Well, low power just got lower. The Atmel team is excited to announce that it has reached a new low-power standard for its ARM Cortex-M0+ based MCUs with power consumption down to 40 µA/MHz in active mode and 200nA in sleep mode. In addition to ultra-low power, the new platform features full-speed USB host and device, Event System and Sleepwalking,12-bit analog, AES, capacitive touch sensing and much more.
With billions of devices predicted for the Internet of Things (IoT) market by 2020, there is a need for lower power MCUs that will power these applications without adding load to utility grids or requiring frequent battery changes. Atmel’s latest Atmel | SMART platform is designed specifically for these applications, expanding battery life from years to decades.
Consuming just one-third the power of comparable products in the market today, the new low-power SAM L21 family is the first on the new platform expanding the Atmel | SMART 32-bit ARM-based products using Atmel’s proprietary picoPower technology.
While running the EEMBC CoreMark benchmark, Atmel’s SAM L21 family delivers ultra-low power running down to 40µA/MHz in active mode, consuming less than 900nA with full 32kB RAM retention and real-time clock and calendar, and 200nA in the deepest sleep mode. With rapid wake-up times, Event System, Sleepwalking and the innovative picoPower peripherals, the SAM L21 ultra-low power family is ideal for handheld and battery-operated devices in a variety of markets including IoT, consumer, industrial and portable medical applications.
Architectural innovations in the new platform enables low-power peripherals including timers, serial communications and capacitive touch sensing to remain powered and running while the rest of the system is in a lower power mode, further reducing power consumption for many always-on applications.
The Atmel SAM L21 family has amazingly low current consumption ratings for both the active and sleep mode operation which will be a great benefit in targeting the growing battery-powered device market,” said Markus Levy, president and co-founder, EEMBC. “With billions of devices to be brought to market during the era of the Internet of Things, designers can utilize Atmel’s ultra-low power SAM L family to ensure an increased life in these battery-powered devices. To instantiate this power data from Atmel, I’m looking forward to seeing the results from this new platform running our newly established ULPBench, aimed at the ultra-low power microcontroller industry.”
“Atmel is committed to providing the industry’s lowest power technologies for the rapidly growing IoT market and beyond for battery-powered devices,” expained Reza Kazerounian, Atmel SVP and GM, MCU business unit. “Developers for IoT edge nodes are no longer just interested in expanding the life of a battery to one year, but are looking for technologies that will increase the life of a battery to a decade or longer. Doing just that, the new 32-bit MCU platform in the Atmel | SMART family integrating our proprietary picoPower technologies are the perfect MCUs for IoT edge nodes.”
Engineering samples of the SAM L21, along with development tools and datasheet will be available in February 2015. Meanwhile, the SAM L21 can be found all this week in Hall A5, Booth 542 at Electronica.
Couple months back, analysts at IDTechEx revealed that the total RFID market was worth $8.89 billion this year — up from $7.77 billion in 2013 and $6.96 billion in 2012 — and forecasted to rise to $27.31 billion over the next 10 years. In particular, animal tagging deployments have grown tremendously in recent years with 425 million tags being used for this sector in 2014 alone due to an increase in legal requirements across a number of regions.
To meet this growing demand, Atmel has teamed with global RFID tech leader SMARTRAC to market low-frequency (LF) transponders and inlays for animal identification worldwide.
Recent studies have even highlighted the lucrative potential of wearable tech for pets and livestock including ultrasound-delivering treatment patches, electronic saddle optimization for horses, as well as collars capable of tracking, identifying and diagnosing.
The selected Atmel ATA5575M2 RFID IC supports both ISO11784 and ISO11785 standards, using the FDX-A and FDX-B formats for animal ID. In fact, it is the only RFID solution available that supports FDX-A, the animal identification standard using full duplex 125 KHz technology with FSK modulation. This IC is a fully-programmable read/write (R/W) ASSP (read/write application specific standard product) that implements all important functions for identification systems in the animal tagging, industrial automation and consumer segments. The device allows the contactless reading and writing of data transmitted bi-directionally between both the read/write interrogator (reader) and the transponder.
