Our first stop at Embedded World 2025 took us to the STMicroelectronics booth, where an AI-powered foosball table stole the show! Instead of a traditional match, you’re teaming up to beat an AI opponent.

STMicroelectronics – AI-Powered Foosball Table

This innovation, created with the University of Catania, combines computer vision, AI, and real-time motor control for an unforgettable experience.

Key tech:

1. Vision System – The VD66GY camera tracks the ball in real-time.
2. AI Processing – The STM32MP2 microprocessor uses Kalman Filters and AI to predict ball position and create strategies.
3. Motor Control – Eight STM32F7 microcontrollers manage motors for precise moves and scoring.

To top it off, ToF sensors track goals for accurate scoring. This is foosball like you’ve never seen before!

STMicroelectronics – STM32N6 with Camera Module

This demo featured crisp, lag-free video running on the STM32N6, showcasing how much AI power can fit into a tiny microcontroller.

What makes it unique? It uses the ST Neural-art accelerator—an on-chip neural processing unit designed for ultra-efficient edge AI. Combined with the image sensor module, it enables AI tasks like people counting, pose detection, pixel-level segmentation, and hand landmark tracking—all on a single embedded platform.

The highlight was the Meta-Bounds AR glasses powered by STM32N6, delivering AI-driven experiences for up to 10 hours. This was a powerful demo of real-time vision AI on a microcontroller—all without the use of a heatsink!

NXP – AI Health Controller (AICHI)

At the NXP booth, we explored how smart homes can lead to brighter lives—literally. Their AI-powered healthcare controller stole the spotlight.

It gathers multimodal data from sensors and medical devices—like glucose monitors, ECG patches, and smartwatches—and uses edge AI to detect anomalies and alert caregivers. In one scenario, a person falls at home, and AICHI instantly recognizes the emergency and responds. This system combines Matter-enabled sensors, tri-radio connectivity (RW612), i.MX95 MPU, UWB (SR250 UWB) and BLE radios(NHS52S04 BLE) to detect motion, monitor vitals, and pinpoint location.

At the heart is AICHI, NXP’s AI health controller—bringing proactive, affordable, personalized care to the smart home.

NXP – Autonomous Energy Management

Another demo that caught my eye was this dashboard along the wall with all the home appliances. NXP, in collaboration with partners, showcased autonomous energy management in a Matter-connected smart home. UK-based geo presented SeeZero products—the first Matter-certified Home Energy Management System device and smart thermostat—enabled by NXP’s connectivity solutions. Visitors experienced four simulated energy events, demonstrating AI and Matter’s role in optimizing energy across appliances, power delivery, and storage. The demo featured a smart energy meter with MCX N and IW416 for in-home communications, and a smart thermostat using RW612 Tri-Radio and i.MX 93 platforms. This was on brand with NXP’s theme of creating brighter lives through smarter energy solutions.

Infineon – Real-Time Motor Control

At Infineon’s booth, we saw a real-time dual-motor control demo on a conveyor belt. It utilized the PSOC Control C3 and XENSIV magnetic position sensor on one side, and PSOC 4000T with ModusToolbox motor control libraries on the other. This setup is ideal for dual PMSM servo drive applications requiring high dynamics and tight synchronization. PSOC 4000T features Multi-Sense technology, integrating CAPSENSE for hover touch, inductive sensing for metallic surfaces, and contactless liquid level sensing. CAPSENSE gestures commanded the motor to operate in specific modes. The conveyor belt even played a two-tune melody, including the European anthem, showcasing its versatility for industrial automation and robotics.​

Infineon – Smart Climate Control System

Infineon’s second demo featured a contactless smart climate control system. It employed gesture control to adjust temperature and fan settings. The system incorporated the XENSIV PAS CO₂ sensor, based on photoacoustic spectroscopy, for accurate air quality measurements, enhancing comfort and energy efficiency. A 60 GHz mmWave radar sensor enabled advanced presence and gesture detection. The PSOC Edge E84 microcontroller served as a scalable platform for next-generation smart devices. This all-in-one board demonstrated continuous monitoring of CO₂, humidity, and temperature, coupled with advanced gesture sensing using edge AI algorithms and radar technology.

Renesas – ATLAS Asset Tracking Demo

At the Renesas booth, we explored ATLAS—Asset Tracking and Locationing at Scale. This impressive BLE-based system tracked booth staff in real time, with reception screens displaying moving dots, each representing a team member’s live location.

Each person wore a name tag embedded with a DA14592 BLE beacon. Signals were picked up by six ceiling-mounted locators using Angle of Arrival (AoA) triangulation to pinpoint positions with precision.

ATLAS can track over 1,000 tags per locator, making it ideal for large-scale environments like warehouses and industrial facilities. This demo showed how scalable, high-accuracy BLE + AoA can transform real-time asset tracking across industries

Renesas – Real-Time Video Streaming over Wi-Fi 6

Renesas demonstrated a Linux-based MPU streaming real-time video over Wi-Fi 6 to tablets. Using both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, the 5 GHz stream offered smoother playback due to less interference. The system supports Matter, MQTT, Linux, and FSP, highlighting seamless IoT integration. The Wi-Fi 6 module includes an integrated BLE radio and a complete networking stack, operable in standalone or hosted modes. This demo exemplified low-latency video transmission suitable for smart surveillance, home automation, and industrial monitoring.

Bosch Sensortec – Edge AI and Smart Sensing

Bosch Sensortec impressed with a series of engaging demos. Their “Sensing the Future with Edge AI” showcased a miniature smart city, illustrating MEMS sensor applications in urban, industrial, and home settings. A portable air quality monitor, powered by the BMV080—the smallest particulate matter sensor—changed colors to indicate air quality levels. Interactive games demonstrated sensors like the  pressure, magnetometer and IMU (BMP581, BMM350, and BHI360) in action. A wearable device featuring the BHI360 smart IMU sensor enabled gesture-based light control, highlighting real-time AI processing on the edge. Bosch’s demos exemplified the integration of AI and MEMS for smarter environments.

onsemi – Hyperlux ID iToF Depth Sensor

At onsemi’s booth, a demo resembling a baggage carousel showcased the Hyperlux ID iToF depth sensor (AF0130). This indirect time-of-flight sensor features on-board depth calculation, providing high accuracy for motion detection. Unlike traditional iToF systems that struggle with moving objects and require external processing, onsemi’s solution handles depth in motion efficiently. Its global shutter architecture captures fast motion without blur, making it ideal for machine vision, logistics, and warehouse automation. For applications requiring precise shape and size measurements, iToF offers an effective solution.

Conclusion

That wraps up our tour of Embedded World 2025! From edge AI to ultra-precise sensing, and from smarter homes to next-gen automation, this year’s innovations pushed the boundaries of embedded technology. Whether it was tracking assets at scale, controlling motors with a wave, or playing foosball against a robot, it’s clear that intelligence at the edge is not just the future—it’s already here. Thanks for watching, and I’ll catch you next time on Techventures with Lazina!​

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