NXP has augmented its product portfolio with the release of the K32W061 and K32W041 multiprotocol wireless microcontrollers (MCUs). The low-power MCUs are designed specifically for smart home and IoT devices, and boast multiple low power and low radio power modes. The K32W061 and K32W041 both support Thread and Zigbee networking protocols and offer Bluetooth Low…
Google has announced that users of its Nest products will soon be required to activate two-factor authentication for their accounts, stepping up security in Google’s part of the Internet of Things ecosystem. 2FA has already been available to users of Google’s Nest smart devices, which include things like speakers, smoke detectors, and thermostats. But, as…
Hachi is showcasing its latest smart home solutions at this week’s CES show in Las Vegas. This is Hachi’s second consecutive year at the event, though it appeared under the Puppy Robot moniker at the 2019 iteration of the show. The Hachi brand is developed by Beijing Puppy Robotics. Many of Hachi’s 2020 offerings seem…
“The company is evidently keen to get consumers familiar with this kind of biometric technology as smart and connected cars get an increasing number of sophisticated IT components.” Biometric driver authentication will be among the technologies showcased by Gentex at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, the company has announced. The system revolves around iris recognition,…
Sensory has released a new speech recognition platform designed for smart appliances like microwaves and refrigerators. The platform is essentially a modified version of the company’s TrulyNatural technology. According to Sensory, the new solution is noteworthy because it does not raise the privacy concerns of competing virtual assistants. The platform does not store any voice…
Amazon, Apple and Google have announced they will be teaming up to develop an open-source standard for connected smart home devices. The partnership, called Project Connected Home over IP, aims to make sure that any supported devices are able to work together with any smartphone or voice assistant, while making the development of new devices…
“The new microcontroller-based solution is designed to enable offline facial and expression recognition for smart devices – a world’s first, according to NXP.” You may soon have a smart thermostat that can recognize your face, thanks to a new piece of technology from NXP Semiconductors. The new microcontroller-based solution is designed to enable offline facial…
Nexxt Solutions is rolling out a new line of Smart Home products in collaboration with Microsoft and Tuya. The portfolio currently includes smart plugs, power strips, bulbs, and motion sensors, but will expand to a full line of more than 40 connected products by mid-2020. All of the products will be compatible with the Nexxt…
The Nest Hub Max isn’t expected to hit store shelves until September 9th, but Google Assistant is already listing Face Match in its settings menu. The facial recognition feature will allow the Nest Hub Max to recognize the faces of different people when they enter the room and display calendars, alerts, and other information customized…
More than 400 police departments are participating in a surveillance program with Ring, an Amazon-owned smart doorbell platform, according to a new Washington Post report. As a consumer product, the Ring smart doorbell is a straightforward enough proposition: It’s designed to record video footage of whoever is at a user’s door. The user can view…
A new report from ABI Research predicts that the integration of smart home technology will fuel the widespread adoption of home robotics. The firm notes that while consumers have been slow to warm to residential robotics, the introduction of smart home features – and voice control in particular – would drastically increase the appeal and…
The AI specialist VeriSilicon has released the latest version of its Vivante VIP Neural Network engine. The VIP9000 is a customizable processor built specifically for artificial intelligence and computer vision, and is compatible with a range of different data sets and computing platforms. VeriSilicon is pitching the solution as a Silicon-Platform-as-a-Service (SiPaaS), and argues that…
Home automation market will hit $116.26 billion by 2026 Transparency Market Research (TMR) has released a new report that forecasts major growth for the home automation market. The report predicts that the market will hit $116.26 billion by 2026, with a CAGR of 6.8 percent over the forecast period. The $116 billion figure represents a…
Apple’s HomePod is getting a voice recognition update that will allow it to identify different individuals. The multi-user feature will enable the smart speaker to recognize multiple voices, which will in turn allow it to offer personalized notifications, reminders, and media recommendations based on the on the preferences of the person doing the talking. The…
Google is consolidating its Nest and Google Home divisions with the Google Nest Hub Max, a slightly bigger version of the Google Home Hub (now the Google Nest Hub) speaker. Beyond the larger size (a 10-inch touchscreen instead of a 7-inch touchscreen), the Nest Hub Max’s most noteworthy addition is a new camera with facial…
A recently published Apple patent suggests that the company could be planning to introduce Face ID and 3D hand gestures to its HomePod line of products. The patent specifically refers to a voice-controlled assistant such as a “countertop speaker,” and would allow such devices to recognize faces, as well as hand waves and other basic…
“It’s a clear signal that Google wants to get as many partners into its AI ecosystem as possible.” Google is aiming to connect more third party partners and devices to its Google Assistant AI platform, if its big new announcement for this year’s Consumer Electronics Show offers any indication. Detailing its Google Assistant innovations for…
“Based on iris recognition, the system is designed to be embedded into a mirror, and to automatically identify a driver with just a glance.” Gentex is once again showcasing cutting-edge connected car technologies at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. Among its new offerings is HomeLink Connect, a mobile app that’s designed to pair with a…
“Many consumer electronics OEMs want to get into the fast-growing market for smart speakers, but they don’t want to use another brand’s wake word or risk their customers’ privacy and personal data to do so. Sensory now has an affordable solution that offers these companies access to a user-friendly voice UX for Bluetooth speakers that…