SMARTRAC has chosen the Atmel ATA5575 as the unique IC supports both aforementioned technologies in a single, flexible integrated device.
Additionally, the solution is offered in several different delivery forms, ranging from the common sawn wafer on foil to taped in a blister package and bumped versions (which are required for direct bonding technology). The ATA5575 is a passive RFID device and no additional external power supply is necessary, while data is transmitted back to the reader by modulating the amplitude of the RF field giving the ASK and FSK options.
The on-chip 128-bit user memory EEPROM (16 blocks, 8 bits per block) can be read and written from the interrogator station, while an additional 8-bit register is used for the chip configuration and memory locking if desired. The on-chip 330pF LC-tank capacitor is trimmed to +/- 3 percent which is unique in the market, with no other external component required than the antenna coil. Coding schemes implemented are Manchester and Bi-Phase.
“We are excited to work with Atmel because of the impressive performance of their solutions,” explained Markus Spreng, Head of SMARTRAC’s Product Line Animal ID. “Our cooperation with Atmel is focused on their combined FDX-A and FDX-B capabilities, excellent read range and state-of-the-art local application support across all sales regions. With Atmel’s RFID chips and our fully automated glass tag manufacturing capabilities, customers can fully rely on RFID solutions with superior quality and performance to ensure one’s pet, for instance, will be easily identifiable.”
SMARTRAC’s LF transponders and inlays operate between 125 KHz and 134.2 KHz, offering high resistance against external interference and delivering excellent performance, even in the most rugged environments.
“Atmel’s collaboration with SMARTRAC will give consumers the confidence that their RFID solutions are high performing, meet industry ISO standards and can support the various modes required for animal identification but also for many other different applications,” said Roland Schropp, Atmel RFID Senior Marketing Manager. “We look forward to supporting SMARTRAC with integrated semiconductor technology solutions for a range of applications and environments.”
Just in time for Electronica 2014, we’re excited to announce our new QTouch Safety Platform for capacitive touch-enabled user interfaces in the home appliance market. Not only does the new platform add mandatory safety, it also supports Atmel | SMART ARM Cortex-M0+ based MCUs for safety critical home electronics applications.
The most recent QTouch capacitive touch platform is based on the Atmel | SMART SAM D20 integrating an on-chip peripheral touch controller (PTC) to deliver excellent EMC robustness, short response times and combines self- and mutual capacitance sensors for up to 256 channels. Today, the QTouch platform is already widely adopted by some of the world’s leading manufacturers.
When it comes to next-gen home appliances, designers are not only facing stringent certification requirements for safety and EMC robustness, but are seeking a platform that supports all the applicable safety standards required to pass end product qualification with minimal design time. Fortunately, Atmel’s QTouch Safety Platform is pre-qualified for the VDE/UL 60730 Class B and UL 1998 certifications, reducing a designer’s overall development time by as much as 12 months.
What this means is that household appliance designers can now harness their energy on more innovative, easy-to-use interfaces that support capacitive touch buttons, sliders and wheels on an Atmel | SMART ARM Cortex M0+-based MCU, rather than focusing on safety certification features. The SAM D20 ARM-based Cortex M0+-based MCU is the first device to support the QTouch safety library, with support for future home appliance devices to be added as they become available.
In the meantime, designers can go ahead and download the QTouch Safety Library Firmware, FMEA library and QTouch Composer Development Software on an Atmel ARM Cortex M0+-based MCU. The QTouch Safety Library ensures excellent noise tolerance through dynamic hardware and firmware noise filtering through the IEC 61000-4-6 10V conducted immunity with minimal design effort. Additionally, QTouch Safety Platform provides FMEA support and moisture tolerance.
“With the increased regulations in Europe and the US for safer home appliance products, designers are looking for pre-qualified solutions that accelerate this part of the development cycle,” said Geir Kjosavik, Atmel Director of QTouch Product Marketing. “Atmel’s latest QTouch Safety Platform gives designers the pre-qualified features for their home appliances while enabling them to differentiate their products with capacitive touch interfaces in the form of buttons, wheels or sliders. We are excited to help bring more safety critical home appliances to market and are continuing to broaden our portfolio of devices to support the home appliance market.”
