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A Momentary Flow

Rebuilding worldviews one world at a time

Chipmaker Freescale Semiconductor has created the world’s smallest ARM-powered chip, designed to push the world of connected devices into surprising places. Announced today, the Kinetis KL02 measures just 1.9 by 2 millimeters. It’s a full microcontroller unit (MCU), meaning the chip sports a processor, RAM, ROM, clock and I/O control unit — everything a body needs to be a basic tiny computer. The KL02 has 32k of flash memory, 4k of RAM, a 32 bit processor, and peripherals like a 12-bit analog to digital converter and a low-power UART built into the chip. By including these extra parts, device makers can shrink down their designs, resulting in tiny boards in tiny devices. How tiny? One application that Freescale says the chips could be used for is swallowable computers. Yes, you read that right. “We are working with our customers and partners on providing technology for their products that can be swallowed but we can’t really comment on unannounced products,” says Steve Tateosian, global product marketing manager. The KL02 is part of Freescale’s push to make chips tailored to the Internet of Things. Between the onboard peripherals and a power-management system tuned to the chemistry of current generation batteries, the KL02 is intended to be at the heart of a network of connected objects, moving from shoes that wirelessly report your steps (a natural evolution of Nike ) to pipes that warn you when they are leaking. (via Freescale’s Insanely Tiny ARM Chip Will Put the Internet of Things Inside Your Body | Wired Design | Wired.com)

Chipmaker Freescale Semiconductor has created the world’s smallest ARM-powered chip, designed to push the world of connected devices into surprising places. Announced today, the Kinetis KL02 measures just 1.9 by 2 millimeters. It’s a full microcontroller unit (MCU), meaning the chip sports a processor, RAM, ROM, clock and I/O control unit — everything a body needs to be a basic tiny computer. The KL02 has 32k of flash memory, 4k of RAM, a 32 bit processor, and peripherals like a 12-bit analog to digital converter and a low-power UART built into the chip. By including these extra parts, device makers can shrink down their designs, resulting in tiny boards in tiny devices. How tiny? One application that Freescale says the chips could be used for is swallowable computers. Yes, you read that right. “We are working with our customers and partners on providing technology for their products that can be swallowed but we can’t really comment on unannounced products,” says Steve Tateosian, global product marketing manager. The KL02 is part of Freescale’s push to make chips tailored to the Internet of Things. Between the onboard peripherals and a power-management system tuned to the chemistry of current generation batteries, the KL02 is intended to be at the heart of a network of connected objects, moving from shoes that wirelessly report your steps (a natural evolution of Nike ) to pipes that warn you when they are leaking. (via Freescale’s Insanely Tiny ARM Chip Will Put the Internet of Things Inside Your Body | Wired Design | Wired.com)

Source Wired

The Urban Culture of Sentient Cities: From an Internet of Things to a Public Sphere of Things

At certain points in the history of architecture and urban plan­ning, the disciplinary debate on how to apply new technologies surpasses the boundaries of the professions involved. At those times, the hopes and fears found in the disputes between architects, policy makers, engineers and planners are extended to a broader discussion about urban and societal change. Then, the central issue is not merely how to solve a specific spatial problem or improve a construction method with the help of a new technology. Rather, the debate revolves around its possible impact on urban society at large. What does this new technol­ogy mean for urban culture, what impact does it have on how we shape our identities and live together in the city? When those questions surface, Dutch philosopher René Boomkens argues, the professional debate has turned ‘philosophical’. [1]

The internet of things will allow the products we buy to act as social objects with their own virtual Facebook profile equivalent, around which new experiences can cluster, according to Andy Hobsbawm, founder and chief marketing officer of Evrythng. Speaking at the Economist’s Technology Frontiers conference, he explained that machine-to-machine interactions such as tweeting fridges tended to get a lot of attention, but that his company was particularly interested in the “people and machines stuff”. (via A ‘Facebook of things’ could give appliances their own social presence (Wired UK))

The internet of things will allow the products we buy to act as social objects with their own virtual Facebook profile equivalent, around which new experiences can cluster, according to Andy Hobsbawm, founder and chief marketing officer of Evrythng. Speaking at the Economist’s Technology Frontiers conference, he explained that machine-to-machine interactions such as tweeting fridges tended to get a lot of attention, but that his company was particularly interested in the “people and machines stuff”. (via A ‘Facebook of things’ could give appliances their own social presence (Wired UK))

Source wired.co.uk