Embedded Computing Design

Embedded Computing Design's bi-annual Best-in-Show at electronica reviews solutions on display at the conference based on Design Excellence, Relative Performance, and Market Impact/Disruption.

Today’s emerging AI, IoT, and 5G technologies increasingly demand vast amounts of data and high-performance compute in order to reliably and efficiently operate in the environments they’re deployed in.

Human-machine interfaces (HMIs) in factory automation spaces may not be the first application you think of when you imagine a rugged factory solution, but they are the key to ensuring the smooth communication and reliable operation between industrial computer solutions and the individuals within these environments that use them.

Most members of our embedded community are familiar with the term SaaS, which stands for Software as a Service. Since that moniker became mainstream, more “aaS” terms have come up. One that’s gaining in popularity lately is RaaS, which stands for Robotics as a Service.

Mobility solutions have revolutionized many healthcare, retail, and factory automation functions by allowing workers to move freely within the workspace while keeping management, control, and analytics at their fingertips. But especially in demanding environmental conditions or use cases that require extreme performance, security, or both, standard consumer tablets struggle to answer the call.

There are many challenges that come with AI testing in safety-critical applications, as well as a variety of processes that can be used to find and fix security vulnerabilities using AI. We interviewed Paul Butcher, Senior Software Engineer at AdaCore Ltd, to discuss the most common security vulnerabilities impacting today's developers when integrating AI and ML in testing processes like fuzz testing, and what solutions AdaCore provides to help combat these concerns.

The latest buzzword term in our industry, end-to-end management, has a lot to do with following the flow of a project from beginning to end. There’s been software available for decades to manage that process, but for the most part, it relies completely on the humans to do the work. The software simply tracks the progress and allows lots of different groups and individuals in global and remote locations to interact with the project.

Autonomous machines and robots, smart inspection, smart security, and other embedded IoT applications heavily rely on advanced AI, high-speed connectivity, and advanced analytics. To expand the operations performed by these applications there are components that can provide an expansion of capabilities depending on the application you choose to build.

PICMG’s ModBlox7 is modular hardware standard designed to help regulate Box PCs. In this Q & A, we’re featuring Chief Product Officer at Ci4Rail, Mathias Beer, to discuss the standard, it’s impact on electronics engineering industry, and the how it provides the flexibility, modularization, and miniaturization needed by the market.

If you’re looking to accelerate the development of your embedded applications with an off-the-shelf solution that will enable fast deployment and is designed for rugged, compact, and functional operation, you might want to choose the highly integrated, scalable, and widely used computer-on-module (COM) standard capable of supporting small-scale to large-scale applications.

Even tried and true standards could use a performance boost now and again. Especially now, given that they're suddenly surrounded by networks and connectivity. These compute intensive solutions not only require a rugged and reliable architecture, but they must also include data protection and enhanced security capabilities.

Oscilloscopes are a necessary part of any EE’s workbench. Modern oscilloscopes can accelerate – or, in some cases, make possible – EMI debugging, RF and power analysis, logic and serial debugging, waveform generation, and more across the gamut of electronic systems and components. But, not all ‘scopes are created equal, even within the same performance category.

On this episode, Brandon is joined by Mathias Beer, Chief Product Officer at Ci4Rail, to discuss ModBlox7, a PICMG standard that helps regulate Box PCs to the rising prevalence of modularization and miniaturization.

Embedded systems have infiltrated the medical/healthcare space in a huge way. Nearly every aspect of the hospital is run by an embedded system in some way. That starts at the admitting office and runs the gamut through patient discharge, and everything in between. The embedded system, often a panel PC, is used for surgery, testing, and monitoring the patient’s vital signs 24/7.

Network video recorders (NVRs) have been around for decades, and they serve many useful purposes. They are often used for video surveillance applications, and are connected to networked cameras. The number of cameras that can be connected is based on many variables, some having to do with the users’ needs and some having to do with the capabilities of the network hardware and software.

Embedded systems are often deployed in challenging environments, such as a smart factory, smart city, or smart transportation. And now, in addition to being able to withstand those harsh environments, many of the applications they support now require high-accuracy, server-class AI inferencing on data collected in the field.

Insatiable demand for connectivity of all types means edge network infrastructure must adapt to support it all. Technologies like SD-WAN have evolved out of the data center environment to provide an alternative to costly and complex VPNs, but now require a scalable, flexible hardware foundation to enable a renaissance in edge networks.