Core Concepts

Microcontrollers (MCUs)

An MCU (Microcontroller Unit) is a compact integrated circuit (IC) designed to control specific embedded tasks. Unlike CPUs (Central Processing Units) in laptops/servers, which are designed for general-purpose tasks, MCUs are:

• Low-power (as low as milliwatts).

• Low-cost (a few dollars per chip).

• Single-task focused (control, monitoring, automation).

Examples of MCU families:

• ARM Cortex-M series (widely used in IoT, drones, smart appliances).

• AVR microcontrollers (e.g., Arduino boards).

• ESP32/ESP8266 (Wi-Fi enabled IoT MCUs).

An MCU typically integrates:

• CPU Core: Executes instructions (often ARM Cortex-M, RISC-V, or custom cores).

• SRAM: Small volatile memory for runtime variables.

• Flash Storage: Non-volatile storage for firmware and programs.

• Peripherals: Interfaces like GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output), ADC (Analog to Digital Converters), SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface), and I²C (Inter-Integrated Circuit).

Why MCUs are important:

• They are everywhere. Almost every electronic device, from cars to coffee machines. uses them.

• They are energy-efficient, making them perfect for edge computing tasks.

• They are affordable and thus scalable globally.

In Idle Network’s design, MCUs are not just controlling appliances. With lightweight AI compilers (explained later), they can run tiny AI models (TinyML) and contribute excess cycles to Vault networks.

IoT Devices

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a network of physical devices embedded with sensors, processors, and connectivity that allows them to collect and exchange data.

Examples:

• Consumer IoT: Smart bulbs, thermostats, door cameras, fitness trackers.

• Industrial IoT (IIoT): Smart meters, predictive maintenance sensors, autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs), logistics trackers.

• Infrastructure IoT: Smart traffic lights, environmental monitoring stations, water level sensors.

IoT Characteristics:

• Connectivity: Typically use Wi-Fi, ZigBee, LoRaWAN, Bluetooth LE, or cellular (4G/5G).

• Data collection: Sensors measure physical parameters (temperature, vibration, location).

• Local compute: Small processors (MCUs or low-power SoCs) filter and preprocess data.

• Intermittent activity: Devices spend 70–95% of their time idle, waiting for events.

IoT Market Size:

• In 2024, ~16.6 billion IoT devices.

• By 2025–2026, expected to exceed 20 billion devices.

• Each represents a potential micro-node in Idle Network’s Vault network.