STMicroelectronics made a significant splash at Electronica India 2024, showcasing a range of cutting-edge solutions across various sectors. One highlight was the Ki cordless kitchen transmitter evaluation kit (STEVAL-KITXCB), a modular system designed to advance the concept of wireless kitchen appliances. This evaluation kit, featuring NFC communication and a powerful 2.2 kW wireless power transfer capability, aims to replace traditional kitchen cords, offering seamless operation with appliances like toasters, coffee makers, and induction cooktops. The evaluation kit includes built-in power inverter board, auxiliary power supply board, NFC board, inverter microcontroller board, power coil and NFC coil, and GUI display board. The modular design makes it easier for the user to test and debug the product.
In the sensor technology section, ST demonstrated their new CH family of multizone Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensors, such as the VL53L7CH and VL53L8CH. These sensors are specifically designed for AI applications, enabling precise distance measurement and object detection in up to 64 zones. With the advanced, compact and normalised histogram (CNH) raw data output, they can be integrated into AI-driven solutions like motion detection, shape recognition, and even liquid and material sensing, broadening the horizon for smart applications.
For wireless applications, the STM32WB5MM-DK Discovery kit stole the show, providing a powerful platform for developing Bluetooth Low Energy, Zigbee, and Matter-compatible smart home solutions. Equipped with a dedicated Arm Cortex-M0+ CPU for radio and security tasks and another Arm Cortex-M4 CPU with FPU and ART for other tasks, an OLED display, and rich sensor integration, this kit is designed to support developers in building highly reliable and interoperable wireless applications, particularly in smart home automation. It supports Bluetooth Low Energy 5.4, Zigbee 3.0, OpenThread, dynamic, and static concurrent modes, and 802.15.4 proprietary protocols.
Also presented was the STM32WBA55G-DK1 Discovery kit, specifically designed for BLE Audio applications. Built on the STM32WBA55CGU7 microcontroller, this platform supports Bluetooth Low Energy Audio and provides extensive expansion capabilities with ARDUINO Uno V3 and STMod+ connectivity. Its low-power communication, coupled with high security features, makes it ideal for energy-efficient, wireless audio, fitness, industrial, and medical applications.
