industrial
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Cross-industry semantic interoperability, part one
This multi-part series addresses the need for a single semantic data model supporting the Internet of Things (IoT) and the digital transformation of buildings, businesses, and consumers. Such a model must be simple and extensible to enable plug-and-play interoperability and universal adoption across industries. IoT network abstraction layers and degrees of interoperability Interoperability, or [...]
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Cross-industry semantic interoperability: Glossary
“When we define a word we are merely inviting others to use it as we would like it to be used; that the purpose of definition is to focus argument upon fact, and that the proper result of a good definition is to transform argument over terms into disagreements about fact, and thus open [...]
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Embedded vision for Industry 4.0
Machine vision is a term commonly used for embedded vision systems operating in an industrial context. Consequently, machine vision addresses a wide range of applications, from optical inspection of manufactured goods such as semiconductor and solar panel manufacturing to postal and parcel sorting, industrial X-rays, and food packaging. There are several high-level trends facing [...]
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2017 Top Embedded Innovator: Kristen Russell, Global President, Arrow Intelligent Systems
Kristen Russell, former Secretary of Technology and CIO of the State of Colorado and leader of the U.S. Digital Government Strategy for Deloitte, has been instrumental in bringing Internet of Things (IoT) solutions to the public sector, improving everything from infrastructure to employee collaboration and citizen experience. Now, she brings that expertise to Arrow, [...]
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Safety, security, and source code for industrial embedded systems: No shortcuts
For English-speaking embedded engineers the term “safety,” as in functional safety, is used to imply the reliable and deterministic operation of electronic systems, particularly those capable of harming human beings. The term security, on the other hand, is used to describe safeguards present in an electronic system to protect it and its data against software-borne, [...]
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Think critically about defensive strategies for critical infrastructure
Critical infrastructure devices in the industrial and government sectors are perhaps the most valuable assets in the cyber sphere. Given their complexity, they are also often the product of a multi-vendor technology supply chain, distributing the onus of secure design across many stakeholders. In our monthly safety and security interview with Andrew Girson, Co-Founder [...]
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Innovation in sensor analytics at the edge
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) revolution is in full development as industrial providers continue integrating smart connected solutions into their existing operations. A high level challenge is that many IIoT solutions are tasked with capturing and moving massive amounts of data from a myriad of sensors to the cloud. Often, this creates an [...]
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Understanding IoT requirements 101, part 2
In part one of Understanding IoT Requirements 101, we covered advanced process technology, low power design techniques, power considerations for multicore systems, inter-core communications, serial memory interfaces, and system security. In part two, we will cover advanced BLE wireless links, smart touch interface, IoT sensors and interface, and analog front end. Advanced wireless links Connected [...]
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2017 embedded wireless landscape: LPWA standards seek Industrial IoT connections
Shortly after acquiring semiconductor IP vendor ARM last fall, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son predicted a future with 1 trillion connected devices. Although it’s unclear exactly how Son reached that number, what is undeniable is that, however many devices are eventually connected, the majority will belong to the Industrial IoT (IIoT). Meanwhile, telecom companies in [...]
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Low-power wide-area network standards, advantages, and use cases
The Internet of Things (IoT) may represent more innovation and change than any other technological development in our lifetime. By instrumenting the world with low-cost sensors, consumers, businesses, cities and entire countries have the opportunity to change the way value is created by providing ground truth data to transform outcomes, markets, and economies. With technology [...]
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Understand why system architects are implementing HMP systems for embedded applications
We encounter more and more compute systems every day, starting with the smartphone and the smart watch tethered to it. In our homes, we interact with smart and connected televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, and thermostats. In the gym, smart and connected equipment is becoming the norm. All are transforming the way we live for [...]
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The OpenFog Reference Architecture: A baseline for interoperability in the IIoT cloud-to-things continuum
Fog computing concepts have been floating in the ether for some time now, but it seems that industry has been challenged to put the theoretical models behind the architecture to use in the real world. Recently, however, the OpenFog Consortium released the OpenFog Reference Architecture (RA), a foundational document that will enable interoperable semiconductors, [...]
