Four months ago, Intel unveiled its Quark SoC at IDF. Today at CES 2014, company CEO Brian Krzanich wants to introduce you to Edison, a miniature computer based on the same technology condensed into the form factor of an SD card. The tiny computer is built on the company’s 22nm transistor technology, runs Linux and has built-in WiFi and Bluetooth modules. What’s more, the tiny machine can connect to its own app store. Naturally, the device is aimed at developers, Krzanich says, who he hopes will use it to build the next generation of wearable and connected devices. Even so, Intel is leading by example, and showed a small collection of “Nursery 2.0” products using embedded Edison chips: a toy frog that reports an infant’s vitals to a parent via an LED coffee cup, for example, and a milk warmer that starts heating when another connected item (the frog, again) hears the baby cry.
Still, even Intel knows that developers need more than a good example to motivate them, and nothing gets the creative juices flowing quite like the promise of an award. To that end, the company has announced the “Make it Wearable” competition, and says it will be offering up to $1.3 million in prizes for developers churning out wearable tech. The full details of the contest weren’t revealed at the show, but Krzanich did say that first prize would walk away with a cool $500,000. Oh, and if you’re eyeballing Edison for your award-winning idea? It’ll be available sometime in mid-2014.
Discover the Intel® Edison development board, a tiny, ultra-power-efficient development platform the size of an SD* card that is small enough to drop into just about anything.
It can be designed to work with most any device—not just computers, phones, or tablets, but chairs, coffeemakers, and even coffee cups. The possibilities are endless for entrepreneurs and inventors of all kinds.
The Intel Edison board features a low-power 22nm 400MHz Intel® Quark processor with two cores, integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth*, and much more.
The unique combination of small size, power, and rich capabilities makes the Intel Edison board a game changer, lowering the barriers to entry for thousands of visionaries.
Intel Edison board-powered devices can cooperate in highly customized and sophisticated ways. These devices don’t have to be hardwired one-trick ponies; they can house multiple apps that can be downloaded and installed just like we do with phones and tablets.
Let’s look at a great example of the Intel Edison board in action.
Mimo Baby Monitor*
Rest Devices started with a computer that really is the size of an SD card.
They put the Intel Edison board into a turtle that is water resistant, too big to be a choking hazard, and totally chew-safe. With Bluetooth Smart* to minimize the transmission power, it is comparable to having a traditional baby monitor next to a crib.
Then they attached the turtle to a baby-sized Kimono* with sensors that monitor the baby’s temperature, breathing, motion, and more.
Besides sending the baby’s data to an app on the parent’s iPhone* or Android* device, the Intel Edison board can trigger actions on other connected devices, like this automatic bottle warmer or a coffee cup.
Each one of these has the Intel Edison board inside, communicating with the others to deliver amazing solutions to age-old problems.
Just think of the possibilities.
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