Page 58 - EE Times Europe Magazine | March 2020

58 EE|Times EUROPE

OPINION

Sensors Surpassing

Superman

By Anne-Françoise Pelé

It’s a classic ice-breaking exercise that promotes team-building
and encourages self-confidence in large corporations: If you could
pick one superpower, what would it be? The first time I took the quiz,
I answered teleportation, so I could zap myself around the planet. If
I had to take it now, I would answer telepathy, to read the minds of Walabot Home (Image: Vayyar)
my interview subjects, or time travel, to stay relevant and prepare for
the future. Vayyar’s portfolio includes Walabot
Another useful superpower is X-ray vision — the ability to see Home, which deploys an ultra-wideband 4D
through anything and anyone, just like Superman, the Krypton radar imaging chip, 21 wideband embedded
native whose physical structure was “millions of years advanced of our own.” Sent to Earth as an antennas on a PCB board, and a machine
infant, he grew more and more powerful under the light of the yellow sun. But what if Super- learning-based fall-tracking system to keep
man’s abilities were no longer “super” and were available to everyone? elderly people safe at home. The platform
Humans might not have attained actual superpowers, but they have been smart enough to sends out radio wave signals to the surround-
develop extra powers, or extrasensory perceptive capabilities. Call them sensors. ing environment and receives back reflections
Sensors can see, hear, feel, and intuitively understand their environment. Sooner or later, they from different objects.
will be fully context-aware, and Superman will have no choice but to take off his cape and live “We use Tx/Rx antennas, which are able
the normal life of Clark Kent. Unless… to both transmit and receive,” said Melamed.
“They send out thousands of signals per sec-
NO CAPE REQUIRED ond, which travel all around the environment;
Superman was one of the first superheroes. When the first comic book was released in 1938, it [when the signals] reach objects, they send
seemed impossible for Superman to be overpowered. His supernatural abilities enabled him to run back reflections to the sensor. The reflections
faster than an express train and lift a car effortlessly over his head. In later issues, he could hear are unique based on what object they reach,
sounds too faint for a human to hear, and at frequencies outside the human hearing range. Good so we are able to differentiate between a
for him — but ultrasound sensors, also known as ultrasonic transducers, now operate at 20 kHz. human entering a room versus furniture and
Superman can survive underwater or in space without adverse effects. That sounds like Vesper other objects.”
Technologies’ piezoelectric microelectromechanical system (MEMS) microphones, which are Asked how the sensor data is analyzed and
claimed to be waterproof, dustproof, particle-resistant, and shockproof. In other words, you can converted into useful information for deci-
immerse them in water, coat them in particulate matter, or drop them on the ground, and they sion-making, Melamed said, “Our algorithms
keep working properly. analyze all input and determine in real time a
Superman can also project and perceive X-rays with
Paired with AI, sensors the naked eye, allowing him to see through physical model of the environment, picking up occur-
rences such as a person entering as well as
will be able to learn objects such as walls to locate criminals and rescue details about behavior and posture — whether
the way humans and civilians. Interesting, but Israeli startup Vayyar Imag- they are sitting or standing or have fallen,
which would trigger a call to their caregiver.”
ing Ltd. is going one step further.
Founded in 2011, Vayyar worked to develop an
No cape is required: Per Vayyar’s instruc-
animals do, using their alternative to X-rays and sonograms for breast cancer tions, you just need to place Walabot Home
“senses” to make our detection, using RF to quickly and affordably look into on your wall, and it will scan for falls and
lives safer and easier. human tissue and detect malignant growth. Eight years automatically call your emergency contacts to
later, the company commercialized a small,
get help when you need it.
sensor-based chip that, with its 72 transmitters and Sensors are blending intelligence invisibly
72 receivers, tracks and maps everything without a camera. It detects obstacles and monitors into our surroundings. Paired with AI, they
people’s location, movement, height, posture, and vital signs, wirelessly and in real time, under will be able to learn the way humans and
all lighting and weather conditions. A key differentiator is its ability to “see” through walls, animals do, using their “senses” to make our
closed doors, and other solid objects. lives safer, easier, and more enjoyable.
“In the case of a fire, Vayyar’s sensors can see through smoke and identify if and where there Is Superman outmoded? Never. The only
are people in the building,” co-founder and CEO Raviv Melamed told EE Times Europe. limit to his powers is the imagination of those
Vayyar’s sensors can scan the entrances and exits of a home to determine whether someone who tell his story. Maybe one day, Superman
(such as a burglar or any intruder) has entered. They can monitor behavior and activity, such as will possess extrasensory powers, and the “S”
an individual’s breathing rate and sleep patterns, to enhance health and wellness. The sensors shield will have a double meaning: “S” for
can also be used for home automation such as adjusting lights and air conditioning. “This is not Superman and for Sensors. ■
only convenient but also has the added benefit of energy and cost reduction,” said Melamed.
And because Vayyar uses RF waves to detect objects — unlike products that rely on cameras Anne-Françoise Pelé is editor-in-chief of
and optics — its sensors do not collect any optical data, protecting users’ privacy. eetimes.eu.

MARCH 2020 | www.eetimes.eu