Design smart products!
Hardware development at the heart of your IoT project.
Bring your objects to life
Hardware is what allows you to design objects that can capture and measure physical quantities, exchange information between objects and transfer data over the networks used for the IoT.
Objects are the foundation of the IoT – without objects, there would be no IoT.
Technology choices
Defining the electronic architecture, selecting and implementing the major technology components and building blocks of your objects
Design
Designing wiring diagrams and layouts for the electronic boards included in the objects, prototyping, startup, prototype characterisation and validation
Monitoring
Managing and monitoring the manufacture of electronic boards, relations with component producers and distributors, EMS
Mass production
Approval, test tool implementation, programming, launching mass production, managing obsolescence
We can distinguish between two broad families of objects:
Devices that incorporate connectivity directly
Gateways responsible for collecting data, processing it and transmitting it across IoT networks
References
In&Motion
Protective airbag vest for bikers, high-level skiers and horse riders.
Fall detection and inflation in less than 100 milliseconds
Continuous data recording and analysis
High-performance algorithm (optimised using data reported by users)
Hardware in the IoT pathway
Hardware is present at all stages of your IoT project and involves:
Technology watch in order to take advantage of the latest innovations
Choosing suppliers and the COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) approach
Relationships with manufacturers and distributors, interfaces with EMS, subcontractors
Development in the laboratory with a wide range of measurement equipment, certification
Development in the laboratory with a wide range of measurement equipment, certification
Design for manufacturing, design for testing
A word from Sébastien
Hardware engineer
“Innovation is part of my job every single day. Our customers come from many different fields, so each project has its own set of constraints and ideas. It’s a very stimulating environment to work in and it requires us to stay informed on the latest releases and technological developments. It’s incredibly satisfying to support and guide our customers through the various steps of a project and help them bring their ideas to life, all the way to market launch of their connected product.”
Sébastien,Hardware engineer
A word from Sébastien
Hardware engineer
“Innovation is part of my job every single day. Our customers come from many different fields, so each project has its own set of constraints and ideas. It’s a very stimulating environment to work in and it requires us to stay informed on the latest releases and technological developments. It’s incredibly satisfying to support and guide our customers through the various steps of a project and help them bring their ideas to life, all the way to market launch of their connected product.”
Sébastien, Hardware engineer
Key technologies used for hardwaree
Connectivity
LPWAN
Sigfox
LoRaWAN
LTE-M
NB-IoT
Cellular
2G/3G/4G/5G
Short range
Bluetooth
BLE
BLE mesh
WiFi
Contactless
RFID
NFC
Others, including industry-specific technologies
USB
Zigbee
DIO
Ethernet
CAN/Modbus
RS232/RS485
ISM 433/868
Focus on power
This is the heart of the object – without power, it remains inert. Many projects have no energy constraints, because they are mains-powered. Where this is not available, however, there are a number of options depending on the specific constraints and the use case.
- Low Power: to guarantee embedded power with no recharging and no maintenance.
- Energy Harvesting: to convert energy from external sources (solar, vibration, heat etc.) into stored electrical energy to provide objects with an autonomous power supply.
- Qi: to transmit energy and recharge objects wirelessly.
The scope of hardware technologies
Our hardware skills go beyond connectivity and power, also covering:
- microcontrollers, microprocessors, SOM (System On Module)
- sensors: gyroscope, accelerometer, hygrometer, thermometer etc.
- HMI: LED, buzzer, loudspeaker, display
I have an IoT project
Which connectivity technology should you choose?
The choice of technology is fundamental for the management of your IoT project and the performance of the finished object.
– Energy consumption,
– Scope and volume of data
For a full explanation and advice to help you decide: