Courtesy of Nordic Semiconductor : Bluetooth Low Energy connected ski boot integrates multiple force and motion sensors to help skiers improve balance, control, and technique

Atomic’s Hawx Connected ski boot employs Nordic nRF52832 WL-CSP SoC to run complex sensor algorithms and wirelessly report skiing performance metrics via smartphone app

Nordic Semiconductor today announces that Altenmarkt, Austria-based ski equipment manufacturer, Atomic, has released its ‘Hawx Connected’ ski boot, employing Nordic’s nRF52832 System-on-Chip (SoC). The tiny Wafer Level Chip Scale Package (WL-CSP) SoC functions as the main microcontroller for the ski boot, as well as providing it with Bluetooth® Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) wireless connectivity.

Based on sister company Suunto’s ‘Movesense’ platform—an open environment for developers of wireless motion sensing solutions incorporating a nine-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)—the Hawx Connected ski boot provides the user with direct sensory feedback while skiing. Eight force sensors measure pressure at key contact points in the boot liner, while the IMU’s accelerometer and gyroscope detect the orientation of the boot to detect turns and edging angles. Once paired with the user’s Bluetooth 4.0 (and later) smartphone using Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity provided by the Nordic SoC, a skier can from the ‘Atomic CTD’ app get in-depth performance analysis such as balance and edging, turn count, and G-force, to help them refine their balance, pressure control, and edging technique. The app also enables users to set goals, challenge friends, and compare their performance data against professional athletes.

The nRF52832 SoC’s powerful 64MHz, 32-bit Arm® Cortex® M4F processor acts as the main controller for the Hawx Connected ski boot, providing ample computational capacity to run the complex sensor algorithms as well as provide low latency Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity.

The availability of the nRF52832 SoC in a WL-CSP was hugely important for us due to the size constraints we were facing – Jussi Kaasinen, Suunto

The Hawx Connected ski boot employs a Li-Poly battery that provides up to 4.5 days of operation in typical usage between recharge, thanks in part to the ultra low power consumption of the nRF52832 SoC. The nRF52832 SoC has been engineered to minimize power consumption with features such as the 2.4GHz radio’s 5.5mA peak RX/TX currents and a fully-automatic power management system that reduces power consumption by up to 80 percent compared with Nordic’s nRF51 Series SoCs. The result is a Bluetooth LE solution which offers 58 CoreMark/mA, up to twice as power efficient as competing devices.

The nRF52832 WL-CSP SoC measures just 3.0 by 3.2mm while offering all the features of the conventionally-packaged chip. Nordic’s nRF52832 multiprotocol SoC combines the Arm processor with a 2.4GHz multiprotocol radio (supporting Bluetooth 5, ANT™, and proprietary 2.4GHz RF protocol software) featuring -96-dB RX sensitivity, with 512kB Flash memory and 64kB RAM. The SoC is supplied with Nordic’s S132 SoftDevice, a Bluetooth 5-certifed RF software protocol stack for building advanced Bluetooth LE applications. The S132 SoftDevice features Central, Peripheral, Broadcaster and Observer Bluetooth LE roles, supports up to twenty connections, and enables concurrent role operation. Nordic’s software architecture includes a clear separation between the RF protocol software and the application code, delivering flexibility and reliability to application software development.

“The availability of the nRF52832 SoC in a WL-CSP was hugely important for us due to the size constraints we were facing,” says Jussi Kaasinen, General Manager/Emerging Businesses Unit, Suunto. “On the other hand, the Arm M4F processor was essential for running our cutting edge signal processing algorithms.”

“We also have a long and excellent working relationship with Nordic. Fast turnaround time on our technical questions meant we knew we would always have first-hand expertise available to us if needed.”

• About Atomic
• About nRF52832
• About Nordic Semiconductor

Courtesy of Nordic Semiconductor : Bluetooth Low Energy smart lock enables secure, wireless locking and unlocking of windows and patio doors

The Secuyou Smart Lock employs Nordic’s nRF52832 SoC for encrypted wireless activation and deactivation of lock via Bluetooth LE link to user’s smartphone

Nordic Semiconductor today announces that Secuyou, a Copenhagen, Denmark-based technology company, has selected Nordic’s nRF52832 Bluetooth® Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) System-on-Chip (SoC) for its ‘Secuyou Smart Lock’, a Bluetooth LE remote controlled security solution designed to conveniently lock and unlock windows and patio doors in a home or office building.

The Smart Lock can be mounted in place of any existing window or patio door lock, and once paired with a Bluetooth 4.0 (and later) smartphone—using Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity provided by the Nordic SoC—the user is prompted to set a unique PIN for each device in operation from Secuyou’s iOS-compatible smartphone app. From the app the user is also able to name individual locks, delete locks, look up the PIN to share it with a trusted person who has downloaded the app, and view the status of the lock handle position, the device battery, and the Bluetooth LE connection.

When the user’s smartphone is within range of the Secuyou Smart Lock, the pincode is automatically and securely exchanged between the lock and the smartphone using the nRF52832 SoC’s advanced 128-bit AES encryption, enabling the user to unlock the window or door by pressing a button on the device once the secure connection has been established. The lock will automatically activate when the user exits the building with their smartphone, or when the Bluetooth LE connection is broken.

The excellent support from Nordic’s development team has also been critical to the smooth development of our company and product – Jens Albertsen, Secuyou

The Nordic nRF52832 SoC features a 64MHz, 32-bit Arm® Cortex® M4F processor with 512kB Flash memory and 64kB RAM, that functions as the device’s CPU and provides the computational power to rapidly decrypt the PIN data from the user’s smartphone. The SoC’s low latency Bluetooth LE connection then ensures the door or window unlocks as soon as the user presses the button on the device. The M4F processor is also responsible for controlling the locking and unlocking process and measuring the open/closed position of the lock handle.

Nordic’s nRF52832 multiprotocol SoC combines the M4F processor with a 2.4GHz multiprotocol radio (supporting Bluetooth 5, ANT™, and proprietary 2.4GHz RF protocol software) featuring -96-dB RX sensitivity. The SoC is supplied with Nordic’s S132 SoftDevice, a Bluetooth 5-certifed RF software protocol stack for building advanced Bluetooth LE applications. Nordic’s unique software architecture provides a clear separation between the RF protocol software and Secuyou’s application code, simplifying the development and testing process and ensuring the SoftDevice doesn’t become corrupted when developing, compiling, testing, and verifying application code. The S132 SoftDevice features Central, Peripheral, Broadcaster and Observer Bluetooth LE roles, supports up to twenty connections, and enables concurrent role operation.

The Secuyou Smart Lock requires two AAA batteries providing a lifetime of up to two years or more depending on the number of uses per day, thanks in part to the low power consumption of the nRF52832 SoC. The nRF52832 SoC has been engineered to minimize power consumption with features such as the 2.4GHz radio’s 5.5mA peak RX/TX currents and a fully-automatic power management system that reduces power consumption by up to 80 percent compared with Nordic’s nRF51 Series SoCs. The result is a Bluetooth LE solution which offers 58 CoreMark/mA, up to twice as power efficient as competing devices.

“The most important factors in our decision to select Nordic’s nRF52832 SoC for the Secuyou Smart Lock were the capabilities of the SoftDevice, its superior power consumption, and the availability of application examples and the Nordic Software Development Kit, that aided faster development and delivery to market,” says Jens Albertsen, Owner of Secuyou.

“The excellent support from Nordic’s development team has also been critical to the smooth development of our company and product.”

• About Secuyou
• About nRF52832
• About Nordic Semiconductor