From tracking diabetes to the detection of diseases like Cystic Fibrosis, a lot of ideas around monitoring/analyzing human sweat, as a non-invasive method of detecting or monitoring diseases has been around for a while. Leveraging on this idea, a team of researchers at Caltech, led by Wei Gao, assistant professor of medical engineering at Caltech, has created a wireless, non-invasive, sweat sensor that analyzes human sweat to determine stress levels.
The sensor determines the stress level by accurately tracking, in near real-time, the levels of a natural compound called “cortisol” in sweat. Cortisol is believed to be the hormone that is released in the human body when stressed. According to Gao, the circadian pattern of cortisol in patients who for instance have PTSD or Depression is different from those in healthy individuals, as such, by identifying the cortisol patterns, the level of stress can be diagnosed and the speed at which the sensor does this means the 1+hours wait for blood tests and the associated stress-inducing blood sample draw can be avoided.
Made from Graphene, a sheet-like form of carbon, the new sensor uses a detection approach similar to that of another sweat sensor developed by Gao which is used in detecting the level of uric acid in the bloodstream so as to monitor cardiovascular diseases and other conditions like diabetes, and kidney-related diseases.
The new sensor features graphene combined with a plastic sheet that is etched with a laser to generate a 3D graphene structure, with tiny pores in which sweat can be analyzed. The pores, which create a large amount of surface area in the sensor, are coupled with antibodies that are immune to system molecules and sensitive to cortisol, aiding its detection.
Successful tests have been conducted with the sensor, and even more, tests are now being planned to be conducted in space, as Gao is one of the researchers that were selected by NASA to participate in the studies of the health of humans on deep-space missions, to test potential off-world applications of the sensor. As part of the program, which is being administered by the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH), Gao will be required to develop the sensor into a system for monitoring stress and anxiety levels in astronauts.
Moreover, exploring the potential off-world applications of CBD, known for its calming effects on anxiety, presents a promising avenue for future research. Astronauts could potentially consume CBD on Earth before embarking on missions to mitigate anxiety and stress, enhancing their preparedness for the challenges of space travel. Integrating CBD into the health protocols of space missions could revolutionize how we support astronauts’ mental health, paving the way for safer and more sustainable human exploration beyond our planet.
The GW6903 SBC features the Cavium OcetonTX™ Dual Core ARMv8 SoC processor operating at 800MHz, 1GByte of DDR4 DRAM, and 8GBytes of eMMC System Flash. Two Mini-PCIe half card expansion sockets supports 802.11abgn/ac wireless radios, LTE/4G/3G cellular modems and other PCI Express peripherals. Additional peripherals include a Gigabit Ethernet port and a Type A USB 3.0 port. The Gateworks System Controller provides embedded features such as real time clock, voltage and temperature monitor, fan monitor and control, serial EEPROM, and advanced power management with programmable board shut-down and wake-up for remote IoT sensor applications. A wide-range DC input power supply provides up to 8W to the Mini-PCIe sockets for supporting thelatest high-power wireless radios. Input Power is applied through dedicated connector or the Ethernet port in a Passive Power over Ethernet configuration. Both OpenWrt and Ubuntu Linux Board Support Packages are supported on the ARM Processor. The small size of the single board computer allows it to operate in rugged and industrial applications with limited space. This product is made in the USA making it suitable for military and other secure projects. An IoT Gateway can easily be created by mating the GW6903 SBC with two half card Mini-PCIe radios. Internet of things and mesh systems are a perfect match for this miniature SBC that is only 35x110mm.
As a general concept, the power describes the speed at which a certain amount of energy is released/transmitted by a system. This energy can be of different forms: kinetic, magnetic, electric … etc
In any domain, the power is therefore expressed as a quantity of energy per unit of time. The international unit for the power is in Joules/second (J/s) which is also known as Watts (W).
In electricity, the power is determined by the product of the voltage and current signals. The hydraulic analogy is usually used to better understand the concept and draw similarities between the two domains. Indeed, the voltage can be associated with the pressure of a fluid and the current with the movement of the fluid. If any of these values increase (resp. decrease), the power also increases (resp. decreases).
