Energous Commends ITU Recommendation for Radio Frequency-based Wireless Power Transfer in the 900MHz Band

Energous Corporation, a leading developer of RF-based charging for wireless power networks, applauded the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Recommendation ITU-R SM.2151-0, which includes an approval and recommendation for the 900 MHz frequency band for wireless power transfer for the wireless charging of devices such as sensors, smart tags, asset trackers and other connected applications. Energous helped lead the process to develop the global recommendation, representing a significant step forward for wireless power delivery.

Elliptic Labs, the innovative Norwegian developer of software sensor solutions, announced a collaboration with Cirrus Logic to certify and optimize Elliptic Labs’ AI Virtual Smart Sensor Platform on Cirrus Logic’s latest smart boosted amplifiers for smartphone, PC/laptop, and IoT customers. Elliptic Labs’ software sensors rely on microphones and speakers to generate and translate ultrasound tones, which benefit from Cirrus Logic new generation audio amplifiers.

InvenSense, a TDK Group company, announced a comprehensive portfolio of new technology solutions during the 2021 Consumer Electronics Showcase. Among the expanded MEMS portfolio, the new T5838 SmartSound MEMS microphone offers a low power mode of just 130uAmps and a high-quality mode of 330uAmps, while supporting a dynamic range of 68dN SNR and 133dB AOP at 20kHz bandwidth. Optimized for smartphones, microphone arrays, smart speakers, and headsets, the T5838 supports configurable wake-on-sound at power levels as low as 20 µA.

For this edition of The Audio Voice, I intended to focus a bit more on the latest developments in the fascinating world of sensors and how it impacts product development and design in all applications areas, particularly in consumer electronics, automotive, and health applications. After writing previously about Apple - the sensors on the Apple Watch and the surprising firmware updates for the AirPod Pro earbuds - I really didn't want to go back to Apple. But as always, Apple has a way of surprising us exactly when we least expected, and the company made another important audio announcement.

Asahi Kasei Microdevices Corporation (AKM) has developed the AK5706, a high-performance 24-bit stereo A/D converter (ADC) with an integrated Acoustic Activity Analyzer (AAA) wakeup solution consuming only 30μA, audio buffer, and support for digital and high-SNR microphones. Designed for systems that must listen for specific types of audio activity while consuming very low power, the AK5706 is ideal for products such as speech recognition systems, as well as security and smart home devices.

Following its acquisition of Chirp Microsystems in February 2018, TDK Corporation now announced the immediate availability of the latest Chirp SmartSonic platform family of ultrasonic sensor time-of-flight (ToF) solutions. The SmartSonic platform is currently available with the Chirp CH-101, an ultra-low power ultrasonic ToF range sensor that provides millimeter-accurate range measurements up to 1.2m, independent of target color and transparency.