To help accelerate a designer’s development, the QTouch Safety Platform offers easy-to-use software and hardware tools, each of which are available free of charge in the Atmel Gallery. Wait, there’s more good news! The SAM D20 — offered in 16KB to 256KB of Flash in 32-, 48- and 64-pin packages — is now shipping in volume.
Furthermore, the SAM D20 QTouch robustness demo — which provides an evaluation and demo highlighting the superior performance Atmel’s QTouch Safety Platform — is available in the Atmel Store for USD $149. The kit comes pre-loaded with a pre-qualified 60730 Class B software that can be easily re-programmed and debugged using the embedded debugger, not to mention passes all standard home appliance EMC tests.
In addition to the SAM D20 QTouch robustness demo, the QTouch Safety Platform can be explored using the Xplained Pro evaluation platform. The SAM D20 Xplained Pro evaluation board is available for USD $39, while the QT1 Xplained Pro adding QTouch support is available for USD $25. Both of these kits are also available in the Atmel Store.
Heading to Munich for Electronica 2014? Stop by Atmel booth — located in Hall A5, #542 — to discover how we’re bringing more intelligent, connected devices together. In the Atmel SMART HOME ZONE, you will have the chance to experience a live demonstration of the QTouch Safety Library with SAM D20, displaying the superior capacitive touch performance of the peripheral touch controller while achieving best-in-class noise immunity and moisture tolerance required in home appliances.
In the final segment of my interview with AVR microcontroller creator Vegard Wollan, I asked about his background and innovation at Atmel.
In response to my question of how he views his expertise, Vegard noted that he started out as a computer architect and digital designer. It’s simple to see the ease-of-use DNA in the AVR product line when Vegard then noted that he soon saw himself as someone that could make life easy for embedded designers. I think this focus on the customer pervades all of Atmel to this day.
Vegard Wollan reflects on his history of innovation at Atmel.
I went on to ask Vegard what he does in his spare time. His response? Exercising and boating off the beautiful, dramatic Norwegian coastline. I think physical activity is a key thing. In fact, I wish someone had warned me as a young man that engineering has an occupational hazard. You can make a good living sitting at a desk. This was less true when I was an automotive engineer, as I had to go the experimental garage and walk around Ford’s giant complex in Dearborn, Michigan. Nowadays, we all seem chained to a computer, and stuck in a chair all daylong. So, exercise and boating sounds like a great way to stay active and balance our lives a little bit!
As I pictured Vegard sailing around Norway looking at beautiful sunsets, I wondered if that was inspired him to be so innovative. He responded that the primary source of innovation at Atmel is working with a team of creative innovative people. I think this is true in most human endeavors. When I asked my dad why some restaurants had really good service, he noted that good people like to work with other good people. That is why Vegard is spot-on, and quite humble in noting that innovation comes from a team, not any single person.
Data security is becoming a virtual battleground — evident by the number of major data breaches that have broken out at retailers such as Target, Staples, Dairy Queen, Home Depot and EBay, at major banks such as JP Morgan, and at many other institutions worldwide. The recent spate of security viruses such as Heartbleed, Shellshock, Poodle, and BadUSB (and who knows what’s next) have been creating serious angst and concern. And, rightfully so. The question is what exactly should you bring to the cyber battleground to protect your assets? This question matters because everyone who is using software to store cryptographic keys is vulnerable to losing sensitive personal data, and today that is just about everybody. So, choose your weapons carefully.
Fortunately, there are weapons now available that are very powerful while still being cost-effective. The strongest data protection available comes from hardware key storage, which beats software key storage every time. Keys are what make cryptography possible, and keeping secret keys secret is the secret to cryptography. Atmel’s portfolio contains a range of innovative and robust hardware-based security products, with the heavy artillery being the Trusted Platform Module (TPM).
TPM
The TPM is a cryptographic device with heavy cryptographic firepower, such as Platform Configuration Registers, protected user configurable non-volatile storage, an enforced key hierarchy, and the ability to both seal and bind data to a TPM. It doesn’t stop there. Atmel’s TPM has a variety of Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 certified cryptographic algorithms (such as RSA, SHA1, AES, RNG, and HMAC) and various sophisticated physical security counter-measures. The TPM can be used right out-of-the-box with standards-based commands defined by the Trusted Computing Group, along with a set of Atmel-specific commands, which are tested and ready to counter real world attacks.
The Arsenal
Platform Configuration Registers and Secure Boot
One of the important weapons contained in the TPM is a bank of Platform Configuration Registers (PCRs), which use cryptographic hashing functions. These registers can be used to ensure that only trusted code gets loaded at boot time of the system. This is done by using the existing data in a PCR as one input to a hashing function with the other input being new data. The result of that hashing function becomes the new PCR value that will be used as the input to the next hashing function with the next round of new data. This process provides security by continuously changing the value of the PCR.
As the PCR value gets updated, the updated values can then be compared with known hash values stored in the system. If the reference values previously stored in the TPM compare correctly with the newly generated PCR values, then the inputs to the hashing function (new data in the diagram) are proven to have been exactly the same as the reference inputs whose hash is stored on the TPM. Such matching of the hash values verifies the inputs as being authentic.
The PCR flow just described is very useful when enforcing secure boot of the system. Unless the hashes match showing that the code is, indeed, what it is supposed to be, the code will not be loaded. Even if a byte is added, deleted, changed, or if a bit is modified, the system will not boot. For secure boot, the data input to the hashing function is a piece of the BIOS (or operating system).
User Configurable Non-Volatile Storage
Another weapon is user-configurable, non-volatile storage with multiple configuration options. What this means is that the user is presented with several ways to restrict the access and use of the memory space, such as by password, physical presence of the user, and PCR states. Additionally, the memory space can be set up so that it can be written only once, not read until the next write or startup of the TPM, not written to until the next startup of the TPM, and others.
Enforced Key Hierarchy
The TPM also incorporates an enforced key hierarchy, meaning that the keys must have another key acting as a parent key (i.e. a key higher in a hierarchy) for that key to get loaded into the TPM. The authorization information for the parent key needs to be known before the child key can be used, thereby adding another layer of security.
Binding and Sealing Data
Another part of the TPM’s arsenal is the ability to bind and/or seal data to the TPM. A seal operation keeps the data contained (i.e. “sealed”) so that it can only be accessed if a particular pre-defined configuration of the system has been reached. This pre-defined configuration is held within the PCRs on the TPM. The TPM will not unseal the data until the platform configuration matches the configuration stored within the PCRs.
A bind operation creates encrypted data blobs (i.e. binary large objects) that are bound to a private key that is held within the TPM. The data within the blob can only be decrypted with the private key in the TPM. Thus, the data is said to be “bound” to that key — such keys can be reused for different sets of data.
The Armor
So the Atmel TPM has some pretty cool weapons in its arsenal, but does it have any armor? The answer is yes it does!
FIPS 140-2 Certified
Atmel has dozens of FIPS 140-2 full module-level certified devices with various I/O’s including LPC, SPI, and I2C. The TPM uses a number of FIPS certified algorithms to perform its operations. These standards were developed, tested, and certified by the United States federal government for use in computer systems. The TPM’s FIPS certified algorithms include RSA, SHA1, HMAC, AES, RNG and CVL (find out more details on Atmel’s TPM FIPS certifications here).
Active Metal Shield
The TPM has built-in physical armor of its own. A serpentine active metal shield with tamper detection covers the entire device. If someone attempts to penetrate this shield to see the structures beneath it, the TPM can detect this and go into a fault condition that prevents further actions on the TPM.
Why TPM?
You might be asking, “Why can’t all those functions just be done in software?” While some of the protections can be provided in software, software alone is not nearly as robust as a hardware-based system. That is because software has bugs, despite how hard the developers try to eliminate them, and hackers can exploit those bugs to gain access to supposedly secure systems. TPM, on the other hand,stores secret keys in protected hardware that hackers cannot get access to, and they cannot attack what they cannot see.