In this tutorial, we will focus on the power in AC circuits, which has a different form than DC circuits. For this reason, in the first section, we discuss how to determine the AC power and where its expression comes from.
The second section will introduce an important concept called the power factor which is crucial to understand the power in AC circuits.
The last section focuses on the power triangle concept, which is associated with some definitions. We will see that power in AC circuits can take three different forms.
Power of a sinusoidal waveform
Consider an electrical AC sinusoidal signal which is characterized by its voltage V(t)=Vmax×sin(ωt+ΦV) and current I(t)=Imax×sin(ωt+ΦI) where Vmax, Imax are the peak values, ω is the common angular pulsation and ΦV, ΦI are the instant phase of each signal. The phase-difference can, therefore, be defined as ΔΦ=ΦV-ΦI.
fig 1: Illustration of the voltage and current signals
We define the instantaneous power similarly to the DC power by P(t)=V(t)×I(t). When using the expressions of V(t), I(t), the trigonometric formula sin(X)sin(Y)=1/2(cos(X-Y)-cos(X+Y)), and the fact that (Vmax×Imax)/2=Vrms×Irms, it comes:
eq 1: Instantaneous power of an AC signal
The first term of this formula is constant and depends only on the phase-shift between the voltage and current, it is known as the active power. The second term is time-varying, it depends on both the angular pulsation and phase-shift.
When taking the average value of P(t) over a period T of the signal, only the active power remains as the average of a time-dependant cosine term is always equal to zero.
Finally, we can say that the power dissipated in an AC circuit is given by the active power which corresponds to the average power:
eq 2: Active/real power of an AC signal
The term cos(ΔΦ) is known as the power factor, it is a real number between 0 and 1 that reflects how efficiently a component or a circuit consumes the power injected to it. More details about Equation 2 and the power factor are given in the following section.
Power factor
The power factor is often noted λ=cos(ΔΦ), it is equal to the ratio P/S with S=Vrms×Irms being the apparent power, which we focus more in the third section about the power triangle.
It is clear from Equation 2 that the power factor dictates how efficient the power transfer in a circuit is, depending on the phase-shift between the voltage and current. When no phase-shift (ΔΦ) is observed, the circuit or component is said to be purely resistive such as ideals resistor. In this case, the power transmission is maximum and equal to Vrms×Irms.
An example of a purely resistive situation is illustrated in Figure 2 with Vmax=1 V and Imax=2 A:
fig 2: AC power in a purely resistive circuit
The simultaneous variations of V(t) and I(t) leads to a product P(t) always positive. The average power is therefore strictly positive. Since Vrms=1/√2 and Irms=2/√2, the AC power is given by P=1 W (dark line in Figure 2).
On the other hand, a phase-shift of 90° in absolute value can be observed in purely reactive circuits or components, such as ideal capacitor or inductor. We illustrate this case with the same example as presented previously but this time with λ=0:
fig 3: AC power in a purely reactive circuit
As we can see, due to the phase-shift, the voltage and current signals are not synchronized anymore. The resulting instant power P(t) is a sinewave that alternates between positive and negative values, the average value of the power P is equal to 0 (dark line in Figure 3).
For the intermediate cases 0<λ<1, the AC power is located between 0 and the best case value Vrms×Irms.
Power triangle
In AC regime, we can list three different definitions of power:
The apparent power is a complex number noted S, its norm equals the product Vrms×Irms and its argument is ΔΦ. It is the power that is “apparently” transmitted into a circuit.
The active power is a real number and has previously been defined in the first section. It corresponds to the real power that is indeed transmitted into the circuit. Its expression is P=|S|×λ.
The reactive power is the imaginary part of the apparent power and noted Q. Its expression is given by Q=|S|×sin(ΔΦ).
These different forms of power can be gathered in a complex diagram known as the power triangle:
fig 4: Power triangle
From Figure 4, we can understand that these quantities are linked by the following formula: S=P+jQ.
The active power is the only definition that makes a direct physical sense, in the meaning that it can directly be measured.
Even though the reactive power is an imaginary term, it has also a physical meaning. This form of power can be produced by capacitive components or consumed by inductive components.
