Newswireless, wireless signals, wireless chip, BlackBerry, cognitive systems, r10 chip, amera
Dec 02, 2015 12:53 AM EST
The Canadian startup Cognitive Systems Corp. revealed a new technology to analyze any wireless signals from electronic devices such as smartphones, Wi-Fi routers, and even TV remotes.
The platform is using algorithms to visualize RF fields.
The wireless signal reader device, called Amera, allows real-time visualizations of wireless signals and interpret any distortions and scattered disturbances to the signals to extract environmental information within the signal fields.
The device can interpret physical goings on in a wireless signals coverage area. For example, a signal disturbance can denote a moving object in the signal coverage area. The device will be able to see motions in wireless field.
Cognitive Systems' Co-founder Taj Manku described the visualization of wireless signals is more like a sponge, according to TechCrunch.
Manku believes that the platform will enable people to use wireless signals in just more than communications. The company will use the platform to develop various applications depending on the market its going after.
Manku said that the Amera device can be used as motion detector to replace existing multiple security applications people use in their houses. It will offer more affordable price than other motion detector technologies.
As the motion detector, Amera platform offers privacy benefits since there's no risk of being hacked like a security camera. It also can be used to see who is in the house by tracking their device IDs.
Amera platform is powered by Cognitive's R10 supercomputer chip, according to Wireless Design Mag. The chip is featuring four wireless receivers and highly configurable dual multi-vector processors.
The company designed the affordable chip to replace hardware that would cost tens of thousands of dollars.
The R10 chip functions like the human eye, only it can see invisible wireless signals. The chip is much faster, it can respond to and report on signals in one millionth of a second.
The R10 has five custom CPU cores and is engineered with three layers of design.
The first layer contains a matrix of radios for sending wireless signals, the second layer contains signal processing modules, and the third layer contains a system to process the data.
Forbes meanwhile reveals Cognitive Systems is not going to sell Amera directly to the consumer.
The company will bring the platform to a security company as a partner. The security-focused product with Amera platform will likely be in sale in 2016.
Cognitive Systems was founded by former Blackberry employees in 2014. It is funded by Quantum Valley Investments. The company is also working on other wireless processing patform called Myst that could be used to power smart city applications.