Month: September 2020

Twilio, providers of the cloud communications platform, expanded the company’s Internet of Things (IoT) offerings with the launch of Microvisor. This is an IoT connectivity and device management platform that offers embedded developers a one stop shop for building connected devices, keeping them secure, and managing them through their lifetime.

Twilio aims to significantly accelerate IoT adoption by providing as much critical but common infrastructure as possible, so that IoT teams can focus on delivering unique value to businesses and consumers.

“While Super SIM solved the cellular connectivity challenge for IoT builders, we quickly learned that customers were still wrestling with the other foundational aspects of embedded software that are unique to IoT,” says Evan Cummack, general manager of Twilio IoT.

“Microvisor is the only platform that offers embedded developers the conveniences of a fully managed IoT platform, while giving them the freedom to craft their embedded software exactly how they’ve always done.”

“Twilio IoT has enabled us to adapt to disruptive industry trends and build new IoT solutions fast, without compromising critical security or reliability,” according to Raj Krishnamurthy, CEO at Freespace, a workplace technology solutions company.

Freespace built a ‘return to work’ solution on Twilio using IoT sensors and digital signage that allow facility managers to safely re-open large office spaces during the pandemic. “Whether it’s taking care of critical security or allowing us to write embedded code that will work reliably and long-lived, Twilio has proven to be a rock-solid partner for the long run.”

In order to deploy a fleet of connected devices, IoT builders have to solve for device security, reliable connectivity, over-the-air firmware upgrades and connectivity issues all of which require specific domain expertise and none of which contribute to the product experience of a device.

This complexity contributes to a high rate of failure for IoT projects. The new Microvisor platform abstracts away many of the common infrastructure challenges burdening IoT developers by offering:

● Lifetime Managed Security: A one-time fee will take care of constant monitoring of vulnerabilities and applying security patches to the devices and involved cloud components, performed by Twilio.

● Fail-safe over-the-air code debugging and updates: Developers can debug devices remotely, wherever in the world they are deployed, and push code updates frequently and safely, without worrying about breaking the device with a bad update.

● Support for any language & embedded OS: The architecture of Microvisor lets developers reuse any existing embedded code and continue developing in the language and embedded OS of their choice. This is achieved using Arm® TrustZone® hardware isolation technology, which is now becoming available for Cortex®-M microprocessors, and is supported on select STMicroelectronics® chips.

With Microvisor, Twilio reports that IoT builders can expect lower development costs, faster time to market and the agility to innovate, while relying on Twilio to maintain the critical security and the ability to push code updates not only at deployment time, but for the lifetime of the device. Microvisor is said to bring the agility and resiliency of cloud computing to the world of embedded devices and IoT.

Twilio has developed deep expertise interfacing with telecommunications networks around the world this expertise enabled Twilio to make Super SIM the best option for global cellular IoT connectivity. With Microvisor, Twilio expands its IoT ambitions to leverage the company’s true secret sauce: developer experience, developer relations, and the creation and operation of a mission-critical developer platform that scales from innovators to enterprises.

Microvisor now enters private beta at SIGNAL 2020. To request inclusion in the beta programme, Click here.

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Designers of automotive systems can now add dynamic hand-gesture controls at what is said to be the industry’s lowest cost and smallest size with the MAX25205 data acquisition system from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.

Featuring integrated optics and a 6×10 infrared (IR) sensor array, the MAX25205 detects swipe and hand-rotation gestures, without the complexity of time-of-flight (ToF) cameras, at 10x lower cost and up to 75% smaller size.

Car makers predict driver safety will improve when gesture and proximity sensing replace knobs and touch screens for infotainment, phone, side mirror, climate, boot, sunroof and reading lamp controls. Most gesture-sensing systems in today’s cars are based on ToF cameras that also bring high costs and complexities, which many manufacturers wish to avoid.

Maxim Integrated’s optical-based MAX25205 enables the most hand gestures at a solution cost that is up to 10x lower than ToF camera-based systems. Additionally, the gesture and proximity-sensing sensor features a high level of integration and comes in a small 4mmx4mm chip size, which is up to 75% smaller than ToF camera-based solutions.