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The landscape of wireless things: Business dynamics, vertical markets, LPWA technology, and industry challenges
The phenomenon of ubiquitous connected sensors providing key data and further processing of that data in the cloud to deliver business insights presents a huge opportunity for many players in the electronics and software industry. The Internet of Things (IoT) is less about wireless radios and technologies. It is more about the combination of [...]
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Product Line Engineering: Intelligent manufacturing for intelligent products
The Internet of Things (IoT) is ramping up the creation diverse, intelligent, and connected products, in many cases much more quickly than the manufacturing people, processes, and technologies used to create them can support. This requires a new approach to engineering and product lifecycle management, according to Dr. Charles Krueger, CEO of BigLever Software, [...]
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Cutting IoT power consumption with embedded ReRAM
If the variety of new connected devices uploading gigabytes of data to the cloud shown at CES 2017 is any indication, the Internet of Things (IoT) will continue to create a greater demand for improved memory technology performance and power efficiency. While technologies have come a long way to support a wide range of [...]
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zigbee evolution continues with wireless IoT security updates
Since 2002, the zigbee alliance and its member companies have created standards, certification programs, and tools to develop interoperable products for the low-power wireless Internet of Things (IoT). With the release of the ZigBee 3.0 standard (now referred to simply as zigbee) in early 2016, an enhanced toolbox has been provided for product designers [...]
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I3C: An upgraded interface for a world of sensors
Shortly after the 10 year anniversary of the iPhone, Ken Foust, Chair of the MIPI Alliance Sensor Working Group reflected on how that platform catapulted the use of sensors in smartphones to new highs, but also the challenges that increased sensor integration brought for legacy interfaces like SPI, UART, and I2C in terms of cost, [...]
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Building better benchmarks for IoT systems
Benchmark testing is a favorite of electronic engineers, as it provides a quick reference on performance, power consumption, latency, or other component metrics that can have a significant impact on an overall system. Component benchmarks are widely available from organizations like the Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium (EEMBC), and measure everything from the energy efficiency of [...]
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RTOS in the IoT: Where we are and where we’re headed
The Internet of Things (IoT) has brought software developers from all walks of technology into the field of embedded system design, and with them various predispositions concerning the type of operating system (OS) best-suited for device development. General-purpose operating systems (GPOS), bare metal design, and the “free one” all have their place based on the [...]
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The industrial internet for business leaders: Making it simple
Connected things are becoming pervasive among consumers and business alike. It’s hard to open a newspaper or trade magazine or watch a news channel and not see a story that is in some way related to the IoT. While giant companies like Apple, Google, and Amazon get the headlines with their cool new consumer devices, a “long [...]
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Securing the edge with ARM TrustZone for v8-M
ARM’s new 32-bit ARMv8-M architecture was introduced in 2015, adding TrustZone security extensions for Cortex-M microcontrollers (MCUs), among other features. As v8-M-based silicon comes to market, it’s essential that developers understand the architecture, the new capabilities it offers, and how to implement it in the design of connected edge devices that form the foundation of [...]
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What’s new with the mbed OS?
The past 12 months for semiconductor IP firm ARM have been big. Really big. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights: The ARMv8-M architecture was introduced last November, bringing TrustZone-based hardware security to Cortex-M-class embedded and Internet of Things (IoT) devices This July, the company agreed to an acquisition by Japanese telco [...]
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Sub-threshold circuitry: Making Moore’s about power, not performance
As silicon geometries approach the edge of physics, a new rule of thumb is poised to govern the computing industry: “Thou shalt reduce power consumption by 50 percent every two years.” How could that be possible? Sub-threshold voltage circuitry. The ULPBench is a standardized benchmark developed by the Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium (EEMBC) for measuring [...]
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Leveraging embedded industry standards for flexible IoT gateway designs
Market research firm VDC emphasized in a recent study that Internet of Things (IoT) gateways are the essential link between heterogeneous local sensor networks and enterprise applications. The following case study explores the challenges of implementing such a solution, and how MyOmega Systems Technologies was able to develop a uniquely flexible and secure IoT [...]
