Tundra Labs Looks to Reduce the Cost of SteamVR Tracking with nRF52832-Based TL448K6D-VR Module
At just $48.99 a unit, including two Arm cores, connectivity for 32 optical sensors and a 6DoF IMU, Tundra's module targets VR accessories.
Two-year-old startup Tundra Labs has announced a system-in-package (SIP) built around Nordic Semiconductor's nRF52832 WL-CSP system-on-chip (SoC) with which it aims to drop the cost of accurate device tracking for virtual reality.
"The Tundra Labs TL448K6D-VR Module was created to make the design and manufacturing of SteamVR Tracked devices easier, lower cost and with significantly faster time to market," the company claims. "For the first time these modules offer a fully scaleable production solution to satisfy any volume. This scale spans from niche devices built in the 10s of units to mass market consumer devices with volumes of 100,000+.
"The ultra small form factor SIP enables integration of tracking into devices that were previously unimaginable. The overall mass of the device is also less than 1 gramme which is a key attribute for body worn devices as well as Head Mounted Displays (HMDs)."
Powered by Nordic's nRF52832 — chosen, company founder Luke Beno explains, for its "RF performance and multiprotocol support [...] particularly its backward compatibility with nRF24L Enhanced ShockBurst protocol" — the TL448K6D-VR includes two Arm Cortex-M4 microcontrollers, an FPGA with 8k logic elements, and a 6DOF inertial measurement unit (IMU). Connection pads are provided for up to 32 optical sensors alongside general-purpose input/output (GPIO) connectivity for haptic control.
The company has begun shipping the parts at $48.99 per unit, while a reference design hardware development kit (HDK) is available to pre-order for $129.99.