In many countries, electricity providers bill the reactive power consumers for certain values of λ. This is due to the fact that if a power plant produces for a client a certain apparent power S, but the client only consumes P, the power companies will bill P+Q in order to compensate for the loss in their electric line and encourage the customers to improve their network.
As an example, consider a power plant that needs to provide an active power P to its clients. Client number 1 has an efficient line regarding its reactive power Q1, client number 2 has an inadequate electricity network regarding its reactive power Q2. The apparent power that the electricity company needs to provide is therefore not the same for these different clients:
fig 5: Power triangles of the example
We can clearly see from Figure 5 that the power that the electricity company needs to generate for client 2 is significantly higher than for client 1 in order for them to be able to use the same final amount P.
Two options are therefore possible for client 2: either he pays a higher bill to the provider or he improves its electricity network. One possible way for client 2 to lower its reactive power down to Q1 is by capacitive compensation.
Indeed, inductive components tend to increase the reactive power (arg(ZL)=+90°) and at the opposite, capacitive components tend to decrease it (arg(ZC=-90°). Choosing an appropriate value of a series capacitor can, therefore, bring back the reactive power Q2 to acceptable levels.
Conclusion
Power in AC circuits cannot only be described by the peak values of the voltage and current waveforms. These signals are indeed not always synchronized because of a phase-difference induced by reactive components. The expression of the power is therefore affected by a term λ called the power factor that depends on the value of the phase-shift.
The power factor can only take a value between 0 and 1, and both of these extrema reflect respectively a purely reactive or resistive behavior of the circuit.
One way to visualize the influence of the power factor is through the concept presented in the last section called the power triangle. The active power effectively consumed by the circuit can indeed be seen as the apparent power (that should have been transmitted) multiplied by a corrective factor. The dual of the active power, which is also the imaginary part of the apparent power is the reactive power and plays an important role for electricity providers that keep track of its value in order to adjust their client’s bill and observe the efficiency of their lines.
Kontron, a leading global provider of IoT/Embedded Computing Technology (ECT), is expanding its product line in the Pico-ITX form factor with the pITX-APL V2.0 embedded motherboard, which is equipped with Intel Atom® E39xx and Intel® Celeron® N3350/J3455 two- and quad-core CPUs and features improved performance with an extended range of functions. The pITX-APL V2.0 offers up to 16 Gbytes of hard-soldered LPDDR4 memory, extensive interfaces, such as two 1GB Ethernet ports and a second graphics interface, as well as the option of retrofitting user-specific functions via M2 interface. A mini DisplayPort and HDMI provide flexible graphics options. This makes the motherboard ideal for use in industrial client applications as well as in kiosk, infotainment, digital signage and POS systems.
The new pITX-APL V2.0 with its compact dimensions of only 100 x 72 mm impresses with improved graphics and computing performance and at the same time low power consumption of only 6 to 12 watts at 12V DC input voltage. It features an LVDS 24Bit Dual Channel, an M.2 slot with a USB 3.0 and microSIM interface as well as a half-size mPCIe slot and a uSD/uSIM combo slot. A TPM 2.0 security chip enables the protection of applications and licenses.
Specifications listed for the pITX-APL V2.0 include:
Processor — Intel Apollo Lake with Intel HD Graphics 500 (all Atom, Celeron, and Pentium models, dual- and quad-core)
Memory/storage:
Up to 16GB soldered, 4x-channel LPDDR4 RAM
MicroSD slot (combo slot with micro-SIM)
SATA 3.0 with locking latch
Optional SSD on M.2 B-key and possible mini-PCIe (see below)
Networking — 2x Gigabit Ethernet ports with WoL
Media I/O:
Mini-DisplayPort
HDMI port
18/24-bit, dual-channel LVDS with 5V backlight support
Triple display support
HD Audio I/O headers (mic, line-in, line-out) plus SPDIF
Other I/O:
2 USB 3.0 ports
2x USB 2.0 headers
RS-232, SPI, and front-panel headers
Expansion:
M.2 B-key (PCIe 2.0) slot with SSD support and micro-SIM
Possible half-size mini-PCIe slot with storage and wireless support
Micro-SIM combo slot with microSD
Other features — TPM 2.0; optional Kontron Approtect with Wibu secure element; system monitoring; RTC with Pigtail BR2032 battery; optional passive and active cooling
Operating temperature — -25 to 75°C (possible -40 to 85°C Atom variants)
Power — 12V DC locking jack; power header; CMOS clear/autostart header; power button and LED; ACPI 5.0 PMIC; optional 15W 5V/3A external power supply
Dimensions — 100 x 72 x 41mm
Operating system – BSPs for Yocto Linux, Win 10 IoT Enterprise and Core, WES7, Win 7, VxWorks
Like all Kontron embedded products, the pITX-APL V2.0 is characterized by the long-term availability of all components – a fact that is particularly beneficial for very complex application scenarios with many devices running in parallel.
