Development tools for UWB-enabled Apple products

23 June 2021 Design Automation

NXP Semiconductors now offer beta ultra-wideband (UWB) development tools from its Trimension portfolio that interoperate with the U1 chip in supported Apple products. The beta development tools will allow developers to kickstart the design of innovative applications that interact with UWB-enabled Apple products including iPhone and Apple Watch, granting the ability to create more precise, directionally aware app experiences.

UWB delivers spatial awareness, which is a new dimension of information. Knowing where a device is in relation to other devices, with an extreme level of accuracy, provides valuable location context. With access to Apple’s Nearby Interaction protocol and API, developers will have the ability to leverage the spatial awareness of UWB to build apps that can communicate with accessories simply by being in close proximity to a U1-equipped iPhone or Apple Watch.

NXP’s development tools are based on NXP Trimension SR150 and SR040, a dedicated portfolio of UWB IoT solutions that stand out for their ability to run UWB autonomously with all firmware running on chip. All PHY/MAC operation is handled within the UWB IC in accordance with FiRa Consortium specifications, helping developers to get solutions to market fast.

By working with regional partners, NXP offers a growing range of tools to access Apple’s Nearby Interaction protocol. The UWB development kit by Murata enables a wide range of IoT devices to perform localisation tasks or create a setup with multiple UWB anchors. Together with MobileKnowledge, NXP further provides a UWB development kit with an Arduino connector to bring UWB to IoT devices such as coin-cell battery-powered trackers and tags. More tools are planned to be released in the coming weeks.

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