CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

April 22, 2026April 22, 2026 by Debashis Das - No Comments

SamuRoid – A Raspberry Pi-powered 22-DOF humanoid robot with Multimodal LLMs and ROS support

SamuRoid AI Humanoid Robot with Raspberry Pi

Shenzhen Xiao R Geek Technology (XiaoR GEEK) SamuRoid is a 22-DOF bionic humanoid robot built around a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B. Designed for researchers, educators, and robotics developers, the robot combines a traditional Robot Operating System (ROS) environment with modern embodied AI capabilities. The concept of SBC-powered humanoid robots is not new, and we have previously seen similar robots, such as the Tonybot and PiMecha, which focused on basic servo control, OpenCV vision, and beginner-friendly programming. Compared to those, SamuRoid is priced significantly higher but offers a more advanced setup with tighter hardware-software integration and support for multimodal interaction that combines vision, voice, and large language models. We have also seen a simpler, but larger bipedal robot like the Mini π. SamuRoid specifications SBC – Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (4GB or 8GB RAM options) Actuators – 22x XRS-series bus servos delivering ≥ 30 kgf · cm of torque at 12V […]

April 22, 2026April 22, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Raspberry Pi RP2350 board offers NB-IoT cellular connectivity, GNSS, and Wi-Fi indoor location

Raspberry Pi RP2350 board NB-IoT cellular

Challenger+ RP2350 NB-IoT is a Feather-compatible board pairing a Raspberry Pi RP2350 microcontroller and a certified NB-IoT cellular module with built-in GNSS, suitable for long-range, low-power connectivity. It looks to be a variant of the earlier Challenger+ RP2350 WiFi6/BLE5 board that replaces an ESP32-C6 WiFi 6, BLE, and 802.15.4 module with an STMicroelectronics ST87M01 NB-IoT and GNSS module. It still offers Challenger+ RP2350 NB-IoT specifications: Microcontroller – Raspberry Pi RP2350A MCU CPU Dual-core Arm Cortex-M33 processor @ 150MHz Dual-core 32-bit RISC-V processor @ 150MHz Up to two cores can be used at a given time Memory – 520KB internal RAM 8KB OTP Storage Package – QFN-60; 7×7 mm Memory – 8MB PSRAM Storage – 8MB SPI flash Cellular connectivity Module – STMicro ST87M01-1301 LTE Cat NB2 (NB-IoT), 3GPP Release 15 Worldwide regional bands coverage – B1, B3, B5, B8, B20, and B28 Single-tone / Multi-tone / Extended TBS and 2 […]

LeafKVM open-source hardware IP KVM offers WiFi 5, PoE, USB-C serial console, and 2.4-inch touchscreen display (Crowdfunding)

LeafKVM is a wireless and PoE open-source hardware IP KVM based on Rockchip RV1126B SoC with 512MB RAM and a microSD card slot for storage. Like other IP KVMs, it enables remote access to computers and servers, even at the BIOS level or when the machine is unresponsive, by emulating keyboard, mouse, and video through HDMI/VGA and USB ports. Other features include a 2.4-inch touchscreen display for configuration and guest video mirroring, a USB-C port for serial debug, a USB Type-A port for expansion (e.g., power control), and an ultra-low latency of less than 100ms. LeafKVM specifications: SoC – Rockchip RV1126B CPU – Quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 up to 1.6 GHz GPU – 2D Graphics Engine VPU Video Decoder – H.265/H.264 up to 3840×2160 @ 30fps Video Encoder – H.265, H.264, JPEG up to 12Mbps @ 30fps JPEG Decoder AI accelerator – Rockchip NPU engine up to 3 TOPS (INT8); likely not […]

April 21, 2026April 21, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

UGV Beast – An off-road tracked AI robot built for Raspberry Pi 4/5

Waveshare UGV Beast is an off-road robot with tracked wheels designed for Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 SBC handling AI vision and strategy planning, while an ESP32 sub-controller takes care of motion control and sensor data processing. If the design feels familiar, it’s because it’s a variant of the UGV Rover unmanned ground vehicle we covered in 2024, which replaces the six wheels of the original model with two continuous tracks, as found in military tanks, for better driving in difficult terrain. Waveshare UGV Beast specifications: Supported SBCs – Raspberry Pi 4B or Raspberry Pi 5 Multi-function driver board/sub-controller Main SoC – ESP32 wireless microcontroller with WiFi, Bluetooth, ESPNOW connectivity Motor drivers – 2x TB6612FNG chips Peripheral interfaces 4x motor control connectors 2x servo connectors Lidar USB (4-pin) and UART (USB-C) connectors 2x 4-pin I2C connectors Sensor – 9-axis attitude sensor (ICM20948) for image stabilization Misc – EN and user […]