Saelig Company, Inc. announces the availability of Abeeway Asset Trackers, which uniquely use multiple location technologies (GPS, Low-power GPS, Wi-Fi, and BLE) to allow accuracy, speed, and indoor/outdoor use. Proprietary Abeeway technology sends GPS calculations to the cloud, making location tracking faster and extremely energy-efficient. To optimize battery life, Abeeway devices use the most cost-effective connectivity and integrated sensors to enable smart multi-mode behavior, adaptable to individualized situations:
Motion Tracking: real-time position when motion is detected
Start/End: positioning at motion start and end events
Fix on demand: get position only when needed
Activity tracking: monitor activity rate with embedded sensors
Two Abeewaytracker types are currently available: the Micro Tracker and the Industrial Tracker. The Micro Tracker is a very low power location tracker which combines GPS, WiFi, LoRa, and BLE technologies to offer outdoor positioning (GPS) with 10m accuracy as well as indoor positioning (WiFi sniffing and triangulation) with 30m accuracy and automatic wireless detection. The Micro Tracker incorporates proprietary low power GPS technology (multi-patented Abeeway AGPS) to offer extended use in a tiny small device, with up to 3 year battery life before recharging. Recheargable via microUSB for intense daily use, this product is used worldwide by telecom companies, insurance companies, medical equipment users, food suppliers, as well as for personnel and small equipment tracking. The Micro Tracker can locate its position in 10sec versus 1min for conventional GPS. It offers excellent sensitivity even in bad conditions, and up to 10 times the powered life of ordinary GPS products.
The Industrial Tracker is a low power industrial tracker with the same performance as the Micro Tracker, but with an active “fit-and-forget” battery life of up to 10 years. The use of three location technologies (GPS, assisted GPS, and Wi-Fi) guarantees seamless outdoor/indoor geolocation. This makes it useful for transport, vehicles, trucks, public works, construction, logistics, supply chain management, security, and general equipment asset management. The GPS mode is accurate up to 5 meters, with a location time of 15sec for a hot start and 1min for a cold start. The assisted GPS mode is accurate up to 10m with a location time of 10sec. The Wi-Fi mode is accurate up to 30m with a location time of 5sec. Additional parameters that can be logged include: temperature and pressure monitoring, and movement via the integrated 3-axis accelerometer.
Abeeway also offers an optional web/mobile application and a SaaS to follow their trackers, change settings, request a position, or create geo-fencing, sending an SMS message or email when a tracker enters a defined zone. Two geolocation modes are available: “on-demand” when GPS is used, and “regular” with periodic location at regular, configurable intervals.
Applications for Abeeway trackers include: locate machinery, tools or construction material; detect equipment fleet location and monitor equipment utilization; detect asset theft; optimize transportation supply; track vehicles, pallets, containers, dumpsters, and railcars; locate warehouse parts; find vehicles in parking lots; personnel safety and security (geofencing ‘no-go zones’) with real-time location indoors/outdoors and SOS button problem alert; livestock management and farm equipment monitoring, etc.
Leveraging high battery life capabilities and low total cost of ownership, the Abeeway trackers provide a cost-efficient solution for tracking assets using LoRaWAN connectivity and embedded geolocation intelligence. This is a simple, fast and ready-to-go tracking solution, creating an instant ‘track and trace’ answer for most location challenges.
