NOVELDA Adds Seat Occupancy Detection Capability to Its X7 Ultra-Wideband In-Cabin Sensor, Further Expanding Automotive Applications

NOVELDA to demonstrate industry-leading UWB sensing capabilities at Embedded World 2024

OSLO, Norway, April 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Embedded World 2024-- Today, NOVELDA, innovator of the world's most reliable ultra-wideband (UWB) radar sensors, announces it will demonstrate the new multi-target seat occupancy detection function of its NOVELDA X7 UWB In-Cabin Sensor at Embedded World 2024. NOVELDA's X7 radar chip is already capable of performing the world´s lowest power presence detection, child presence detection (CPD) and vital signs monitoring. X7 now adds seat occupancy detection capability through a software upgrade. A single UWB sensor can detect human presence in each seat within the car cabin, making it the most reliable and cost-effective seat occupancy radar solution on the market.

Editorial Note: NOVELDA is demonstrating this new capability at Embedded World 2024 in Nuremberg, Germany, from April 9-11 at Hall 5, stand #5-433. NOVELDA will also demonstrate solutions with design partners, including a vital signs monitoring sensor created by Xandar Kardian and a gesture recognition demonstration with TrueSense's software running on NOVELDA X7 UWB system-on-chip (SoC) and module. Please complete our contact form or contact sales@novelda.com to arrange a meeting.

The comprehensive NOVELDA X7 UWB In-Cabin Sensor has the potential to fulfill multiple use cases with a single X7 system-on-chip (SoC), including ultra-low power presence and intrusion detection, child presence detection, seat occupancy detection, vital signs monitoring and gesture recognition. In addition to preventing pediatric heatstroke, NOVELDA's solution may serve further lifesaving applications by detecting car crash survivors through its heartbeat detection functionality. X7, with a field of view (FoV) of nearly 180 degrees, allows companies to dramatically reduce the number of sensors in the vehicle, providing significant cost savings compared to other solutions, including 60GHz radar.

How UWB Outpaces 60GHz and Other UWB Ranging ICs for In-Cabin Sensing Radars

Unlike traditional weight sensors, NOVELDA's seat occupancy solution differentiates between people and objects, preventing false seat belt alarms due to objects placed in seats. The solution achieves this by sensing a person's tiny motions, including breathing and heartbeat, even if a person is motionless or there is a baby in the seat.

UWB frequencies also enable simpler mechanical integration than competing in-cabin sensing radars because UWB can sense through car seats and other materials through centimeter wavelengths. This capability reduces overall system cost and simplifies integration, making it the most reliable solution for seat occupancy, child presence detection, vital signs monitoring and more. NOVELDA's unique UWB sensor technology (which does not utilize Channel Impulse Responses, unlike standard UWB ranging ICs) consumes less than 50 microwatts in a 1 frame-per-second configuration, outperforming any other existing radar integrated circuit (IC) on the market today, including UWB or 60GHz SoC.

"By optimizing our X7 radar chip with software enabling seat occupancy detection, we ensure our NOVELDA X7 UWB In-cabin Sensor can serve additional automotive applications through robust reliability and precision," said Dag Wisland, CTO and founder of NOVELDA. "NOVELDA's groundbreaking UWB sensing technology has proven its diverse utility by delivering lifesaving CPD capabilities in the automotive sector and vital signs monitoring in the digital healthcare sector, and now sets a new standard for seat occupancy detection and other in-cabin sensing capabilities."

UWB: the next revolution in human presence sensing 

With UWB's diverse applications and technological capabilities, RationalStat values the global UWB market at $1 billion currently, projecting a compound annual growth rate of 18 percent from 2023-2030, exceeding Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Major technology companies are driving widespread adoption of UWB, with global computer and smartphone manufacturers already integrating UWB, including Apple, Google and Samsung. NOVELDA's industry-leading UWB sensing technology has been integrated by Lenovo, the world's largest PC manufacturer, commanding a 24 percent market share in 2022.

For more information about the world's most reliable, energy-efficient radar system and its applications, please visit novelda.com or contact us at sales@novelda.com.

About NOVELDA AS  

NOVELDA provides the world's most accurate, power-efficient and reliable sensor solution for human presence detection. Our Ultra-Wideband (UWB) short-range impulse radar sensors achieve new levels of user experience and interactivity in a variety of indoor and short-range applications in consumer electronics, digital health, smart home, building automation and automotive.

NOVELDA was founded in 2004 and is today recognized as the world's leading authority on UWB short-range radar sensor design. Our technology complies with worldwide UWB regulations and is protected by several patents. We are headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with regional sales offices in US, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Germany employing a total of 85 employees. Making life easier by creating seamless interaction between people and things. NOVELDA Ultra-Wideband Sensor - the most reliable sensor in the world. www.novelda.com 

About Xandar Kardian

Xandar Kardian is a US Delaware C-Corp with international operations spanning South Korea, Canada, and Singapore, focused on deploying reliable and high accuracy security and healthcare solutions worldwide. Xandar Kardian elevates motion sensor technology to the next level, incorporating radar sensors that monitor vital signs via resting heart rate (RHR) and respiratory rate (RR), providing essential insights into occupant motion, location, and vital sign reading. Founded in 2017, the team behind Xandar Kardian is focused on digital radar signal processing from start-to-finish, having received FDA 510(k) Clearance for its XK300 in April 2021. www.xkcorp.com

About TrueSense

Based in Italy, we provide disruptive platform solutions that focus on Ultra-Wideband Ranging & Radar applications, Edge AI Software and Innovative IoT. With our unique knowledge on hybridization of ranging & doppler functionalities and our own EDGE AI Tiny Convolutional Neural Networks platform, we target the Healthcare market with the Mate family of products. The Mate Radar Sensing Platform will take monitoring human & animal presence, location, vital sign, fall detection, and behavior analysis functionalities to the next level, all mashed in one device. Founded by a senior team of entrepreneurs, it is built by top European & Asian experts and has a worldwide customer base. www.truesense.it

NOVELDA sales contact
sales@novelda.com

NOVELDA press contact
Tove Elisabeth Lutdal, VP Marketing
+47 90 73 49 49
tove.lutdal@novelda.com

Media relations contact
Jeannette Bitz
Engage PR for NOVELDA  
(O) +1-510-295-4972
jbitz@engagepr.com

European media contact
Amélie Burgess
514 Media for NOVELDA  
(M) +44 7719 715 218

SOURCE NOVELDA AS