ARM, IBM Offer IoT Starter Kit to Speed Connected Device Development

An ARM (ARM) and IBM (IBM) collaboration has produced an Internet of Things (IoT) development toolbox, called the ARM mbed IoT Starter Kit, and aimed it not only at businesses but also individuals who want to make their own connected devices.

The IoT Starter Kit includes an ARM mbed-enabled development board from Freescale, powered by an ARM Cortex M4 based processor, a sensor IO application shield and guidance to connect into IBM’s BlueMix cloud for app development and services.

The idea is to facilitate fast prototyping of new smart products and services. The first products developed with the kit are expected to hit the market sometime this year, the companies said.

“Securely embedding intelligence and connectivity into devices from the outset will create cloud-connected products that are far more capable than today,” said Krisztian Flautner, ARM IoT business general manager. “The ARM IoT Starter Kit will accelerate the availability of connected devices by making product and service prototyping faster and easier.”

ARM also said it’s talking to some global electronics distributors to package and market its IoT Starter Kit, hoping to capitalize on the coming flood of interconnected devices globally in all manner of settings, including businesses, homes and cities.

Right now, the market is as fragmented as one might expect, with a few suppliers vying to establish standards but a range of hardware, operating systems and communications equipment in use.

Accordingly, ARM said that follow-on versions of the kit will run the new ARM mbed OS and use ARM mbed Device Server software to upgrade security, communication and device management features. While the current edition provides Ethernet connectivity, future versions may offer cellular, wi-fi and Thread, ARM said.

ARM and IBM said they will feed off of the former’s mbed IoT Device Platform and the latter’s IoT Foundation to collaborate on interoperable, open, secure and scalable connectivity between devices and the cloud.

“The Internet of Things is about bringing the physical and digital worlds closer together, to allow businesses to better understand and interact with what is happening around them,” said Meg Divitto, IBM IoT vice president. “In order to make this work for businesses, it needs to be simple to connect physical devices into the cloud, and to build applications and insights around them. IBM Bluemix and the new ARM mbed starter kit are designed to substantially enhance that effort.”