The TPM embeds intelligence via an on-board microcontroller to manage and process cryptographic functions. The commands used by the Atmel TPM have been defined and vetted by the Trusted Computing Group (TCG), which is a global consortium of companies established to define robust standards for hardware security. Furthermore, the Atmel TPM has been successfully tested against TCG’s Compliance Test Suite to ensure conformance. Security is also enhanced because secrets never leave the TPM unless they have been encrypted.
With the battle for your data being an on-going reality, it simply makes sense to fight back with the heaviest artillery available. Combining all the weaponry and armor in one small, strong, cost effective, standards-based and certified package makes the Atmel TPM cryptographic the ideal choice for your arsenal.
This blog was contributed by Tom Moulton, Atmel Firmware Validation Engineer.
More and more companies, regardless of their vertical, are trying to get closer to their customers and see various aspects of the internet of things (IoT) as the way to do so. For a good example, here is Salesforce Wear Developer Pack which, as they say:
..is a collection of open-source starter apps that let you quickly design and build wearable apps that connect to the Salesforce1 Platform. Millions of wearable devices connected to the cloud will create amazing new application opportunities.
Since Salesforce.com cuts across all industries this has potential impact in many different market segments.
And, the wearable devices that they list are Google Glass, Android Wear, Samsung Gear Watch, Myo Armband, Nymi Bionym, Pebble Watch, Jawbone UP, Epson Moverio, Vuzix Smart Glasses, Oculus Rift, Meta Glasses.
This combination brings home that the internet of things isn’t just about the things, it is about connecting the things back to the cloud so that the data generated can be aggregated where it has much greater value.
I am sure that people will design SoCs for various aspects of IoT, but even if they do I think it will be in old processes, not even 28nm, so they can integrate sensors and analog and wireless on the same chip. But more likely a lot of these will be small boards with microcontrollers, wireless and sensors on different chips. For example, take a look at the iFixit teardown of the Fitbit, which in its current incarnation is about one inch by quarter of an inch.
An important aspect of doing this sort of design is having enough microcontrollers with the right combination of features. You can’t afford to have twice as much flash as you need or too many unused functions. The Atmel microcontroller productfinder shows that at present they have 506 different ones to choose from.
The most recent two are SAMA5D4, and SAMD21 which are specifically targeted towards wearables and IoT projects. These are the latest two products in the Atmel SAM D family.
One area of especial concern in this market is security since it is too dangerous to simply try and do everything in software on the microcontroller. Keys can be stolen. Software can be compromised if it is in external RAM. An area of particular security concern is to make sure that any JTAG debug port is secure or it can be used to compromise almost anything on the chip.
So what are these chips?
The SAMA5D4 is an ARM Cortex-A5 device with a 720p hardware video decoder. It has high security with on-the-fly capability to run encrypted code straight out of external memory, tamper detection, secret key storage in hardware, hardware private and public key cryptography and ARM TrustZone. It supports both 16 and 32 bit memory interfaces for maximum flexibility. It is targeted at applications that require displays, such as home and industrial automation, vending machines, elevator displays with ads, or surveillance camera playback.
The SAMD21 is the latest Atmel microcontroller based on the ARM Cortex-M0+ but in addition to the features on earlier cores it also has:
Full speed USB device and embedded host
DMA
Enhanced timer/counters for high end PWM in Lighting and motor control – I2S
Increased I2C speed to 3.4Mbit/S
Fractional PLL for audio streaming
As you can deduce from the feature set it is target at medium end industrial and consumer applications, possibly involving audio and high power management.
And, to show that this sort of market is starting to become real, at the salesforce Dreamforce event earlier in the week a keynote was given by will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas (and a founder of Beats that Apple recently acquired). In a chat with Marc Benoiff, CEO of Salesforce.com, he has already leaked that he will introduced a wearable wrist computer that doesn’t require a phone to piggy-back on (unlike the Apple Watch).
LIN (Local Interconnect Network) is a serial network protocol used for communication between various automobile components to enable comfort, power-train, infotainment sensor, and actuator applications. The LIN Consortium was founded by five automakers (BMW, Volkswagen Audi Group, Volvo Cars, DaimlerChrysler) in the late 1990s, with the first fully-implemented version of the new LIN specification (1.3) published in November 2002. Version 2.0 was later introduced in September 2003, offering expanded capabilities and support for additional diagnostics features.
Fast forward 11 years later, Atmel is excited to announce its next-generation family of LIN transceivers, system basis chips (SBC) and voltage regulators for a wide-range of vehicle applications. The new family is the industry’s first to comply with the new original equipment manufacturer (OEM) hardware recommendations and provide scalable functionality to improve the overall system cost.
“As the leading provider of automotive LIN ICs, Atmel is committed to bringing more innovative LIN products to the market,” said Claus Mochel, Atmel Marketing Director for Automotive High Voltage Products.
All the new devices in this new family feature an LDO with outstanding minimum supply voltage of 2.3V combined with linear mode current of 130uA to support data storage even during an unexpected shut down. This new family is compliant with the latest standards including LIN 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.2A and SAEJ2602-2. Some members of the family also include application specific functions such as relay drivers, watchdog, high-side switches and wake up inputs to enable system designers to build innovative in-vehicle network applications in next-generation automobiles.
The devices are available in DFN packages with heat-slug and wet-able flanks to support optical solder inspection. These next-generation devices also provide a family package footprint so that designers can upgrade their designs with various devices within the LIN SBC family.
“Our expanded LIN portfolio includes pin-outs that are the first to support the new OEM hardware recommendations enabling system designers to develop differentiated LIN systems in next-generation vehicles. Atmel’s LIN family footprint makes it easier to migrate upwards and devices in the family offer application-specific functionality for various LIN-connected applications such as window lifters, sun-roofs, trunk opener or seat controls,” Mochel added.
+3.3V/5V/85mA LDO suitable for usage with low-cost multi layer ceramic capacitors
2.3V lowest operating voltage
Very low current consumption in linear mode
Sleep current; Normal mode current
DFN 8 (3x3mm) and DFN16 (3*5.5mm), wet-able flanks included, allowing automatic optical inspection of the solder joint
In order to accelerate the design development, an evaluation kit is also available to support the new LIN devices. The ATAB663xxxA development kit allows designers to quickly start designing with Atmel’s LIN family. The kit is easy-to-use with a pre-defined set-up. All pins are easily accessible for quick testing. The kits allow designers to select master or slave operation with a mounting option for LIN pull-up resistor and series diode.
Heading to Munich next week for Electronica 2014? Cruise on over to the Atmel booth — located in Hall A5, #542 — to discover how we’re bringing the IoT to the connected car though simple, touch-enabled human machine interfaces. There, you will find a number of automotive demos, including a door handle powered by Atmel’s fourth generation LIN device that features a curved touch-enabled glass display, providing excellent multi-touch performance for future automotive applications, and utilizing Atmel’s XSense and the maXTouch 2952T.
We are excited to announce the launch of a new family of control area network (CAN) transceivers to meet the growing demands of the automotive and industrial markets. Supporting the new CAN FD (flexible data rate) standard with data rates up to 5Mbits/s, our new ATA6560 and ATA6561 provide an interface between a CAN protocol controller and the physical two-wire CAN bus.
Compliant with ISO11898-2, ISO11898-5 and SAEJ2284, the new CAN transceiver family offers high electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and electrostatic discharge (ESD) performance. Both the ATA6560 and ATA6561 devices deliver ideal passive behavior to the CAN bus when the supply voltage is off, while the ATA6561 offers a direct interface to MCUs with 3V to 5V supply voltages.
Various operating modes together with the dedicated fail-safe features make the ATA6560/ATA6561 an excellent choice for all types of high-speed CAN networks, especially in CAN nodes requiring a low-power mode with wake-up capability via the CAN bus. Atmel’s new low-power CAN transceivers are developed on an advanced process technology that allows further integration of analog and complex digital functionality. The devices are available in SO8 and DFN8 packages with wet-able flanks for automated optical solder inspection.
“Our new family of CAN transceivers enables our OEMs to bring improved connectivity with higher speed in their automobile with overall lower power,” explained Claus Mochel, Atmel Marketing Director for Automotive High Voltage Products. “We are continuing to expand our automotive product portfolio to give our customers the right mix of products to help shorten their design cycle and bring next-generation designs faster to market.”
