Category: FTF

Freescale MPL3115A2 pressure sensor / altimeter

Posted by – July 11, 2011

Freescale launches the new altimeter MPL3115A2. This device uses a piezoresistive bridge as its sensor element. It also includes a dedicated ASIC which performs ADC conversions, oversampling, trim compensation, data path calculations and I2C port control. What this means is that your next smartphone can detect on which floor you are in a building, it can detect the altitude of your smartphone in theory to as small a distance as 3cm (they guarantee 30cm because of potential interference and uncertainties). IT can also do barometric weather forecast and measure the ambient temperature. When you combine this new sensor with all the other sensors in a device such as accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer you can get a complete inertial navigation system which helps you to have a more accurate positioning for indoor and outdoor navigation.

Freescale Healthcare products

Posted by – July 11, 2011

Connect a new blood glucose meter, blood pressure monitor, weight scale, digital thermometer, spirometers and other devices to sensors in your bed, on your arm and to your smartphone, tablets etc to monitor your health and help improve lifestyles and prevent disease. Freescale presents a whole range of new technologies to lower the cost of those healthcare devices so everyone can afford to have them at home and want to use them regularly as the data being wirelessly transfered and visualized online makes it easier and very useful for everyone to live a healthy lifestyle, eat good food, sleep well and do enough exercise.

Freescale i.MX50 processor series for e-readers launched

Posted by – July 11, 2011

Freescale is expanding their line of processors that are customized for e-reader type of applications with the i.MX502, i.MX503, i.MX507 and i.MX508 processors. Compared with i.MX51/53, i.MX50 is built to lack GPU for 3D acceleration (unnecessary on e-readers) but they can do 2D and have the option (i.MX503 and i.MX508) to hardware accelerate vector graphics through the OpenVG accelerator. This series is the first processor on the market to combine ARM Cortex-A8 with an EPD controller. Those are in different configurations to be used for e-ink (i.MX508 with OpenVG and i.MX507 without) or LCD e-readers (i.MX503 with OpenVG and i.MX502 without). Read the full press release here. Find more info at freescale.com

Freescale Kinnetis K50 ARM Cortex-M4 for Healthcare products

Posted by – June 27, 2011

The Kinnetis K50 has integrated operational amplifiers and transimpedance amplifiers, allows to reduce the PCB size and thus cost of healthcare sensor products. Expect to see many Healthcare oriented products arrive on the market using this Cortex-M4 processor. You can find more information at http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/prod_summary.jsp?code=K50

Android for cars using COQOS by OpenSynergy

Posted by – June 27, 2011

They have Android running on the Freescale i.MX53, but it’s running virtualized using a separation micro-kernel they call COQOS offering the real-time features that are required in a car running the industry-standard AUTOSAR software also at the same time, thus this solution is fully secure. You can find more information at http://www.opensynergy.com/en/Products/COQOS

Michelin Active Wheel, electric traction, suspension, breaking

Posted by – June 27, 2011

This new type of wheel includes two motors controlled by Freescale procecssors, one to accelerate the car and to have regenerative breaking, and the second is the manage the suspension and the control of the chassis. This could be transformational for cars, no more engine could be needed under the hood, no more traditional suspension system, and no more gearbox or transmission as all the essential components have been integrated into the wheel itself. The Active Wheel System could outperform Ferrari and Porsche in a straight line when it comes to braking. While a typical high performance supercar takes about six seconds to come to a complete halt from 100km/h, the Michelin concept does it in a mere 2.8 seconds at up to 1G. Find more information: motorauthority.com and gizmag.com

Freescale’s High Resolution 77Ghz Radar System

Posted by – June 27, 2011

This is the 77Ghz chipset demonstrating Freescale’s for Automotive Radar Millimeter-Wave Technology, this is a demo of a radar for cars to see through the dark, through rain, through any weather. Find more information at http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/overview.jsp?code=AUTRMWT

Freescale Xtrinsic radar chipsets are the most advanced SiGe technology on the market, consisting of a transmitter and a multi-channel receiver with an integrated phase-locked loop (PLL). Freescale’s 77 GHz technology allows a device to switch between long- and short-range functionality simply by issuing a serial peripheral interface (SPI) command. This enables the same radar module to be used for multiple safety systems, such as adaptive cruise control, headway alert, collision warning and mitigation. Long-range radar, used for adaptive cruise control and lane departure warnings, has long and narrow coverage directly in front and back of the car. Short-range radar, ideal for blind spot detection, pre-crash and stop-and-go applications, monitors the car’s immediate surroundings with a wide spatial view that covers shorter distances.

