U.S-based Texas Instruments said it expects to see prototype launches of devices using its recently launched NFC sensor transponder in the first quarter of 2015, as the U.S.-based chip maker seeks a larger stake in the promising markets for wearables, Internet of Things and industrial applications that sometimes require an NFC interface.

TI says it is targeting these markets, as well as medical devices with its dual-interface RF430FRL15xH chip family. The chip supports the ISO/IEC 15693 proximity technology standard, not the main NFC Forum tag standard, however.

The sensor transponder from TI is among the latest NFC chips to focus on the wearables, Internet of Things and related markets. Across a spectrum of products, vendors have touted reductions in size and power consumption. Recent offerings have included a more compact line of NFC controllers from Broadcom launched in February 2014 and a smaller, more power-efficient microcontroller from NXP in October 2014.