Use imec’s high-precision and low-power UWB positioning and tracking technology to design your next-generation IoT products.
In many IoT applications, it’s crucial that devices are spatially aware. We need to know their position and movement – in a two- or three-dimensional space.
Several technologies are available for this. But none beats ultra-wideband (UWB) when it comes to:
Ultra-wideband technology has been around for a long time. However, there is now a surge of interest in UWB because of its ideal match with advanced applications such as:
Imec also believes that UWB can become a strong contender for applications that require high-rate data transfer at short distances with very low energy consumption. Such as smart glasses for AR/VR, and neuroscientific research.
2022 press release: imec's UWB transmitter chip pushes data rates up to 1.66Gb/s
Want to develop a product or service that relies on compact and ultra-low power UWB technology? You’re welcome to build on imec’s ultra-wideband technology IP and support.
Imec is as a leading R&D hub in nano- and digital technology. It has a track record of more than fifteen years in UWB technology. We participate in various UWB standardization bodies and industry consortia, such as the, IEEE, CCC, ETSI and FCC. And we're a member of the FiRa consortium. This is dedicated to the development and adoption of user experiences using interoperable UWB technologies.
Imec builds its ultra-wideband technology on a standard CMOS platform. This results in UWB chips that can be cost-effectively mass-produced. And you can easily integrate them with other chip components.
Additionally, our UWB impulse radio (IR) technology excels because of its limited power consumption. It's ten times lower than the state of the art. Our UWB positioning and tracking algorithms achieve cm-accuracy in challenging environments.
In February 2021, imec showcased the world’s first sub-5mW, IEEE 802.15.4z ultra-wideband transmitter chip. Check out the press release.
Do you want to speed up the integration of advanced ultra-wideband technology in your product or service? Then imec is happy to support you in three ways:
We offer a wide range of hardware and software IP, such as: