Sensors Converge 2024: Highlights and Trends

Last month, our team had a fantastic experience at Sensors Converge 2024, held from June 24-26 in Santa Clara, California. The event brought together some of the brightest minds in the sensors industry to showcase the latest advancements. In this blog post we will share some of the key themes we observed during the busy days spent at the event.

Flexible Electronics

One of the most prominent themes this year was the developments in flexible electronics. This approach focuses on creating electronics using novel substrates and technologies, with significant implications for medical applications. Sessions from Mark Waugh, Murata and Rob Irwin, Molex highlighted the potential of printed, flexible, and stretchable sensor systems. These advancements are particularly exciting for markets requiring miniature, low-power electronics. The ability of these devices to conform to the body and integrate seamlessly into garments opens up new possibilities for continuous health monitoring and beyond.

Energy Efficiency and Scavenging

Energy efficiency was a key focus, with demonstrations highlighting how sensors, combined with energy scavenging methods and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) radios, can operate with reduced power consumption. Various approaches were presented, from new battery technologies to methods for harvesting energy from radio waves and light. There were some great demos, including Lightricity on the Inplay booth showcasing the 4everswitch, which uses advanced photovoltaic technology to harness ambient light, providing a reliable and sustainable power source for a wide range of applications. E-peas demonstrated using indoor light as a power source, while Energous showcased how they can charge IoT devices over the air and at a distance. These developments suggest potential for powering sensors and Bluetooth LE radios wirelessly, which could improve their utility and potentially lower maintenance costs.

Machine Learning at the Edge

The integration of machine learning (ML) at the sensor level emerged as another important topic. By processing data locally, sensors can now reduce data transmission needs, saving energy and improving efficiency. This approach could be particularly beneficial for Bluetooth Low Energy sensors, where edge ML might help in transmitting higher quality data more efficiently. TinyML emerged as a potential solution for optimising data-intensive sensor applications. AIZIP, a company specialising in AI models for IoT devices, showcased TinyML technology at the event. Their expertise in this field was recognised when they received an award in collaboration with Bosch for developing a deep noise reduction algorithm for true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds.

Our Participation

At our booth, we demonstrated how Blecon enables physical products to communicate with cloud applications using Bluetooth Low Energy. Our demo showcased how our network service and flexible hotspots work in tandem to enable low-cost and efficient deployment of coverage without the need for complex configuration or pairing.

The event provided numerous opportunities to engage with customers, partners, and industry professionals, which was incredibly valuable. To top it off, we're pleased to report that Blecon won the Best of Sensors Award 2024 in the Connectivity Category for our use of Bluetooth LE in IoT Connectivity. This recognition highlights the impact of our technology in the field.

We really did have a great time at the event and we are already looking forward to next years!

For more details on the event visit the Sensors Converge official site.

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