TI's New Microcontroller: So Small, All I Can Think of is Spyware.

As I was reading a LinkedIn post by Case Engelen, Chairman of Titoma, I started thinking about the applicability of Texas Instruments’ new microcontroller.

Let’s start with what it is: TI’s new MSPMOC1104 is “smaller than a grain of rice.” However, its size is not an indication of its computing ability. Within that tiny form factor is a 32-bit processor running at 24 MHz with 1KB of memory and 16 KB of storage. The design makes it perfect for small devices that need minimal power (87μA per MHz running and just 5μA in standby) and can last for years on a small battery. (There’s no mention of power harvesting but I would imagine someone will demonstrate that soon.)

It senses temperature and movement and can work in a range of temperatures (from -40°C to 125°C). Texas Instruments believes it will be used in applications like health monitoring, industrial systems, and wearables. I can imagine it being part of the next Bond movie, perhaps in a camera that looks normal but actively records everything around it.

Texas Instruments offers it in volume for twenty cents each. So probably wearables are the most interesting, since they often have size restrictions. Engelen points out that, in many cases, the components around the microcontroller may need more space and that, at that size, mounting it properly may prove difficult.

Besides wearables and other medical devices, I thought of Stuxnet and how the microcontroller could be brought into a hostile environment – recall Israel’s recent destruction of beepers used by Hezbollah operatives.

TI’s support documentation suggests that the microcontroller will have the following applications:

• Battery charging and management
• Power supplies and power delivery
• Personal electronics
• Building security and fire safety
• Connected peripherals and printers
• Grid infrastructure
• Smart metering
• Communication modules
• Medical and healthcare
• Lighting

Some of them feel reasonable to me, but others feel like a stretch. However the documentation looks solid and has its own development kit (LP-MSPM0C1104 LaunchPad™) and SDK (MSP Software), which you can find under Tools and Software.