Want to develop for the Internet of Things? Broadcom introduced on Thursday the WICED Sense developer kit. The device is rather simple, consisting of a Bluetooth Low Energy board stuffed into a small, plastic case. Also included are five micro-electromechanical sensors (MEMS), the BCM20737S Bluetooth Smart system in package (SIP) module, and a Bluetooth 4.1-compatible SMART software stack.
According to the company, the kit is a platform for engineers and non-technical designers alike, allowing them to create custom Internet of Things applications. To get started, all they need to do is unbox the kit, download the WICED Sense application to their smartphone (iOS, Android), and then pair the two devices together. After that, the user can experiment with sensor technology.
The five low-power MEMS sensors include a gyroscope, an accelerometer, an e-compass, a barometer, and a humidity and temperature sensor. There’s also a micro USB connector for simplifying and speeding up application updates, and the ability to receive Over The Air firmware updates from a smartphone, tablet or PC. On the security front, the kit provides certificate signing, decryption, encryption, verification and “various algorithms.”
Broadcom provided a number of usage scenarios on Thursday, such as attaching the kit to a keychain and locating the lost keys using an app on the smartphone. The kit could also be used to warn the owner that a specific room’s temperature is too high, and to maintain a specific level of humidity in the home. Play tennis? The kit could be used to correct player form.
“With hundreds of new ideas for applications and devices for the Internet of Things being hatched daily, it is critical that developers can quickly test their concepts and bring them to market ahead of the competition,” said Brian Bedrosian, Broadcom Senior Director, Embedded Wireless, Wireless Connectivity. “Broadcom’s WICED Sense development kit provides an easy-to-use, low-cost and complete testing package for OEMs and start-ups alike to continue pushing the limits on technology innovation.”
Developers interested in acquiring this kit can pre-purchase WICED Sense for $19.99 at Mouser Electronics. The device itself includes a wake button, an app button, a humidity sensor, the USB port and a buzzer on the back. The bundle includes the device, a microUSB cable, a quick start guide and links to download sample applications and the Smart Software Development Kit (2.x).
