The Internet of Everything is coming. The Internet is expanding into enterprise assets and consumer items such as cars and televisions. Very many electronics devices needs to be designed for this in mind. The Internet of Things (IoT) will evolve into the Web of Things, increasing the coordination between things in the real world and their counterparts on the Web. Gartner suggests that the “the smart machine era will be the most disruptive in the history of IT.” Intelligent systems and assistive devices will advance smart healthcare.
Software-defined anything (SDx) is coming more into use. It means that many proprietary systems are being replaced with commonly available standard computer hardware and software running in them.
PC market: ABANDON HOPE all ye who enter here. Vendor consolidation ‘inevitable’. Even Intel had to finally admit this that the Wintel grip which has served it and Microsoft so well over the past decades is waning, with Android and iOS coming to the fore through smartphones and tabs. The market conversion to tablets means that consumers and businesses are sweating existing PC assets longer. Tablets to Make Up Half of 2014 PC Market.
The Rise, Fall, and Rise of Electronics Kits article mentions that many older engineers first became interested in electronics through hobbies in their youth—assembling kits, participating in amateur radio, or engaging in other experiments. The 1970s and 1980s were great times for electronics hobbyists. But whenever it seems that there’s nothing left for the hobbyist, a new motif arises. The Raspberry Pi has become a best seller, as has a similar experimental board, the Arduino microcontroller. A great number of sensors, actuators, cameras, and the like have quickly become available for both. Innovative applications abound in such domains as home automation and robotics. So it seems that now there is much greater capacity for creativity in hobby electronics then there ever was.
E-Waste: Lack of Info Plagues Efforts to Reduce E-Waste article tells that creation of trade codes is necessary to track used electronics products according to a recent study concerning the waste from growing quantities of used electronics devices—including TVs, mobile phones and computers. High levels of electronic waste are being sent to Africa and Asia under false pretenses.” StEP estimates worldwide e-waste to increase by 33 percent from 50 million tons in 2012 to 65 million tons by 2017. China and the U.S. lead the world as top producers of e-waste. America produces about 65 pounds of e-waste per person every year. There will be aims to reduce the waste, for example project like standardizing mobile phone chargers and laptop power supplies.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
End of Startup Era: Chips Face Innovation Gap
The problem statement
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321004&
The Silicon Valley venture capitalists who once nurtured the semiconductor industry have almost all moved on to greener pastures in web startups, so it’s not entirely clear what will be the source of tomorrow’s chip innovations.
That was the conclusion of a panel of veteran semiconductor chief executives and investors at the International Solid State Circuits conference (ISSCC)
Tomi Engdahl says:
5 Hot Papers from ISSCC
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1320989&
MediaTek displayed its MT6605 chip, a 3-Single-Wire Protocol NFC solution that supports all three configurations — A, B, and F. Previously, companies had to build three chips to support A, B, and F solutions.
Tomi Engdahl says:
GravityLight, the LED lamp that runs on gravity, is an altruistic endeavor worthy of an Inspiration Award
Hang the light, attach a load, and voila, light!
http://www.electronicproducts.com/Optoelectronics/Lamps_and_Bulbs/GravityLight_the_LED_lamp_that_runs_on_gravity_is_an_altruistic_endeavor_worthy_of_an_Innovation_Award.aspx
To wage their war on kerosene lamps and the perils the substance presents, partners Martin Riddiford and Jim Reeves have developed the GravityLight, an LED lamp that runs on gravity ― no electricity necessary.
