Acconeer A111 Radar Sensor

As we look to advance the capabilities of the many devices we use on a daily basis, there is a vast sea of potential solutions to utilize to make it possible. Today, the most common capacity sought after for many devices is autonomy. Everyone wants smart, self-driving, self-cleaning, self-charging, etc. For any device to begin to have these desired abilities it must first have the ability to perceive its surroundings.

A manufacturer, Acconeer out of Sweden, has developed a single chip that has the capacity for sensory perception, depth perception, movement detection, and much more. This chip has been designed into a small package that has been engineered for ease of development into the desired end device. The A111 chip has potential for many different applications such as automotive, consumer goods, health and fitness devices, robotics, and more.

The amount of development that it takes to bring a technology like this to market is highly extensive. Acconeer has done the majority of the heavy lifting by providing a development platform, the XR112 and XC112, which enables the user to design the functionality of their end product using the Raspberry Pi. This Acconeer development platform is not quite so simple as plug-and-play due to the fact that a general understanding of programming is necessary in order to get started. To help with this, Acconeer has also provided a get started guide as well as a get started video.

When getting started with all of this hardware, it is going to be very important to match the hardware to the correct software from the Acconeer website. The earliest development platform was the combination of the XR111 and XC111, and the latest is the earlier referenced XR112 and XC112. Each combination has its own software. Another thing to notice if using the XR112 and XC112 is the orientation of the included cable. The blue side of the cable should face up on both sides. If there are any questions please visit the DigiKey TechForum.