Freescale MakeIt Challenge, third place winner, search and rescue robot

Posted by – June 25, 2011

Tom Minnich presents his Freescale powered search and rescue remote controlled robot.

AllGoConnect for Auto Head-unit to smart phone connectivity

Posted by – June 25, 2011

Last year, AllGo presented the $35 tablet idea, which they are still working on. This year they are focusing their FTF presentation on their Android powered in-car interactivity features, with Nokia Terminal Mode and USB/MTP/iPod playback.

Freescale’s touch sensing software suite

Posted by – June 25, 2011

Different ways to use Freescale’s touch sensors in actual products.

Microsoft Windows at the Freescale Technology Forum

Posted by – June 25, 2011

Microsoft is preparing Windows 8 on ARM, but until then, there are Windows CE solutions in use and in the works such as these solutions demonstrated in this video. What do you think about Microsoft’s positionning in this embedded software market? Paul Wright offers his opinions on Windows in the second half of this video.

Freescale MMA9550 powered pedometer

Posted by – June 25, 2011

They are showing their Sensor Fusion as a pedometer.

Kobo Touch, $129 i.MX508 WiFi infrared-touch e-reader

Posted by – June 23, 2011

This may be the best e-reader on the market today. If it does run Android, if Kobo decides to open up the access to those Android features and not lock it down to only be about buying ebooks on their ebook store. Right now it may not be running Android at all, at least Kobo is not taking advantage of the potential Android openness yet. Hopefully Kobo updates their firmware for it to run a fully open Android, they can monetize e-readers in other new ways not only by locking it for a e-book store.

Linaro ARM Linux optimizations status at the Freescale Technology Forum

Posted by – June 23, 2011

Discussion with Linaro employees about the status of ARM Powered laptops.

Ubuntu Core with touch screen for interactive in-car navigation system

Posted by – June 23, 2011

This is the Ubuntu In-Vehicle Infotainment system, using Ubuntu in the car. This is touch screen UI optimized version of Ubuntu.

Boundary Devices show i.MX53 in 24″ capacitive touch screen and 12″ Tablet

Posted by – June 23, 2011

Boundary Devices is a PCB design house working on the latest Freescale ARM processors, here showing the i.MX53 powering a nice 12″ capacitive tablet and a 24″ capacitive monitor.

$149 Freescale i.MX53 Quick Start Board

Posted by – June 23, 2011

Marsha Chang, Freescale i.MX product marketer shows us the Freescale i.MX53 Quick Start development board. You can buy this for $149 now, download the latest Linaro images of Ubuntu or Android by just putting them on the MicroSD card, booting it and you can test an ARM Powered desktop and you can start to develop and optimize software to run on this platform.

Freescale Mechatronics training robot, to learn software, sensors, microcontrollers

Posted by – June 22, 2011

This is a robot training kit for $199, you get all the parts needed to start playing around programming with Freescale’s microcontrollers, sensors and more. At the Freescale Technology Forum, Freescale is organizing the Make It challenge, where attendees have 36 hours to use one of these and build the coolest robot to win prizes. You can find more information at http://freescale.com/mechbot and http://buildsmartrobots.com

Freescale Microcontrollers market, history, architectures, innovation

Posted by – June 22, 2011

Freescale had a press conference to talk about all the microcontroller related releases they had at FTF. Microcontrollers represents about 40% overall of Freescale’s revenue, in this video I try to ask Jeff Bock, Freescale’s director of marketing industrial microcontrollers, what those Microcontrollers are used for, how Freescale’s customers chooses one architechture over another and where they are going.

Freescale University Programs

Posted by – June 22, 2011

Freescale works with Universities around the world to help provide tools to educate students on programming for Freescale processors. At the Freescale Technology Forum, Freescale organizes a Cup where some of the worlds best student teams show off their auto driving cars implemented with all of Freescale’s microprocessors and sensor technologies.