Spatial awareness detection in AirDrop on the iPhone
11 can tell the relative location of another device.Initiator
Poll
Response
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ULTRA–
WIDEBAND
CAN BE
USED LIKE
GPS FOR
HIGHLY
ACCURATE
INDOOR
DEVICE
TRACKING
YOUR iPHONE CAN tell
altitude, distance and now
direction thanks to the
inclusion of a brand new chip
in the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. The
new U1 chip was mentioned during
Apple’s By Innovation Only event in
September 2019, with the company
promising it would deliver “amazing new
capabilities” in future.
The U1 chip enables Ultra–wideband
(UWB) capabilities on iPhone. UWB is a
wireless communication technology that
has two major advantages over Wi-Fi and
Bluetooth: it’s less power–hungry and
more secure. While the tech has actually
been around for over a decade, UWB has
yet to be popularly adopted.
In the early 2000s, UWB was widely
used in the medical and military Ľelds,
and eļorts were made to incorporate
UWB into Bluetooth 3.0, but the attempt
was abandoned in 2009. Today, it’s used
in some warehouses to track forklifts, and
a GPS/UWB system currently provides
location–based audio guides in a number
of Icelandic tourist spots.
Theoretically, UWB can be used in
place of current wireless devices and
operations, such as USBs, printing, peer–
to–peer connections, and HD video
streaming. The automotive industry is
also considering adopting UWB as an
Ultra–wideband technology
The new chip in the iPhone 11 series promises great things beyond AirDrop
alternative to Bluetooth in wireless car
keys. Bluetooth is notoriously easy to
hack; UWB tech would enable you to
unlock your car as you approach it, and
help prevent break–ins. Until recently,
however, the high cost of UWB chips
has made it prohibitive for companies
to cost–eļectively incorporate the
technology into consumer goods.
For now, the iPhone 11 series is the only
mass–manufactured consumer device
with UWB built in. As yet, no other
smartphone manufacturer has announced
plans to add UWB to its range. However,
Sony and Samsung are part of the FiRa
Consortium, a group of 13 companies
looking into the adoption of UWB. If they
choose to follow Apple’s lead, UWB could
soon become the new staple in
smartphones like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
THE TECHNOLOGY
UWB transmits data across a large
500MHz bandwidth over very short
distances, with an ideal operating range
of up to 200m, and can penetrate through
YOU WILL LEARN
What Ultra–wideband is
and how it works
alongside the U1 chip.
HOW IT
WORKS
KEY FACT
UWB was first used in the
1960s by the US
Department of Defense. It
was restricted to military
use until the 1990s.
However, in 2002 the US
Federal Communications
Commission legalized
it for commercial use.
Create
96 MAR 2020 maclife.com