Kyoto, Japan and Ithaca New York, US – January 8, 2019 –  ROHM and  Kionix are pleased to introduce the RoKiX IoT Prototyping and Development Platform, a flexible and powerful platform for evaluating sensor hardware and for developing, prototyping and deploying algorithms and IoT solutions.

Building sensor and IoT applications comes with challenges and complications. The philosophy behind the RoKiX platform is to make it as quick, easy and efficient as possible to work with sensors.  Whether the intention is to evaluate sensor hardware, to develop algorithms around the sensor data, or to create IoT applications, the platform offers numerous options for acquiring, communicating and processing sensor-based data.  It also serves as a powerful development tool, allowing quick prototyping and proof-of-concept activities.  The RoKiX Sensor Node can be used to collect data for these proof-of-concept studies as well as provide the architectural foundations for full fledged production solutions.

The RoKiX Platform saves time and reduces the complexity of developing IoT applications by providing an out-of-the-box capability to collect, visualize and process data via the RoKiX Sensor Node.  But the platform is based on a powerful and flexible architecture allowing connectivity to a host of other hardware platforms such as Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Cypress, 96 Boards, Sony Spresense and more. This will assist developers across a spectrum of Consumer applications ranging from wearables, health and wellness, games and toys, and smart home devices to Industrial IoT applications such as smart city sensor networks, building and asset management, logistics, and factory automation. 

The RoKiX Sensor Node utilizes the latest Bluetooth 5 SoC ( nRF52840) provided by Nordic Semiconductor, with better throughput and wider range compared to the Bluetooth 4.2. It is based on an ARM Cortex-M4F processor with Floating Point Unit (FPU) running at 64 MHz, allowing quick and efficient computation of demanding applications.  Also included on the SoC is 1MB/256kB of flash/RAM memory. 

The RoKiX Sensor Node also integrates multiple sensors from Kionix and ROHM. A key feature of RoKiX Sensor Node is that it can use a variety of power sources such as a rechargeable Li-Polymer battery, replaceable  coin cell batteries, or micro USB.

The node comes in a compact (42x67x22mm) housing and has a programmable RGY LED, expansion capability with extended I/O connectors, and 8Mb of flash memory. Included is a multi-purpose mounting accessory so one can attach it to surfaces with screws or connect a watch band for wearing it on one’s wrist.  

The RoKiX Platform provides data capture and local processing capability through a number of options, including a Windows® GUI, a Python-based Command Line Interface (CLI), or an Android Data Logger App. The sensor node can be used with the nRF52 SDK provided by Nordic Semiconductor, ARM® Mbed, and can use the DFU tool from Nordic Semiconductor for wireless firmware loading.

Sensors included in the standard sensor node

• 3-axis accelerometer
• Combination 3-axis accelerometer + 3-axis magnetometer
• Combination 3-axis accelerometer + 3-axis gyroscope
• 3-axis magnetometer
• Barometer
• Expansion bus allowing use of additional sensors

Features

• Bluetooth® 5 (IEEE 802.15.4-2006) with an integrated crystal antenna and a connector for an external antenna
• Low power consumption and long battery life
• Expansion bus for extended connectivity and functions

Applications

• Prototyping applications
• Connecting to various cloud services for data analysis, machine learning, remote monitoring, etc.
• IoT development education

The RoKiX IoT Platform will be showcased at CES 2019. The RoKiX Sensor Node is sampling now and will be widely available in 2019 Q2. 

For more information, contact  Email Contact.