The EV54Y39A from Microchip is a secure Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud IoT development solution
Microchip Technology’s EV54Y39APIC-IoT WA Development Board and AWS provide users with an ideal foundation for building their next cloud-connected design. Combining powerful microcontrollers, a CryptoAuthentication™ secure element, and a fully certified Wi-Fi® network controller, these boards offer the simplest and most effective way to connect embedded applications to the AWS Cloud platform. Leveraging the Microchip Trust Platform, each board comes pre-provisioned and ready to upload light and temperature sensor data to the free sandbox account, ready to be visualized in real-time on a dedicated web page.
The IoT development board features the PIC24FJ128GA705 eXtreme Low Power (XLP) microcontroller. This powerful and efficient MCU allows users to intelligently bring their data to the Cloud. Using these scalable MCUs allows for the expansion of the IoT functionality and the addition of customized sensors into the application. For rapid prototyping, the IoT development board is supported by the MPLAB X IDE as well as the graphical development tool MPLAB Code Configurator (MCC). These tools simplify connecting existing applications to the cloud or developing new IoT designs. The on-board mikroBUS™ connector allows for both the seamless integration of any MIKROE® Click™ boards and the ability to quickly interface with other sensors or actuators that support the popular footprint. With over 700 click boards to choose from, this board can rapidly be made into an IoT enabled motion detector, heart rate monitor, or another device the user imagines. The EV54Y39A AWS sensor node is ideal for smart home, smart city, medical, and industrial control/sensing applications.
Easy migration to the cloud for PIC-based embedded applications
Embedded sensors, actuators, or mechatronic applications
Easy to add cloud connection to a huge install base of PIC MCU applications
The Fotric 226B’s AI algorithm automatically detects and assesses the temperatures of passing humans to provide instant fever alarms
Saelig Company, Inc. has introduced the Fotric 226B Infrared Thermal Imager, a standalone infrared camera and PC software combination that provides safe, non-contact measurement of passing human traffic, without requiring person-to-person contact, ensuring the safety of the detection personnel themselves. It has a millisecond response time which automatically locks on to facial outlines to give accurate non-contact temperature measurements. This fast response means that it does not affect traffic flow or behavior habits, yet can quickly detect people with potential health issues. When the Fotric 226B detects a face with an above-normal body temperature, an audible alarm is immediately triggered, a red box is placed on the PC image of the target face, and a high quality image is captured with the accurate body temperature overlaid. WLIR software then automatically emits a buzzer alarm to alert support personnel.
The Fotric 226B’s Polysilicon-FPA sensor provides a thermal image of up to 110k pixels of effective temperature measurement points. The WLIR software provided has a built-in AI face-shape detection algorithm that detects facial temperatures with a 100% success rate. A built-in AI temperature calibration algorithm within the software automatically locks onto face shapes and rejects other high temperature sources in the field of view. The Fotric 226B has been designed for excellent measurement stability, with automatic correction for ambient changes to avoid false alarms. The WLIR software utilizes a body temperature calibration algorithm which automatically collects face temperatures in different scenarios for self-learning. It adjusts the body temperature alarm threshold in real-time by adapting to ambient changes, preventing alarms for body temperature variations due to morning or night differences. The WLIR software can automatically count the number of screened personnel and the number of suspected abnormal body temperature alarms during a screening process, which is helpful for statistics, and for epidemic prevention and control.
The Fotric 226B Thermal Camera performs best indoors with a detection distance of 3’ to 10’ using ambient lighting. It is simple to set up, requiring one power outlet and a PC connection. The camera has a standard mount for use with a tripod. Made by Fotric Precision Instruments, an innovative intelligent thermal imaging products manufacturer, the Fotric 226B Thermal Camera with free WLIR software is available now from Saelig Company Inc., Fotric’s authorized North American distributor.
Fingerprint Cards AB’s low-power, all-in-one module features market-leading biometric performance
Fingerprints’ FPC BM-LITE is a standalone, compact biometric fingerprint solution with a robust FPC fingerprint sensor, biometric process, and on-board template storage. It comes preloaded with software and ready to use at delivery. Integrating the FPC BM-LITE into a product as a biometric sub-system can greatly reduce time-to-market with an easy-to-integrate serial command interface and optional host CPU.
