New-Tech Europe Magazine | Jan 2018

Lowering the barriers to IoT application development

There are many project aims when developing a proof-of-concept for IoT (Internet of Things) applications, not least high levels of functionality, robust reliability and ease of use. However, achieving these ambitions in a timely and cost-effective manner demands project expediency, which is why designers seek out solutions that can offer specific technical advantages when developing professional proof- of-concept. The latest IoT system-on-module (SOM) starter kits can help developers accelerate the design phase of projects, and a prime example is SensiBLE from SensiEDGE. SensiBLE is a customisable solution for developers seeking to design IoT products without getting involved with hardware development or production logistics. This is as a result of its ‘hardware ready’ configuration; Milan Yudkovich, SensiEDGE the

module 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis magnetometer and 3-axis digital gyroscope, as well as pressure, relative humidity and temperature sensors. Also included are a microphone and an ambient light sensor, along with BLE 4.1 capabilities and a low power ARM® 32-bit Cortex®-M4 CPU with FPU. It so happens that, despite the high level functionality, this particular IoT SOM starter kit comes in one of the world’s smallest form factors at just 20 x 30mm. Of course, speeding the time-to- market with professional proof- of-concept is easier said than done. However, SensiBLE enables wireless connectivity without any RF experience or expertise. In addition, the kit is CE and FCC certified, while the firmware, Bluetooth stack, protocols and profiles are readily embedded, includes

allowing developers to fast-track their design ideas into prototypes – and on to the market. Fast cloud connection So what of cloud connectivity? Well, SensiBLE can connect in seconds to all the major cloud systems, including IBM Cloud, AWS (Amazon Web Services) IoT and Microsoft Azure. Choosing which cloud service to leverage is often influenced by project specifics and developer preference, although each has its own merits. IBM Cloud, for example, allows users to take advantage of numerous relational to NoSQL databases without compromising consistency, integrity or performance. AI-ready functionality is another benefit, permitting developers to build their own applications by combining infrastructure with numerous Watson and machine APIs.

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