NXP Semiconductors now offers beta Ultra-Wideband (UWB) development tools from its NXP Trimension portfolio that interoperate with the U1 chip in supported Apple products. The beta development tools will allow developers to kick-start the design of innovative applications that interact with UWB enabled Apple products including iPhone and Apple Watch, unleashing the ability to create more precise, directionally aware app experiences.
UWB delivers spatial awareness, which is a new dimension of information. Knowing where a device is in relation to other devices, with an extreme level of accuracy, provides valuable location context. With access to Apple’s Nearby Interaction protocol and API, developers will have the ability to leverage the spatial awareness of UWB to build apps that can communicate with accessories simply by being in close proximity to an U1-equipped iPhone or Apple Watch.
NXP’s development tools are based on NXP Trimension SR150 and SR040, a dedicated portfolio of UWB IoT solutions that stand out for their ability to run UWB autonomously with all firmware running on chip. All PHY/MAC operation is handled within the UWB IC in accordance with FiRa Consortium specifications, helping developers to get solutions to market fast.
By working with regional partners, NXP offers a growing range of tools to access Apple’s Nearby Interaction protocol. The UWB Development Kit by Murata enables a wide range of IoT devices to perform localization tasks or create a setup with multiple UWB anchors.
This development kit is approved by Apple for the purpose of evaluating UWB-enabled accessories that leverage Apple’s Nearby Interaction framework in order to interact with Apple products that include the U1 chip.
Built upon NXP’s SR150 Ultra-Wideband (UWB) transceiver IC, the Trimension SR150 UWB Development Kit by Murata enables a wide range of IoT devices to perform localization tasks or create a setup with multiple UWB anchors. The kit is based on Murata’s Type2BP ultra-small UWB module, which includes clock, filters and peripheral components, as well as NXP’s QN9090 Bluetooth LE solution and a USB-UART conversion IC. The Type-2BP can be controlled through QN9090 with power being supplied via a UWB cable or from the COM port of a PC.
Together with MobileKnowledge NXP further provides a UWB Development Kit with Arduino Connector to bring UWB to IoT devices, such as coin-cell battery powered trackers and tags. More tools are planned to be released in the coming weeks.
“Trimension development tools are now available to help developers unleash the full potential of Apple’s Nearby Interaction protocol and API,”“Our curated range of development tools are ready to power the next exciting phase of UWB development, bringing us closer to a world that anticipates and automates to meet our needs.”
Rafael Sotomayor, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Connectivity and Security for NXP Semiconductors
The NXP UWB Ecosystem
With one of the industry’s broadest portfolios of wireless technologies, NXP was the first to offer a system-level UWB solution backed by a comprehensive software offering and strong security integration based on NXP’s market-proven embedded secure elements (eSEs), and near-field communication (NFC) integration.
The introduction of Trimension expands NXP’s comprehensive connectivity offerings across NFC, Wi-Fi, 5G, and Bluetooth.