April 21, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

DIY Sendspin audio receiver supports multi-room audio synchronization, integrates with Home Assistant

SendspinZero is an open-source, DIY Sendspin audio receiver for your amplifier that relies on off-the-shelf parts costing around $10 and a 3D printed enclosure. It integrates with Home Assistant for multi-room audio synchronization. It sounds good, but what is Sendspin exactly? It’s a royalty-free, open protocol developed by the Open Home Foundation for synchronized audio playback across multiple devices and rooms. Besides audio, it also supports screens for album art and control music, and sound-activated lights (coming soon feature). The protocol enables open-source products that compete against proprietary systems like Sonos, AirPlay, or Google Cast, and integrates nicely with the Music Assistant add-on for Home Assistant. Sendspin audio receiver key components: Waveshare ESP32-S3-Zero board with 2MB PSRAM (About $4-$6 on AliExpress, $12 on Amazon), ideally the version without pre-soldered headers Optional 1.54-inch LCD screen (About $5 on AliExpress) Optional 3-6V, 22mm bi-color button (About $2 to $3) Audio output options: […]

April 21, 2026April 21, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Ezurio Tungsten 510/700 SMARC SoM features MediaTek Genio 510/700 AIoT SoC, dual GbE, WiFi 6

Ezurio Tungsten 700 Mediatek Genio 700 SMARC system-on-module

Ezurio Tungsten 510 and Tungsten 700 SMARC 2.1 compliant system-on-module powered by MediaTek Genio 510 hexa-core and Genio 700 octa-core Cortex-A78/A55 AIoT SoCs with an up to 4 TOPS NPU. The SMARC modules feature 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4 memory and 16GB flash by default (upgradeable up to 128GB), offer dual Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, and various interfaces exposed through a standard 314-pin MXM connector, including HDMI, DisplayPort, eDP, and MIPI DSI display interfaces, two MIPI CSI camera interfaces, two I2S audio interface, PCIe Gen2 x1, and more. Ezurio Tungsten 510/700 specifications: SoC (one or the other) MediaTek Genio 510 (MT8370) CPU – Hexa-core processor with 2x Arm Cortex-A78 core up to 2.2 GHz, 4x Cortex-A55 cores up to 2 GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G57 MC2 GPU VPU – 4Kp60 H.265, AV1, VP9, H.264 video decoding, 4Kp30 H.265 and H.264 video encoding Accelerators – Up to 3.2 […]

April 20, 2026April 20, 2026 by Debashis Das - 3 Comments

LILYGO T-Watch Ultra – An IP65-rated ESP32-S3 smartwatch with 2.01-inch AMOLED, LoRa, and GNSS

LILYGO’s T-Watch Ultra is an ESP32-S3-based smartwatch development platform that appears to be an upgrade over the previous T-Watch-S3 Plus (1.3-inch display and a 940mAh battery), with a larger 2.01-inch AMOLED touch display, a higher-capacity 1,100mAh battery, and an IP65 waterproof and dustproof rating. The device integrates a u-blox MIA-M10Q GNSS module for positioning, a SX1262 LoRa transceiver for long-range communication, and a Bosch BHI260AP smart sensor for motion-based AI applications. Additionally, it features an RTC chip, NFC, a built-in microphone, a haptic driver, a microSD card slot, and a USB Type-C port for programming and charging. The watch targets applications such as Meshtastic nodes, GPS tracking, wearable IoT interfaces, edge AI sensing, and custom smartwatch firmware development. LILYGO T-Watch Ultra specifications: SoC – Espressif ESP32-S3R8 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 microcontroller up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration Memory – 512KB SRAM, 8MB PSRAM Wireless – WiFi […]

April 20, 2026April 21, 2026 by Daniel Thompson - 6 Comments

Idle CPU power management: cpuidle

Linux Kernel cpuidle subsystem architecture

Twenty years ago, it was easy for an operating system kernel to go idle: when there were no tasks to run, “the idle loop” would be scheduled. Early idle loops were basically empty infinite loops that did nothing while waiting for the next interrupt to happen. This saved power simply by avoiding running instructions that needed power-hungry components such as the cache or FPU! Over time, changing technology has allowed multiple additional hardware mechanisms to reduce power to be introduced. With these new options available today, the idle loop is responsible for choosing and deploying the “best” way to go idle. As a brief reminder, entering and returning from an idle state has a cost, and that cost can be measured both in time and in energy. Typically, the shallowest idle state is “nearly free” to enter/exit, whilst deeper idle states have increasingly higher costs to enter and exit. If […]