dual-band GNSS L1/L5, high-performance antenna for high precision GNSS accuracy and fast positioning.

Read more...
What is Wi-Fi HaLow and why choose it for IoT?
iCorp Technologies Editor's Choice Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
Wi-Fi HaLow introduces a low power connectivity option that, in contrast to other Wi-Fi options, offers greater range of approximately 1 km, which opens up a raft of IoT use cases.

Read more...
Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth LE coprocessor module
Altron Arrow Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
The ST67W611M1 from STMicroelectronics boasts an all-in-one design which, together with its capabilities, contribute to making it an attractive choice for IoT edge devices requiring a single-chip solution.

Read more...
Futureproofing IoT connectivity
SIMcontrol Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
A managed private APN assigns every device to an isolated carrier slice, producing a single ingress to the enterprise network, with traffic bypassing shared internet paths and reducing exposure.

Read more...
Extra slim 2,4 GHz radio module
Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
The Thyone I radio module from Würth Elektronik now has a little sibling: Thyone-e, which takes up 30% less space and represents a cost-effective alternative for applications in which the long-range mode is not required.

Read more...
Wi-Fi 6 plus Bluetooth LE SoC
Altron Arrow Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
Silicon Labs’ SiWx917M SoC is the company’s lowest power Wi-Fi 6 SoC, ideal for ultra-low power IoT wireless devices using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Matter, and IP networking for secure cloud connectivity.

Read more...
Two Bluetooth protocols – one module
Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
Würth Elektronik has introduced its Skoll-I, a compact wireless module that combines both Bluetooth Classic and Bluetooth Low Energy version 5.4 into a single solution.

Read more...
Compact high-performance antennas
Electrocomp Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
KYOCERA AVX offers a variety of extremely compact and high-performance internal, on-board, multiprotocol 2,4 GHz antennas ideal for use in SiP applications.

Read more...









While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved