![\"\"](\"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/aircraft_smart_dust_graphic-640x529-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
By Jessica Twentyman
\nWhen it comes to deciding whether to add connectivity to a \u2018thing\u2019 \u2013 a device, a product, or even its packaging \u2013 cost is a major factor. More specifically, manufacturers are forced to weigh up the cost of adding connectivity against the value they\u2019ll get from it.<\/p>\n
In many cases, the costs outweigh the potential value. For example, while it might make sense to add a chip or tag to a large crate of drugs that a pharmaceutical firm sends out to a chain of high-street chemists, in order to ensure\u00a0that it\u2019s not tampered with in transit, it\u2019s unlikely that the same rule applies to every small canister of pills that the crate contains.<\/p>\n
Similarly, a \u2018smart\u2019 toothbrush that tells you how well you brush your teeth might be a good candidate for a Bluetooth chip, but not necessarily the smaller, individual disposable heads that belong to different members of your family.<\/p>\n
That second example may not be far off viability, however, according to Cambridge Consultants, the UK product design firm, which is on a mission not just to reduce the cost associated with connectivity, but also tackle the interrelated issue of size. In other words, it\u2019s an expensive business, too, to shrink the components needed for connectivity to fit a smaller form factor.<\/p>\n
But the team at Cambridge Consultants believes it has an answer, in the form of a technology advancement it has made in the most expensive part of the Bluetooth chips that lie at the heart of IoT-connected \u2018things\u2019 \u2013 the radio.<\/p>\n
Read more:\u00a0Bluetooth 5 launches with emphasis on IoT<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Two years ago, Cambridge Consultants\u00a0unveiled Pizzicato, the first all-digital radio transmitter. This consists of an antenna and an integrated circuit that outputs a single stream of bits, getting rid of the need for analogue elements in the radio and the accompanying analogue-to-digital converter.<\/p>\n Not only does this cut the cost of the silicon needed down to just seven cents \u2013\u00a0less than a tenth of the current cost \u2013\u00a0but it also means that overall radio size can shrink dramatically, too. Over time, Moore\u2019s Law dictates that these tiny silicon radios will shrink further in size, cost and power consumption, according to Rob Milner, head of smart systems at Cambridge Consultants.<\/p>\n That opens the door to a whole new world of low-cost, tiny form-factor chips for IoT-connected devices, addressing a vast low-end market that has to date been held back by the prohibitive cost and size issues involved, Milner told\u00a0Internet of Business<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the analogue elements that really drive area on your chip so, to date, the cost of radio has been determined by its analogue components. But if you can eliminate those, and we\u2019ve already shown that we can, price points get transformed and become relatively accessible to a large number of companies that want to connect products,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we\u2019re talking about here is quite simple sensing on things \u2013\u00a0or items \u2013\u00a0that are relatively quite cheap,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n But the effect of that could be powerful. With a simple digital input\/output line, such as seen in one of Cambridge Consultants\u2019 all-digital radios, it would be perfectly feasible to implement anti-tampering measures on that small canister of pills, for example.<\/p>\n Similarly, it would be viable to add\u00a0a \u2018button\u2019 \u2013\u00a0a vastly simplified version of Amazon Dash \u2013\u00a0on the packaging of FMCG [fast-moving consumer goods], alerting manufacturers to the fact that a customer had opened (or finished) a box of laundry detergent, via that customer\u2019s smartphone.<\/p>\nAn all-digital radio<\/h2>\n