Nordic nRF54L10 SoC powers TomTom road alert assistant

Tom by TomTom uses Nordic nRF54L Series SoC to receive road alert assistance from smartphone app via Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity

TomTom, the location technology specialist, has launched a wireless dashboard solution providing road alert assistance for regular drivers in various countries across Europe – including Germany, U.K., France, Italy, and the Netherlands.

‘Tom by TomTom’ is powered by Nordic Semiconductor’s next generation ultra-low power nRF54L10 SoC. The device features an accelerometer for movement detection and provides clear visual (via an LED indicator) and audible alerts whenever a driver is approaching a fixed or mobile speed camera (considering specific legislation per country), obstacle, or traffic congestion.

Bluetooth LE enables road alert warnings

Using the Bluetooth® LE wireless connectivity provided by the Nordic nRF54L10 SoC, the Tom device receives all up-to-date traffic control data from the user’s Android/iOS smartphone via the associated ‘TomTom’ app. Tom then only informs the driver of road-relevant situations. 

The nRF54L10 SoC’s Arm® Cortex®-M33 processor features 1 MB non-volatile memory (NVM) and 192 KB RAM, providing ample processing power to supervise the built-in sensors and run the complex algorithms for the Tom device to provide consistently accurate information.

If a user also requires navigation guidance, the subscription-free, Apple CarPlay- and Android Auto-compatible app offers a seamless driving experience supported by the largest global driving network of 600 million connected devices, according to the company. This makes TomTom’s traffic data—including traffic jams, obstacles, speed cameras, and speed limits—extremely accurate, not only in the user’s home country, but also abroad. All data is completely anonymized and will never be used for commercial purposes.

Quote
We selected the Nordic nRF54L10 SoC for Tom by TomTom primarily due to the SoC’s low power consumption, easy implementation with the Zephyr RTOS, and the fact Nordic’s proven technology for Bluetooth LE ensures reliable connectivity
Pim Spaanderman, Managing Director for Consumer at TomTom

“Our data tells us not all users require navigation guidance on all drives, but staying informed of (unexpected) road situations is important at all times,” explains Pim Spaanderman, Managing Director for Consumer at TomTom. “As Tom powers-on the moment you step in the car, the user is assured to receive alerts for every drive. By simply tapping the device to report or dismiss a speed camera or obstacle, users contribute to even better data that other users profit from.

“Unlike a smartphone which can be a huge form of distraction with many notifications from various apps, Tom provides only road-relevant alerts and is designed to increase the driver’s focus and confidence on the road.”

Significantly reduced power consumption

Tom uses a rechargeable battery with USB-C connector providing 30-day battery life for average use. The nRF54L Series SoC’s radio, combined with an efficient MCU, enables significantly lower power consumption for typical Bluetooth LE applications and use cases.

“We selected the Nordic nRF54L10 SoC for Tom by TomTom primarily due to the SoC’s low power consumption, easy implementation with the Zephyr RTOS, and the fact Nordic’s proven technology for Bluetooth LE ensures reliable connectivity,” says Spaanderman.