This Week in Bluetooth & UWB

Apr 10, 2026

In This Issue

→ Espressif drops a new RISC-V SoC
→ China pulls Bluetooth P2P chat app
→ UWB products now need FCC waivers
→ NXP's UWB RTLS starter kit
→ An nRF52840 board for makers

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Espressif Unveils ESP32-S31 Dual-Core RISC-V SoC

Electronics Media

Espressif has unveiled the ESP32-S31, a dual-core 32-bit RISC-V microcontroller running at 320 MHz with MMU support. It includes Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) in the 2.4 GHz band, Bluetooth 5.4 with both Bluetooth LE and Classic support, and IEEE 802.15.4 radio enabling Thread and Zigbee. One core features a wide 128-bit data path with SIMD instructions, and the chip packs 512 KB SRAM with support for high-speed 250 MHz 8-bit DDR PSRAM.

China Pulls Jack Dorsey's Bluetooth Chat App

GIGAZINE

Bitchat, a peer-to-peer encrypted messaging app created by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, has been removed from the Chinese App Store at the request of China's National Internet Information Office. The app enables communication via Bluetooth without requiring mobile networks, Wi-Fi, or account registration, with relay connections reaching locations more than 300 meters away. The technology gained prominence in Uganda during government internet shutdowns. Source code remains publicly available on GitHub.

CoffeeCaller nRF52840 Board Opens Up for Makers

Elektor Magazine

The CoffeeCaller is an open-hardware board built around a 64 MHz Arm Cortex-M4 nRF52840 with 1 MB of flash, 256 KB of RAM, and USB-C power. It includes five buttons, four GPIO LEDs, four WS2812 RGB LEDs, a PWM buzzer, an SHT40 temperature-and-humidity sensor, Qwiic connectivity, NFC capability, and a 10-pin SWD header. The repository includes KiCad source files under a CERN-OHL-S-2.0 license, designed to be "built, modified, and manufactured."

Pebblebee Halo: Safety Device That Doubles as Item Finder

Notebookcheck

Pebblebee describes the Halo as a personal safety device first and an item finder second. The 130 dB siren and strobe lights are activated by pulling apart the lower portion of the device. Once activated, the companion app shares your live location with your trusted contacts (up to 5) via SMS. It also has a silent alert mode that lets a user notify a trusted contact without activating the siren. Designed to work with both Google Find Hub and Apple Find My, the Halo has a rechargeable battery that should last up to 12 months and an IP66 rating. Priced at $59.99.

Littlebird Adds Satellite to Its Bluetooth LE Wearable Safety Network

IoT Business News

Littlebird is partnering with Lacuna Space to add satellite IoT connectivity to its screen-free safety wearable. The company was among the first consumer safety brands to deploy a wearable on Amazon Sidewalk, the low-power community network based on Bluetooth Low Energy and LoRa that Amazon says reaches more than 90% of the U.S. population. This layered infrastructure model combines Bluetooth LE, LoRa, and satellite for operational resilience.

Goodix Launches eSE Solution Designed for AI Agents

PR Newswire Asia

Goodix has introduced an embedded Secure Element (eSE) designed for AI agents, addressing security in edge AI deployments across smart speakers, in-vehicle systems, and home gateways. The chip integrates a complete TLS 1.3 protocol stack, encrypting communication between AI agents and cloud models entirely within the secure element. API keys are stored so they never appear outside the chip in any scenario. Built on a CC EAL5+ certified eSE chip, it connects to host MCUs via standard SPI interfaces.

NXP Introduces omlox Starter Kit for Industrial UWB RTLS

eeNews Europe

NXP Semiconductors has introduced the omlox Starter Kit aimed at simplifying the deployment of real-time location systems in industrial environments. The kit combines hardware, software and analytics into a single platform based on the omlox open standard. At the core is NXP's Trimension SR048 UWB SoC, designed to support high-precision positioning for asset tracking, robot navigation and worker safety. The system supports multiple ranging methods including TDoA, round trip time of flight, and downlink TDoA. The hardware is complemented by SynchronicIT's localisation engine and Flowcate's DeepHub middleware, which converts positioning data into operational insights.

Building a UWB Product? You May Need an FCC Waiver

Hogan Lovells

UWB technology has advanced much faster than the FCC rules that govern it. Those rules, adopted more than twenty years ago, were designed for low-power devices within narrowly defined categories. Today, many modern UWB products cannot comply with the FCC's rules as written, despite their low operating power and minimal risk of harmful interference. Companies increasingly rely on FCC waivers to receive equipment authorizations. The waiver process can impact product launch timelines, making early and strategic regulatory planning critical for UWB product developers.

ELOKON Debuts AI + UWB Collision Prevention at MODEX 2026

Business Wire

At MODEX 2026, ELOKON will feature ELOshieldAI, an advanced safety system that combines proven tag-based proximity detection with AI-powered vision detection for forklifts and material handling equipment. Multiple onboard cameras eliminate blind spots and provide real-time video feeds to enhance operator awareness. The system uses detailed detection and logging of near-collision events, captured by fused AI vision and UWB data, to uncover patterns, prevent accidents, and make workplaces safer by turning close calls into insights.