This gesture solution offers a complementary solution to the voice command, as there are scenarios where voice command is not effective. Another benefit of a gesture solution is that the automotive displays do not become smeared with finger prints as customers use their touch screens.

Reported advantages include:

• Lowest cost: Enables swipe and rotation gestures sensing at lower cost than a ToF camera; Allows developers to avoid complex software development and maintenance programs
• Smallest size: 60 photo diode array, LED driver and internal LDO result in a total solution size that is significantly smaller than ToF camera solutions; Can be paired with a small microcontroller, rather than the larger microprocessors that more complex solutions require
• Versatility: Delivers 9 gestures, including swipe, rotations, air link and 3×2 proximity zones with low lag time in a single chip compared to a competitive solution that requires 3 chips and a complicated microprocessor; Cost reduction makes gesture-sensing feasible for automotive, consumer and industrial applications such as smart home hubs, thermostats and others, all without touching the device

“Although ToF-based systems enabled gesture-sensing in luxury models, automakers are hopeful to add this stylish and life-saving feature to higher volume product tiers as well,” says Sachin Garg, associate vice president at MarketsandMarkets. “What designers need is a lower cost alternative to today’s systems in order to make the economics of gesture-sensing controls more feasible for non-luxury models.”

“Maxim Integrated’s MAX25205 is a game changer for the automotive industry,” comments Szu-Kang Hsien, executive business manager for Automotive Business Unit at Maxim Integrated. “By offering the most dynamic gesture control for automotive applications at the lowest cost, automakers can avoid the prohibitive costs of time-of-flight camera solutions and offer gesture sensing in more car models. It offers a stylish, cool factor to cars, especially for laid back drivers who prefer to use gesture for control with the added benefit of keeping their touch screens dirt-free.”

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Avast, a global provider of digital security and privacy products, has launched Avast Smart Life for 5G, its smart home security solution for 5G, delivered as a virtualised network function (VNF).

Avast Smart Life for 5G enables operators to protect their subscribers’ smart home and all connected devices at the virtual router level, based on Avast’s artificial intelligence (AI) driven threat detection technology. The solution scans traffic and immediately blocks security risks on all of a customer’s devices, both inside the home and on-the-go.

The company offers products that protect people from threats on the internet and the evolving Internet of Things (IoT) threat landscape. The company’s threat detection network uses machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies to detect and stop threats in real time. Avast digital security products for Mobile, PC or Mac are certified by VB100, AV-Comparatives, AV-Test, and SE Labs among others.

Avast Smart Life for 5G builds on the company’s decades of experience in protecting consumers and businesses. Carriers can integrate Avast’s consumer security solution as a VNF, protecting their subscribers’ devices seamlessly at the virtual router level. Avast Smart Life for 5G uses Avast’s AI-based threat intelligence technology to identify connected devices, malicious URLs and unusual network traffic. It can then alert the subscriber to, and block, unusual or unwanted activity at a network level. Parental controls also offer families the ability to filter the content and apps their children can access, including social media and videos.

“With family security, privacy, and online safety presenting significant concerns for consumers, delivering advanced security in the network is an opportunity for carriers,” says Nick Viney, SVP and general manager for Partner, Business Unit at Avast. “The ability to offer a converged protection across all customer devices from malware, network attacks, and fine-grained parental controls over access and content, will be a valuable differentiating service.”

Avast’s team has extensive experience in integrating consumer security solutions with carrier systems; partners such as WINDTRE already offer Avast security solutions to their subscribers.

Smart Life for 5G capabilities:

• Home network protection: allowing users to discover which devices and people are connected to their home network. Smart Life will provide alerts if unusual behavior is detected on any device, and block attackers trying to access any device.
• On-the-go security: extending Avast antivirus protection seamlessly to mobile devices, whether PC, Mac, Android, or iOS based, to secure them outside the home.
• Parental controls: enabling families to filter the content and apps that their children can access, including social media and videos. Offering the ability to pause internet access, or individual services such as online gaming or video streaming at any time. Geo-location services can help keep track of children with the option to set alerts for when they leave or arrive at certain places.

Network operators can request a demo of Avast Smart Life for 5G, via Avast’s Partner team, here:

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