Oslo, Norway – December 20, 2017 – Ultra low power (ULP) RF specialist Nordic Semiconductor ASA today announces it will demonstrate its Bluetooth® 5-certified and Bluetooth mesh 1.0-compatible Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) nRF52 Series Systems-on-Chip (SoCs), together with its Thread 1.1-certified solutions, at International CES 2018. The company is also confirming details of exhibits, demonstrations, and design partner companies it will be hosting on its booth (#44158 in Sands A-D, Sands Exhibition Hall) at CES. CES is the world’s leading consumer electronics exhibition and is organized by the U.S.-based Consumer Technology Association (CTA). The event will be held in Las Vegas, NV, from January 9 to 12, 2018.
At the event, Nordic will showcase wireless connectivity solutions for home- and industrial-automation including Bluetooth LE point-to-point topologies, and Bluetooth LE high-node count ‘star’ topologies with some connections maintained using Bluetooth 5 technology to demonstrate its long-range mode. Nordic will also demonstrate advanced mesh network solutions based on Bluetooth mesh 1.0 and Thread running over the IEEE 802.15.4 low power wireless network standard. Uniquely, Nordic’s Bluetooth 5 and Thread mesh solutions concurrently support Bluetooth LE smartphone connectivity (for app-based home automation equipment control without the need for a dedicated gateway).
The home- and industrial-automation demos are powered by Nordic’s ultra low power nRF52832 and nRF52840 multiprotocol (Bluetooth 5, ANT+, and 2.4GHz proprietary) SoCs. The nRF52840 is also capable of supporting Bluetooth 5 technology’s long-range mode, is Thread 1.1-certified, and can support other IEEE802.15.4-based RF technologies – making it particularly suitable for networked home- and industrial-automation applications.
Other demonstrations will showcase the capabilities of the nRF52840 SoC and S140 SoftDevice (Nordic’s latest RF protocol ‘stack’) – including the range and throughput enhancements of Bluetooth 5. The SoC and SoftDevice have been engineered to build on the mature architecture of the existing nRF52 Series SoCs and now support complex Bluetooth LE and other low-power wireless applications that were previously not possible with a single-chip solution. Further, the throughput improvements of Bluetooth 5 technology (2 Mbps raw data rate compared with 1 Mbps for Bluetooth 4.2 with no power consumption penalty) enables Bluetooth LE applications that were previously not possible. For example, Nordic-powered Bluetooth 5/Bluetooth LE devices can support fast image transfers to connected smartphones, ensuring a satisfying user experience.
Nordic will also showcase its latest development tools that ease design complexity and accelerate time-to-market. The tools include nRF Connect for desktop, a multiplatform product supporting apps such as Bluetooth LE connectivity tools, power optimization support, and Cloud connectivity.
Other demonstrations include the ‘nRFready Smart Remote 3 for nRF52 Series’ reference design targeting remote control OEMs/ODMs and manufacturers of smart TVs, set-top boxes, and digital media devices, and the ‘Power Profiler Kit’, a low-cost and simple method to measure dynamic power consumption in embedded solutions.
Companies using Nordic’s award-winning nRF51 and nRF52 Series multiprotocol wireless connectivity solutions will also demonstrate and talk about their products on the booth. The partner companies and their demonstration are listed below:
January 9 (Tuesday)
- Gooee will demonstrate an IoT lighting sensor measuring just 25 mm2 which monitors motion, direction, velocity, and ambient light levels and relays the information wirelessly to aid in the supervision of smart buildings;
- Fridaylabs will showcase its Smart Access Products for access control and key management – providing convenience, security, and peace of mind.
January 10 (Wednesday)
- Cassia Networks will show its long-range, Bluetooth-powered, one-to-many connectivity, with edge-processing power. The technology targets industrial IoT, connected health, consumer, retail/beacon, smart-school, and smart-city markets;
- Byteflies will demonstrate its Sensor Dot product for prevention, prediction, and personalized care applications in the health and medical wearables sector.
January 11 (Thursday)
- Modum.IO will demonstrate its Blockchain-enabled temperature and acceleration logger using the nRF52832 Bluetooth LE SoC. The device offers logistics companies an end-to-end cold-chain monitoring and tracking solution for pharmaceutical supply;
- eyeQ Insights will show it eyeQ Go platform which includes small self-contained, battery powered, low cost IoT devices that brands and retailers can use to determine the effectiveness of in-store displays in attracting and engaging shoppers.
January 12 (Friday)
- Aveine will showcase it wine aerator which is wirelessly connected to a smartphone app that decides the optimum aeration time for the best-tasting wine;
- Kwema will demonstrate its Jewelry Collections and is looking for partnerships to enter new markets. The jewelry uses wireless technology to establish an Immediate Response Network for women in danger by activating an alert, notifying friends/family and the user community, and receiving an acknowledgement from the company’s response network.
“The major theme of our demonstrations at CES this year reflects the dramatic strides that the Bluetooth Low Energy specification and Nordic’s Bluetooth Low Energy technology have made in the last year to meet the demands of the smart home and smart factory,” says Geir Langeland, Nordic Semiconductor’s Director of Sales & Marketing. “In 2017, Nordic was first to market with Bluetooth 5 and Bluetooth mesh solutions which enable home and industrial automation applications that were previously not possible with Bluetooth Low Energy. And the nRF52840 SoC is currently the only chip in the world that brings all the benefits of Bluetooth 5-including greater throughput, long-range, advertising extensions, and improved coexistence-in a single device.
“In addition, Nordic’s advanced nRF52 Series SoC can handle concurrent Thread and Bluetooth 5 operation making it an ideal solution for developers looking to leverage both Thread’s increasing momentum together with Bluetooth 5’s mesh capabilities and smartphone interoperability.”
International CES boasts five decades of success. At the 2017 event 184,498 attendees gathered in Las Vegas to see 4,015 exhibitors showcasing leading technology across 242,500m2 of exhibit space.
