Electronic smart locks are increasing in popularity with the rise of IoT and smart homes, as they provide convenience and a sense of security to consumers. Because they are typically battery-powered, energy efficiency to maximize battery life is crucial. The nature of these devices means they must also offer ease-of-use, stable operation, and the ability to withstand wide temperature ranges and ex...

Air purifiers and humidifiers must be able to reliably improve air quality for end users. The best designs also offer improved energy efficiency, convenience, and low noise. As more and more appliances are expected to be smart-home ready, consumers are demanding new features such as wireless connectivity for ease of control. To meet and exceed customer expectations, designers are challenged with f...

An optical network terminal (ONT) unit is a device that connects fiber optics cables to other wiring such as Ethernet and phone lines by converting the signal from optical to electrical and vice versa. Though they draw power from an electrical source, these devices also often have battery backup options in case of a power outage. It is typically part of a larger GPON (gigabyte passive optical netw...

Portable printers are incorporating more features into a small, lightweight packages. New designs are expected to include easier wireless connectivity, support for multiple input types, easy-to-use interfaces, and longer battery runtime. These printers must be able to quickly print high-quality renditions of documents or photos, as well as keep up with energy-saving trends that have increased the ...

Small cell base stations are more useful than ever with the ubiquity of smartphones, rising data usage, and the advent of 5G. However, small cell base station designs must meet these demands as well as weight and volume restrictions, without sacrificing performance or significantly increasing power consumption. Todays wireless market demands reliability and flexibility wherever possible, so new pr...

E-scooters have quickly risen in popularity in metropolitan areas and quickly growing cities. Lightweight, eco-friendly, and convenient, these e-scooters are two-wheeled battery-operated vehicles that integrate an electric motor and a controller that assists with increased propulsion. Of course, safety, performance, and cost are the greatest concerns for customers in any vehicle. In addition, new ...

A GPON, or gigabyte passive optical network, is a point-to-multipoint access network that can serve multiple end devices from a single fiber optics line by using splitters to divide the signal. GPONs can support Ethernet, ATM (asynchronous transfer mode), and TDM (time division multiplexing) traffic, and offers greater total bandwidth and bandwidth efficiency than traditional PON or BPON systems. ...

Electrocardiogram (ECG, or EKG) devices measure heart rate based on electrical activity. This key piece of medical equipment is used in home, first responder, and clinical settings. New ECG designs are incorporating additional features such as wireless connectivity and innovative user interfaces. These devices are under a constant need to deliver highly accurate, reliable performance with reduced ...

Smoke and heat detectors are a key aspect of safety in smart homes and other residential and industrial applications. Designed to monitor and alert occupants of danger, these safety devices must above all be reliable and accurate, with battery lifespans lasting multiple years and convenient use. In addition, demand is increasing for detectors that can accurately discern between real and nuisance s...

Gas detectors are a key aspect of safety in smart homes and other residential and industrial applications. Designed to monitor and alert occupants of high levels of toxic or combustible gases, these safety devices must above all be reliable and accurate, with battery lifespans lasting multiple years and convenient use. As the smart home market continues to grow and consumers seek for all aspects o...

Thermal imaging cameras sense and display infrared radiation as visible light, and many are designed to withstand extreme conditions such as high heat, dust, and smoke. These devices need to offer high performance and long battery life amid varying environments. Above all, they need to be reliable, as they are used in applications from examining electrical equipment to dangerous first-responder em...

Portable media players — such as DVD/Blu-Ray players, MP3 players, and more — are a popular market that requires high-quality audio and video playback combined with a convenient user interface. Consumers have come to expect long battery life, and a broad range of input and connectivity options as part of a satisfying portable media experience. Visual displays are trending toward increasingly high ...

Home remote controls — both infrared (IR) and remote frequency (RF) types — are being used for more and more smart home control systems, including televisions,sound systems, lighting, and other home environment controls. Advanced features are also being incorporated into these devices, such as non-line-of-sight operation, voice control, capacitive touch and haptic feedback, LED displays, and multi...

IP network cameras are quickly gaining traction over traditional analog security camera networks. Most IP network cameras serve the same function as analog security cameras but do not require local storage capacity and are connected to a users LAN network. Because of this, they are a popular part of smart home systems and security. Ever-growing user expectations and increasing concern about both d...

Bluetooth and wireless speakers are a growing market as end consumers expect more connectivity than ever in their day-to-day environments.Of course, any new speaker is expected to maintain exceptional audio quality and long battery life for extended playtime, be highly portable,and offer complete ease-of-use to the consumer. Increasingly high demand for features like voice command,more audio sourc...

Power banks are an increasingly popular option for charging consumer electronics on the go. Because of the devices portable nature, power bank designs need to maintain a small overall size and be easy to use for end consumers. As fast charging is becoming a more widespread industry trend, power banks must offer the fastest safe charging possible with minimal thermal dissipation and the ability to ...

The worldwide demand for electric bikes (e-bikes) is growing as consumers see e-bikes as an eco-friendly solution to long commutes and rising fuel prices. An e-bike is a bicycle with an integrated electric motor, a battery, and a controller that assists with increased propulsion. New designs — which accommodate shorter recharging times, lighter weights, and higher battery capacity for longer ridin...

Drones and multicopters are a rapidly growing market, as consumer applications increase and prices plummet. New drone models must be able to offer advanced speed, navigation, and control systems as well as the longest possible airtime. Safety, reliability, and ease of use are crucial to each part — and the holistic function — of these small unmanned aircraft. To ensure that flight is safe and effi...

Set-top boxes (STBs) and similar devices receive and output signals from a variety of input sources to TVs. As entertainment technology becomes progressively smarter, as well as more compact and efficient, providers are tasked with delivering long-term reliability and low power consumption in a user-friendly, cost-effective design. The recent surge of smart devices and ever-increasing consumer exp...

Flat-panel TVs, including technologies such as 4K, 8K, LCD, and OLED, are a massive consumer market. The popularization of cloud-based streaming services and smart devices have made the design requirements for these TVs more challenging than ever. Customers expect high resolution and brightness displays with exceptional audio quality and a variety of input and interface capabilities — all while ma...

Wireless connectivity is at the heart of most modern technology, and the need for strong, secure wireless performance is only growing with IoT and the popularity of smart devices. Wireless access point systems can be separate from or part of switches and routers, and are what enable WiFi devices to connect to a wireless network, which ultimately links to a wired access point such as Ethernet. Thes...

Portable points of service (POS) are tasked with delivering fast, secure payment transactions amid changing payment methods and growing customer expectations. They must offer high reliability, long battery life, ease-of-use, and quick processing speeds to accelerate checkout times. As retail and service spaces increasingly compete with online goods and service providers, efficiency and convenience...