Energy harvesting sensor evaluation board (Credit: ROHM Semiconductor)

ROHM Semiconductor has recently announced its partnership with Eta Compute Inc. to develop low power Wireless Smart Ubiquitous Network (Wi-SUN) compatible sensor nodes. The nodes will combine ROHM's sensor technology and Eta Compute's low power MCUs to deliver one of the highest performing, lowest power solutions for smart utility networks and the IoT.

Eta Compute is a U.S.-based company focused on delivering next-generation autonomous intelligence to mobile and edge devices.

"Our partnership with ROHM gives our customers access to industry-leading sensor technology combined with the industry's lowest power microprocessor technology," said Paul Washkewicz, Vice President and Co-Founder of Eta Compute. "By focusing on Wi-SUN compatibility, we are providing essential components for large-scale outdoor networking required for smart cities and a diverse range of applications in an intelligent loT."

The nodes coming from the ROHM and Eta Compute partnership will be designed for frequent, low-latency communication that draws less than 1μA when resting and, more importantly, only 1mA while sensing. This enables customers to configure devices to sense frequently and still maintain a long-life. The nodes will be compatible with Wi-SUN technology, which is based on the IEEE 802.15.4g standard and backed by the Wi-SUN Alliance.

"We are pleased to collaborate with Eta Compute. ROHM has targeted the sensor business as one of our growth strategies. We offer a wide range of sensor line-ups and propose sensor solutions, combining wireless communication devices. By pooling our resources, we will provide customers with the sensor nodes they need to deploy next-generation networks across a wide range of applications," said Satya Dixit, Senior Director of Solutions Marketing, at ROHM Semiconductor.

The optimized low power design of EtaCore IP can reduce power consumption by 10X enabling sensor hubs to perform sensor fusion with local computing and provide real-time data from mobile and IoT enabled devices. ROHM's portfolio of sensors that detect environmental/physical conditions and networks for transmitting and sharing sensor data are essential for achieving IoT and for the development and deployment of next-generation sensor networks.