Aiming to speed the adoption of applications for the Internet of Things, several automation and technology companies collaborated to develop a standardized, open sensor platform. Sensor and module makers Advantech, ARM, Bosch Sensortec, Sensirion, and Texas Instruments unveiled the new platform, M2.COM, at the recent Embedded World 2016 in Nuremberg, Germany.

M2.COM is a standard, interchangeable physical platform for wireless sensor nodes.Participating companies say a standardized physical format will simplify integration of sensors for IoT applications and improve data collection. Sensors, along with wireless technology and embedded computing, are viewed as one of three core technologies needed for reliable data acquisition and IoT success, the joint news release says.

“In order to accelerate the change and new business opportunities created by the IoT, it’s important to have a platform that saves development time and cost with a standardized sensor interface, like M2.COM, where developers can connect anything anywhere,” Texas Instruments’ Olivier Monnier says.