Among the many key features of Atmel’s ATA6560/61 are:
Data rate up to 5Mbits/s
Fully ISO 11898-2,-5, SAE J2284 compliant
Low EME and high EMI
Remote wake-up capability via CAN bus
Transmit data (TXD) dominant time-out function
Undervoltage detection on VCC and VIO pins
CANH/CANL short-circuit and over temperature protected
ATA6560: Silent Mode (Receive only)
ATA6561: Compatible to 3.3V and 5V control signals
Both the ATA6560 and ATA6561 CAN transceivers are now available in mass production in SO8 and DFN8 packaging with wet-able flanks for automated optical solder inspection. Interested? Pricing starts at $0.48 USD each in 10,000-piece quantities. You can find more detailed information — including datasheets — here.
Heading to Munich next week for Electronica 2014? Stop by Atmel booth — located in Hall A5, #542 — to discover how we’re bringing the Internet of Things to the connected car though simple, touch-enabled human machine interfaces. There, you will find both the ATA6560 and ATA6561 CAN transceivers among a number of other demos including passive entry and start, a next-generation center console and futuristic door handle.
In this video segment from my interview with Vegard Wollan, the co-inventor of the AVR microcontroller, we explore in detail the security problems you need to address as an embedded designer.
Let’s face it, it is obvious that security is a way of thinking. You have to assume bad people are going to try and hack your products. With the oncoming revolution in the Internet of Things, it is important you design the security within, rather than try to tack something on after an exploit.
The co-inventor of the AVR architecture notes that security is essential in embedded systems.
The key thing you have to know is that nothing beats hardware security. This is where the security system is implemented in silicon, storing a secret key, hash algorithms and random-number generator (RNG). Atmel makes both standalone security chips and incorporates the security circuits into some of our microcontrollers including Atmel | SMART ARM-based chips used for smart energy meters. The chips are more sophisticated than a simple IP block. In fact, there are extra layers of metal in the die so that hackers cannot probe the chip without ruining it. Many of the chips also dither the supply current, so a hacker cannot infer the code it is running by observing the tiny variations in supply current as it runs.
Atmel makes symmetrical security chips, where both the chip and the microcontroller code know the secret key, and also asymmetrical security chips, which work like that public and private keys systems you might be familiar with such as PGP and RSA security. And, note that you can uses Atmel’s tiny inexpensive security chips with any microcontroller, 8-bit, 16-bit or 32-bit, including all the micros made by Atmel’s honored competitors.
As we prepare to head off to Munich, Germany for perhaps one of the ’smartest’ shows of the year, Electronica 2014 attendees are in for a treat! Over the next couple of days, we will be unveiling a number of new solutions to further enable smart, connected and secure devices for the ever-growing Internet of Things (IoT) — ranging from consumer and industrial to automotive and Maker applications.
During the week of November 11-14, head over to Messe München where you will find a plethora of IoT solutions in the Atmel booth — located in Hall A5, Booth 542 — including:
Xplained Ultra evaluation kit for fast prototyping and evaluation of Atmel | SMART SAMA5D4 Cortex-A5 based MPUs
A security module compatible with all Xplained boards that supports SHA256, AES128 and ECC256 hardware authentication for IoT nodes
Our broad portfolio of next-gen tech powering the Internet of Things will be showcased at Electronica in various pods, such as the smart home, industrial, automotive, and of course, Maker areas.
Atmel’s SMART HOME ZONE brings more intelligent, connected devices together.
Showcasing hardware security with wireless connectivity to a variety of edge nodes applications, the well-received Atmel WINC1500 will demonstrate a video camera, temperature sensor and LED control highlighting ease-of-use connectivity to mobile handsets and cloud architecture. Strong key protection is provided by the ATEC108 Elliptic Curve security chip.
For the intelligent home, this demonstration highlights Atmel’s popular AVR architecture using a mega168PB, AT86RF212, XMEGA128A1U and MXT143. The demo showcases an AVR with a wireless connection running on a battery with a graphical display.