A complete biometric fingerprint solution, FPC BM-LITE is ready to use out of the box at delivery. Simple serial commands are used to enroll and verify. The FPC BM-Lite brings together superior biometric performance and a high standard of quality components to offer an all-round embedded solution for increased security and enhanced user convenience.
The FPC BM-Lite sensor has a protective coating that protects against ESD well above ±15 kV as well as against scratches and impacts from daily wear and tear. The FPC BM-Lite sensor is available as an IP class (waterproof) configuration making it suitable for demanding industrial conditions and all-weather applications.
Back in 2019, Espressif announces the launch of ESP32-S2 SoC, which was an upgrade of the regular of ESP32 but targetted for security-focused applications. Unlike the typical ESP32, this new SoC comes with an array of new features. Fasttrack to February 2020, Espressif has announced that the ESP32-S2 SoCs have now been cleared for mass production and will be expecting devices based on the new SoCs coming to market soon.
Unlike the original ESP32, the ESP32-S2 SoC is equipped with a faster 240 MHz Xtensa® 32-bit LX7 single-core processor but comes with 320 KB of SRAM and 128 KB of ROM which is lower than the 520KB of RAM and 448 KB of ROM of the ESP32. Nevertheless, this lower memory might not be an issue, and the S2 SoC supports for its shortcomings by proving support for bigger external memories. Also, the S2 comes with a ULP coprocessor based on the RISC-V architecture. With a single-core processor, the ESP32-S2 has lower power consumption, while maintaining excellent processing capabilities.
ES32-S2 SoC Block Diagram
The S2 SoC is capable of dynamically turning off its Wi-Fi transceiver when not in use, which will allow it to save an enormous power. Some of its more features are an off the USB support, and it adds a camera interface to the SoCs, also adds the TOF (Time of flight) ranging function of Wi-Fi data packets to improve the accuracy and stability of the wireless range and many more.
The ESP32-S2 was designed to address some of the security challenges with IoT devices. It comes with:
Secure boot based on the RSA algorithm, which ensures that only trusted software is executed on the chip.
Flash encryption based on the AES-XTS algorithm, which ensures that user-sensitive configuration data and application code on the external Flash and PSRAM of ESP32-S2 are always encrypted.
The TLS stack can take advantage of the cryptographic accelerator hardware to improve the cloud connectivity performance.
The security of ESP32-S2 is specially reinforced, as it resists fault injection attacks from hardware and software, while it also prevents key leakage in voltage failure.
ESP32-S2-Kaluga-1
Aside from the ESP32-S2 SoC, Espressif has also confirmed mass production for its related modules: the ESP32-S2-WROVER and the ESP32-S2-WROOM modules. To facilitate quick prototyping of the ESP32-S2, a pair of development boards called the ESP32-S2-Saola-1, and the ESP32-S2-Kaluga-1 are also being mass-produced as well. The ESP32-S2-Kaluga-1 is designed for human-machine interface (HMI) application development. It includes an LCD touch screen display, 14 capacitive touch panel control, 8- / 16-bit DVP camera image interface, audio playback, and arrays of GPIOs.
More information about the announcement is available on the blog post.
WIN Enterprises, Inc., a leading designer and manufacturer of embedded x86 motherboards and appliances for electronic OEMs, announces the MB-50030 a ATX embedded board that features 9th/8th Gen Intel Core processor This embedded board supports intense applications, such as measuring integers, floating-point calculations, virtualization, and large/complex databases, all with HPC-level performance.
The WIN Enterprises ATX embedded motherboards supports high performance computing capabilities, rich I/O connectivity, high integration, and expansibility. The device enables support for up to 7 expansion slots. The ATX board’s form factor is 305mm x 244mm, making it an ideal solution for industrial automation and machine vision applications that require reliability & add-on-card expansibility.
Features
– 9th / 8th Gen Intel® Core™ with Intel® Q370 chipset
– 4 DDR4 DIMM with up to 128GB
– Support for 3 independent displays: VGA + DP++ + DP++
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