Introducing the Wio Series - a Hardware Solution that Grows

2017-04-20 | By Seeed Studio

We all know it is no secret that hardware development is difficult and can often be resource intensive. Strong base components to build a product, such as the processor and communication chipsets, have to be found, tested, and evaluated to be sure they will both scale with production and will be in production for the product's lifespan. Then we can begin the long process of development. The core components must always work well together and be robust enough to allow numerous peripherals to be integrated. This is a problem development boards try to address, but don’t always succeed in doing so. To solve this problem Seeed Studio has developed the Wio series.

Wio stands for Wireless input and output, these products are made for projects that have wireless connected elements such as Bluetooth, LTE, WiFi, LoRa, and more. I would like to stress that the Wio series is not just development boards -- they will also have core modules that can be placed on custom designed carrier boards, and Seeed is ready to help build completely customized boards, through our Propagate service, based on the series. The purpose of this is simple: Seeed wants to support developers from the early stages of prototyping/proof of concept, to a rough version of a product/an engineering sample, and finally to a finished product that is ready for mass production. At Seeed we make hardware development and scaling simple.

To ensure the Wio development boards are fit for simple and quick prototyping we offer our open source Grove ecosystem and libraries. Each Wio development board will feature at least one analog, one digital, one I2C, and one UART Grove connector, and this is powerful as the Grove ecosystem has over 180 sensors and actuators with sample code. Another feature we are striving for is to have all of our Wio development boards be compatible with the Arduino IDE in order to allow access to the hundreds of libraries and sensors in the Arduino ecosystem. These key features make the Wio development boards ideal for users of all levels who want to quickly prototype or learn.

The Wio cores are modules designed to help those who want to create their own carrier boards. Prototype with the development board and then drop a Wio core onto a carrier board. A Wio core does not feature any peripherals, but rather breaks them out, reducing the cost and footprint of the board, and allowing developers to use only the features they want. Projects which need only 1-1,000 units will greatly benefit from the Wio cores. This is also a great solution for startups or Makers who may not have the funds to have a fully customized board designed. If developers do want to develop their own carrier board Seeed can help manufacture those boards as well through our Fusion service.

The Wio series is designed by our team to allow for customization through our Propagate service. Seeed is here to help tailor the board as needed, from using a more powerful processor to using different sensors and actuators. In addition to hardware design, our Propagate service can assist with mechanical design, device drivers, and packaging. Seeed can even help sell the final product through our 800+ channels. This is the best option for large orders who need a customized solution and either lack the ability or do not want to spend their resources on creating their own.

No matter what stage your project is at the Wio series grows alongside it. The focus of the series is to make hardware development as quick and easy as possible. Seeed grows with our developers to help make their dreams a reality.

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