The QTouch safety robustness demonstration showcases Atmel’s SAM D20 with the company’s new QTouch safety library, displaying the superior capacitive touch performance of the peripheral touch controller while achieving best-in-class noise immunity and moisture tolerance required in home appliances. Attendees can enter to win one of the QTouch safety evaluation kits by viewing the demonstration.
Demonstrating security for the connected world, this three-light switch demo communicates via ZigBee to a remote panel with 3 LEDs. The switches and LEDs include an Atmel ATSHA204 device with stored crypto keys. When the switch is flipped, only the LEDs with the corresponding key will light—demonstrating symmetric authentication.
Showcasing the latest lighting solutions, the Philips Hue LED colormix bulb, the Philips Lux dimmable bulb and the Philips Tap switch highlights how users can create their own personal wireless lighting environment with the tap of a switch or through an app on the users’ mobile device.
Atmel’s INDUSTRIAL ZONE enables smart, machine-to-machine connections.
Demonstrating a smart fridge, this home automation demonstration powered by Atmel | SMART SAMA5D4 includes a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen that includes a 720p video playback showcasing the processors performance and data processing in a secure environment.
Powered by Atmel’s maXTouch mXT1666T2 and maXStylus, this rugged Inari10 tablet demonstrates support of a glove, moisture rejection and support for maXStylus.
Highlighting Atmel’s support of capacitive touch buttons, sliders and wheels using the company’s QTouch technologies, Atmel will showcase two QTouch demos. The first is powered by the Atmel | SMART SAM D21 MCU on an Xplained Pro board demonstrating mutual capacitance and the intelligent peripheral touch controller—all enabled by Atmel QTouch. The second demo, powered by the Atmel | SMART SAM D11 MCU, is supported by the QTouch Library enabling capacitive touch button sliders and wheels on smaller, lower cost Atmel MCUs using the Peripheral Touch Controller.
Atmel’s AUTOMOTIVE ZONE brings IoT to the connected car with simple, touch-enabled human-machine interface.
Showcasing a smart, connected car, Atmel will be highlighting the well-received AvantCar demo, a next-generation automotive center console concept with curved touchscreens highlighting Atmel’s XSense, maXTouch, QTouch, and 8-bit AVR MCU technologies.
Highlighting car access, this demo will enable passive entry and passive start for automobiles through capacitive touch and proximity detection technology controlled by a tablet PC using Atmel’s maXTouch technologies. This demo is powered by Atmel’s automotive devices including the ATA5791, ATA5831, ATA5702, ATA5790N, ATA5833 and Atmel | SMART SAM D21.
Several other automotive demos are also featured in this zone, including a door handle powered by Atmel’s fourth generation LIN device that includes a curved touch-enabled glass display, providing excellent multi-touch performance for future automotive applications, and utilizing Atmel’s XSense and the maXTouch 2952T.
Atmel’s MAKER ZONE showcases IoT inventions, enabling unlimited possibilities.
Being at the core of the Maker Movement, Atmel will be showcasing a number of Maker demonstrations including a remote-controlled Maker Robot powered by the Atmel | SMART SAM D21. “Mr. Abot” will be controlled through an Andriod app and the communications will be driven through Atmel’s recently announced new WINC1500 Wi-Fi solution.
Atmel will also be showcasing a Skittles sorting machine for the candy lover. This Atmel | SMART powered sorter uses the SAM D21 device and will sort the Skittles into individual containers by color using an RGB light sensor.
Wait, there’s more!
In the wake of recent incidents, it is becoming increasingly clear that embedded system insecurity affects everyone and every company. On a personal level, these vulnerabilities can lead to a breach in unprivileged financial and medical data. For a company, the impact can be quite profound. Products can be cloned, software copied, systems tampered with and spied on, and many other things that can lead to revenue loss, increased liability, and diminished brand equity.
Atmel’s resident security expert Kerry Maletsky will be address these growing concerns in his session, “IoT Security Should Be Hard, By Definition.” Join Maletsky on Thursday, November 13 at 2:00pm CET in Hall A6 / A6.353 at the Embedded Forum as he explores the basics of hardened security in every designer’s IoT device.
