Inspiring the Evolution of Embedded Design

June 21, 2022

IoT Technology Focus

DHS and FEMA Join Forces to Combat Wildfires

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have partnered to take on wildfire suppression efforts, relying mainly on new IoT technology.

Sensor arrays can now be deployed in the wild, creating a series of early warning systems. Reducing response times, potentially reaching fires before they are burning out of control.

Digital Matter Receives the 2022 IoT Evolution Asset Tracking Award for its Oyster Edge Tracking Solution

Digital Matter has developed an asset tracking system that can run reliably on 3x AA off-the-shelf batteries for ten years. It is a rugged, waterproof, system that can run as a Bluetooth low-energy gateway. It can track critical assets in transit or storage and report on conditions such as temperature.

Superpedestrian Brings Small Vehicle IoT to Cities Across the Nation

Superpedestrian states its mission is to provide cities with the world’s safest and most advanced small vehicle technologies. Brought to life from the MIT Senseable City Lab with the ambitious goal of solving urban transportation challenges.

Editor's Desk by Stephen Vicinanza

Interoperability Gets a Standard Of Matter

The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) which used to be the Zigbee Alliance, made up of hundreds of companies, with the specific purpose of creating, maintaining, and delivering open, global standards for the Internet of Things (IoT) announced Matter, an interoperability standard for secure connectivity for the future smart home.

Across the globe, devices are becoming more connected, delivering more accurate data by the truckload. IoT is changing the way we all live, work and play. In many sectors, from home to office, factories to hospitals, objects are becoming increasingly connected, solving more and more complex problems. The idea of independent proprietary platforms are waning, with the need to reduce the confusion all these independent devices can cause to the average consumer. To have a consistent, reliable, secure device, that works in concert with the devices around it, regardless of propriety is of vital importance. This was the entire reasoning behind the Connected Home over IP project, also known as the CHIP Project. The CHIP Project has now become a new standard known as Matter.

There are over 180 member companies joined together to develop Matter. Matter brings together specification, reference, implementation, testing tools and certifications in IoT development, a way to streamline and interoperate across devices from many sources. Matter is a unified IP-based connectivity protocol built on proven technologies, as well as reliable and secure IoT ecosystems. This new technology standard drives an open model that has a royalty-free connectivity that brings together a wide array of smart devices. In addition to development and interoperability, Matter is also a seal of approval, where the consumer can look for the logo and know the device they are buying will reliably work with other devices in the Matter ecosystem. In essence, Matter makes it easier for manufacturers to build devices and consumers to identify compatible devices when purchasing new technological products.

Next week, a look at Embedded Boards - from ecosystem to wireless.