Maker News: New ESP32 Chips and What They Mean for Wearables

Espressif keeps expanding the ESP32 family, and it can be hard to tell which news actually matters when you're making things you wear. Here's how I read the headlines, plus a practical way to choose a board for your next wearable.

What's in the news

Recent coverage has pointed to new Espressif chips, including the ESP32-H21, described as a low-power Thread and Bluetooth LE system-on-chip, and the ESP32-E22. New silicon is exciting, but for makers the question is always the same: can I actually use it yet? That depends on dev board availability, library support, and whether your toolchain knows about it.

My wearable-maker checklist for any new chip

• Is there a small dev board? Wearables need tiny boards. A chip with no compact breakout isn't useful on a sleeve yet.
• Does PlatformIO support it? In my PlatformIO videos the most common failure is a mismatch between the board definition and the platform version. Check support before you buy.
• What radios do you need? Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE or Thread? Many wearables only need Bluetooth LE, and a lower-power radio means a longer-lasting battery.
• How many pins can you spare? Small boards run out of pins fast. This is where I2C parts shine, since many sensors share two wires.
• Does it have native touch? If you're making fabric buttons, check. If not, the MPR121 touch board adds 12 capacitive inputs over I2C.

A brief example

I have been testing a super cool P4 chip that is embedded in a touchscreen interface (from Elecrow), and the P4 suppoort for Arduino and PlatformIO use is still not where I'd like it to be - i.e. super quick and easy for new makers. But, using the ESP IDF (that I used in Visual Studio) has worked really well, and so I didn't miss PlatformIO! Video coming soon for that new build by the way!

A board I keep reaching for

While the new chips settle in, the Adafruit ESP32-S2 QT Py is still a powerhouse for wearables: tiny, Wi-Fi capable, native USB, and it has a STEMMA QT connector so you can chain I2C sensors without soldering. It's the board in our Flight Glove kit option, if you want to see it in a real wearable build.

Sensors that make e-textiles feel alive

New chips are fun, but interaction comes from sensors. Two I2C favourites in the shop are the VL53L0X time-of-flight sensor (distance up to about 2 m) and the VL6180X for close-range, touchless gestures. Imagine a sleeve that lights up as a hand approaches, with no buttons at all.

Try this weekend

Pick one input (a fabric touch pad or a proximity sensor), one output (an OLED or some NeoPixels) and wire them to the board you already own. Get a tiny version working on the breadboard before you worry about new hardware. If you want a guided start, my ESP32 OLED video walks through the wiring and the code.

What are you hoping to see in a new ESP32 for wearables? Smaller, lower power, more touch pins? Let me know in the comments.