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Trends and tradeoffs of implementing multi-standard wireless in IoT devices
While Internet of Things (IoT) device manufacturers have a growing number of connectivity options when defining next-generation systems, misjudgment of the fast-changing network landscape can leave those products off the grid, literally. This has led many to hedge their bets by supporting multiple wireless standards in the same system-on-chip (SoC), which helps safeguard against [...]
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Rise of the machines for cyber defense: Artificial intelligence to augment IoT security amidst growing attack vectors
Today’s security teams are tasked with protecting critical embedded, IT, and business systems from a growing number of cyber threats, some of which can mutate to expose vulnerabilities and evade traditional defense mechanisms. In this interview with Amir Husain, Founder and CEO of SparkCognition, he addresses the shortcomings of traditional security technologies against advanced [...]
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Analytics-driven embedded systems, part 2 – Developing analytics and prescriptive controls
In Part 1, we motivated the use of analytics within embedded systems using examples such as the BuildingIQ intelligent climate control system and the Scania emergency truck braking system. We covered data access, data pre-processing, and identification...
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Bluetooth’s third trick – Mesh networking for IoT
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) is working on a mesh networking specification it hopes to release in the second half of 2016 that could be a game changer for the smart home and connected buildings. In this interview with Erret Kroeter, VP of Marketing at the Bluetooth SIG, he offers a preview of [...]
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What I want to see at Embedded World 2016
“IoT”, “M2M”, and “Industrie 4.0″ are a few obvious exam-ples of the plethora of buzzwords I’ve little doubt I will be visually assaulted with as I meander around Nuremberg Messe’s Embedded World 2016, th...
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Industrial IoT survey: Biggest challenges facing OEMs and engineers
The Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) is here to stay, but many organizations are still defining what it means for their business and how to go about deploying IoT solutions. Using his company’s 2015 IoT and Embedded Systems Engineering Report based on data from more than 800 respondents, Chris Rommel, Executive Vice President of [...]
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New technologies driving the growth of wearables
The wearable device market is arguably seeing the fastest and most exciting growth across the entire electronics landscape. Just look at the changes for unit shipment forecasts presented by IDC throughout 2015. IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Wearable ...
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Market analysis: I’d hate to burst your IoT bubble
Tech bubble. Overhyped. Confusion. All of these have been used to describe the Internet of Things (IoT) over the past year, and not one of them is a term to use when laying out plans for a board of directors. But amidst all the excitement, doom, and gloom (depending how you see it), it’s important [...]
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Industry 4.0 has to prove it's worth the money
The technological basis for Industry 4.0 has long been available – but what is often lacking is the courage to make it a reality. Promises of efficiency increases, even with smaller quantities and custom production of single products, are linked to costs and security risks. But for most companies, there is no alternative. A business that does not [...]
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Applying big data to real-world applications
I recently had the opportunity to meet with Seth DeLand, a data analytics product manager for The MathWorks. Here are the results of that conversation. What are the industries where you’re seeing a strong desire for simulation and design t...
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Dell gateways look to move IoT from concept to reality
Just as news of Dell’s EMC acquisition crossed the wire, Andy Rhodes, Executive Director of IoT Solutions at Dell sat down to discuss the company’s parallel move into the IoT space with the first in a series of gateway platforms designed to improve data management and analytics at the IoT edge. What’s Dell’s take on [...]
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Open source hardware and software key to unlocking IoT development
It’s so simple, really. What we all want is to build something that solves a problem in the best way we can. And we want it fast. And cheap. But it’s not so simple, after all. There are a myriad of combinations and permutations that will ge...
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The advantages and disadvantages of using commodity ARM evaluation platforms in production
Most of us in the ARM embedded world are familiar with names like Raspberry PI, BeagleBone, Xplained, etc. These boards, as well as a whole host of others from various ARM board manufacturers, have enticing price points that lure us into conside...
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Purdue supports pre-college STEM education with focused school
Getting kids interested in STEM fields is just one step of the process of getting more homegrown engineering talent. Purdue University is setting up a special high school to prepare students for higher education and careers in STEM.
