Qualcomm unveils new micro-power Wi-Fi chip and RB3 Gen 2 robotics platform

Qualcomm has expanded its portfolio of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions with the introduction of a new micro-power Wi-Fi chip and an updated robotics development platform. The QCC730 dual-band Wi-Fi system is aimed at power-constrained IoT devices and promises to significantly reduce their power consumption.

Qualcomm claims the chip can transmit data with up to 88% less power than previous generations. This new level of efficiency could extend the battery life of various Wi-Fi-connected devices. The QCC730 supports the Wi-Fi 6 standards for improved range and throughput.

It also features direct cloud connectivity and integration with the Matter smart home connectivity standard. According to the company, this enables IoT products to connect and exchange data with mobile applications and cloud services.

Rahul Patel, Qualcomm's group general manager of connectivity, broadband, and networking, said;

QCC730 enables devices to support TCP/IP networking capabilities while remaining form-factor and complete wireless constrained, whilst remaining connected to the Cloud platforms.

In addition to the new Wi-Fi solution, Qualcomm introduced the RB3 Gen 2 robotics platform for industrial and commercial applications. As the successor to the previous RB3 platform, it comes equipped with Qualcomm's QCS6490 CPU and Adreno 643 GPU.

The platform supports multiple 8MP+ camera sensors for computer vision capabilities. Other features include WiFi 6e, Bluetooth 5.2 for wireless accessories, and LE Audio for enhanced audio quality.

The RB3 Gen 2 robotics platform is also supported in Qualcomm's AI Hub. It contains a library of continuously optimized, pre-trained AI models specific to the RB3 Gen 2 and other Qualcomm platforms.

Developers can view a selection of models for RB3 Gen 2 and integrate the optimized AI models into their applications, reducing time-to-market and unlocking the benefits of on-device AI implementations such as immediacy, reliability, privacy, personalization, and cost savings.

Qualcomm plans to make RB3 Gen 2 development kits available in June 2024, giving robotics companies and manufacturers early access to explore new products on the platform.

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