Smart things

We live in a world, where technology shapes almost every aspect of our daily life. In 2030, it is predicted that around 50 billion devices will be connected to the IoT, most of which will be owned by private users. One area that particularly fascinates consumers are “smart things” - devices like smart speakers, mobile devices, home entertainment devices but also wearables – as they increasingly help to make life consistently easier and more convenient. And people are particularly fascinated by the existing but also upcoming new use-cases and the possibilities provided.

With the increasing connectivity and digitalization of our everyday lives, fueled by special situations like the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers' demands on their devices are also rising. It's no longer enough for them to be easy to use and make our daily lives more convenient. They should also be energy-efficient, safe, and best of all, anticipate what we want next. So let us imagine a world, where all the technology is unobtrusive and seamlessly integrated into our life. Where active communication between people and devices is no longer necessary. In this world, there is no need to push buttons or issue commands because the devices are directly addressing your wishes because they are contextual aware.

Many manufacturers have great visions of such smart things, but they are not necessarily experts in the sense-compute-actuate-connect-secure continuum. And in many cases, newcomers to the IoT space have neither the in-house resources nor the budget to invest in dedicated security or connectivity capabilities. The question is, how can they balance the need for speed in development with the equally pressing need for reliable connectivity, contextual awareness, and robust security for example?

Here Infineon supports with a wide range of solutions spanning sensors, microcontrollers, actuators, communication modules, and security components all of which are easy-to-integrate and work together seamlessly.

Innovation, measurement accuracy, and robustness are other important requirements. As wearables track the movements of the wearer in a variety of conditions, the components must be able to withstand different temperatures and detect movement accurately and reliably. In the end, a wearable will only work properly if it is reliable, effective, impervious to environmental factors, and works when worn in different positions.

Small, energy-saving sensors provide a sophisticated way of tracking a person's health, physical activity, and exercise. RF components ensure the best possible connectivity and location determination, so that the user can be closer to friends and family. Wireless charging makes everyday life much easier, and it is almost as if the devices "charge themselves". As wearables collect user data on health and fitness, high-level data security to protect privacy must take top priority: with integrated hardware security solutions, user data on wearables is reliably protected. Thanks to integrated chip solutions, such as SECORA™ Connect, the functionality of wearables can be enhanced by the ability to make secure, hygienic, and easy contactless payments.

Smart things are now also available with functions for making contactless payments – no matter whether the device in question is a fashion accessory, battery-powered smartwatch, or fitness tracker. For this purpose, special electronics modules combine a secure element with a system-in-package NFC antenna, making it easy for device manufacturers to integrate and manage payment applications and ticketing and access solutions.

SECORA™ Connect NFC payment solution empowers smart wearables and IoT devices. Smart watches, wristbands, health or fitness trackers are becoming increasingly popular by adding ever more functions, despite severe space and power limitations and therefore are making their way into daily routines. By implementing SECORA^TM Connect, device makers can achieve ultra-low power consumption and realize smallest form factors while still meeting the rising security and contactless requirements of the payment industry.

A few years ago, a smart speaker was still a technical novelty in the household. Now they are practically part and parcel of everyday life. The rapid adoption of these devices in our daily lives has led to a constant increase in expectations from the users of these voice-user interfaces. Components such as MEMS microphones and controllers for touchscreens, the innovative use of radar for presence detection, and 3D ToF image sensors for authentication are key to improving the user experience in the intelligent speaker segment and beyond, including home entertainment.