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Hardware security in the IoT
According to a McKinsey study, security and privacy are seen as the critical challenges to IoT growth in the future[1]. A key focus area is the security of IoT devices that are accessible by end users. These devices can be found in applications ranging...
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Late to the party or leader of the pack? IBM blends lessons from Smarter Planet, Rational, and Continuous Engineering in new IoT division
In March IBM announced its intentions to invest more than $3 billion over the next four years into a new Internet of Things (IoT) business unit they hope will empower developers and foster ecosystem growth in the world of interconnected everythi...
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The fast-growing M2M market presents a series of wireless design challenges
When selecting wireless modems, there’s a checklist of features to consider. We’ve presented those here. The growth rate of machine-to-machine (M2M) connections now far exceeds new connections between people, and soon there will be many mor...
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AAEON brass talks IoT and shrinking margins in APAC IPC market at COMPUTEX Taipei
Embedded Computing Design met with around 15 vendors who consider themselves to be part of the industrial PC (IPC) space at COMPUTEX Taipei earlier this month, which begged the question, “what makes you different?” In this Q&A with Howard Lin, ...
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2015 Top Embedded Innovators: Dr. Stan Schneider, Chief Executive Officer, Real-Time Innovations (RTI)
Elected by his peers, Schneider serves on the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) Steering Committee. The role includes fiscal oversight and setting up subcommittees such as research selection, test bed creation, and defining standards requirements an...
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System simulation is a way to stress test your IoT application
Use simulation to design and build a better IoT system, faster and easier. The Internet of Things (IoT) will have a major impact on the way business is conducted in the future. New business models will be made possible by capturing and analyzing sensor...
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Sensor-enabled nodes support the IoT for smart buildings and smart transport
The components are available for IoT-based monitoring. Someone just needs to connect the dots.
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Industrial IoT: Robust connected embedded devices
The fast approaching revolution of industrial IoT (IIoT) differs from human IoT (HIoT, or what is often called IoT) and will evolve the embedded arena.
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New tech at the Engineering Design Show sets up an exciting embedded future
Tools, support, and manufacturing developments at the 2014 Engineering Design Show demonstrate how embedded designs will get to market faster and be better than ever. Bigger and busier than ever before, the 22-23 October 2014 Engineering Design Show bu...
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Building infrastructure for a smarter world at the Industrial Automation Conference
The IHS Industrial Automation Conference held in London in October 2014 demonstrated how the Internet of Things (IoT), smart factories, and the Industrial IoT (IIoT) are creating smarter systems, factories, and cities. Building on the success of last y...
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The challenges of microcontrollers living on the edge (of the IoT)
Ultra-low-power (ULP) microcontrollers (MCUs) are the compute engines powering the edge of the Internet of Things (IoT), but ensuring ULP operation over periods of months, years, and decades presents application developers with a number of optimization...
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Android beyond tablets and smartphones for embedded
Android has been championed by Google for quite some time in the smartphone market. Android is a Linux-based environment and Linux is a very popular software platform for embedded systems. The growth of Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (...
Adam Hise, Harbor Research
Doug Migliori, ControlBEAM
Nick Ni, Xilinx
Brandon Lewis, Technology Editor
Dave Kjendal, Senet
Kinjal Dave, Senior Product Manager, ARM
Kailash Narayanan, Keysight Technologies, Inc.
Sylvain Dubois, Crossbar
Victor Berrios, Zigbee Alliance
Dan Yarmoluk, ATEK Access Technologies
Dan Demers, congatec
Paul Pilotte, MathWorks
Rory Dear, European Editor/Technical Contributor
Andreas Mangler, Rutronik
Rich Nass, Embedded Computing Brand Director
Ashish Syal, Sierra Wireless
Eric Rossi, EMAC, Inc.
Stefano Moioli, u-blox
Dr. Jakob Engblom, Wind River Systems
Roger Grace, Roger Grace Associates
Rory Dear, European Editor/Technical Contributor
Rory Dear, European Editor/Technical Contributor
Markus Levy, EEMBC