GravityLight operates by hanging a bag filled with dirt, rocks, or water to a cable attached to a gear on the device. The gravity pulling on this cable creates enough downward force to power an LED bulb for up to half-hour.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google working with Foxconn on automation robots
http://www.vision-systems.com/articles/2014/02/google-working-with-foxconn-on-automation-robots.html?cmpid=EnlVSDFebruary172014
As many people may already know, Google has been on a robotics spending spree, acquiring eight robotic companies over the past year, including Boston Dynamics—a company that develops mobile robots for the U.S. military. The latest news—with concern to Google’s new role as a robotics giant—is that the company is working with Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn to develop a vision for the future of Google’s robotics endeavors.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lithium Batteries in Medical Devices
http://www.medicalpackaginginnovation.com/author.asp?section_id=467&doc_id=562570&cid=2-19-14
The 2013-2014 Edition of the ICAO Technical Instruction for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air and the 55th Edition of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) contain revised provisions for the safe transport of lithium batteries and cells. IATA has also published on the web a ‘Lithium Battery Guidance Document’ to guide the safe transport of Lithium Metal and Lithium Ion Batteries.
Compliance with the forgoing requirements can be controlled by an MDM when shipping to the customer.
The IATA guidelines tell us that “Certain restrictions apply to the carriage of lithium metal and lithium ion batteries even when carried by passengers as baggage”
” IATA warns that certain replacement batteries, which are low-cost copies of the originals, may not have undergone the required tests; untested batteries are excluded from air transport.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Processors to tablets were sold in the last year for 3.6 billion dollars (=2.6 billion euros).
According to Strategy Analytics, the Apple iPad is the clear market leader (37 per cent).
Cell phone market is dominated by Qualcomm processor, and it’s processors were used in 11 per cent of tablets.
Chinese companies such as Actions Semiconductor, Allwinner, MediaTek and Rockchip managed last year to capture a third of the tablet processor market.
Intel, Marvell, Mediatek, Qualcomm and Samsung increased its sales last year at good rate.
Source: Elektroniikalehti
http://www.elektroniikkalehti.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=981:apple-ykkonen-tablettiprosessoreissa&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
LTE-A mobile phone can begin to approval
The mobile world are getting ready to move beyond LTE to LTE-Advanced networks operating in the terminals modems.
Anritsu says that its LTE-A compatibility test is the first solution has reached an adequate levelfor the terminal approval. According to the Anritsu ME7873L system is the first to reach more than 80 percent of the coverage tests. Anritsu ME7873x of the platform is the most widely used RF compatibility testing platform.
Source: Elektroniikkalehti
http://www.elektroniikkalehti.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=969:lte-a-kannykoiden-hyvaksynta-voi-alkaa&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Startup Promises Bandwidth Boost
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321038&
Kandou presented a paper and demoed its technology at last week’s International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) here. The 40nm demo chip sends 12 Gbit/s per wire at less than 4 picojoules/bit, dispersing eight bits across eight wires. Parts of the chip’s technology could be adopted for use in memory interfaces or on 2.5D chip stacks.
The startup hopes to tape out before October, in a 28nm process, a 42 Gbit/s SerDes chip that delivers 21 Gbit/s per wire across four wires.
Kandou is also proposing its technology for a version of the 400 Gbit/s backplane being defined at the IEEE 802.3bj group. It would use eight 50G links rather than the current 16 x 25G interconnects, competing with a proposal to use PAM4 modulation.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Spansion to Launch HyperBus I/F for Automotive
Low latency, high read thruput, low pin-count
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321042&
Spansion Inc. (Sunnyvale, Calif.) has developed a new bus Interface called HyberBus, targeting embedded systems, such as automotive instrument clusters, that demand “instant-on” and an “interactive graphical user interface.” The company claims its proprietary interface offers low latency, high read throughput, and low pin-count.
The new interface consists of an 8-pin address/data bus, a differential clock (2 signals), one Chip Select and a Read Data Strobe for the controller, reducing the overall cost of the system.
Spansion’s announcement of “HyperBus interface” for embedded systems and “HyperFlash” for NOR memory sets the tone for Spansion’s new business strategy.
For many embedded system OEMs, the most attractive feature in Spansion’s HyperBus Interface is that it allows for “much faster boot time, direct execute-in-place (XIP) from flash, reducing the amount of RAM needed,” explained Spansion.
Tomi Engdahl says:
QLogic grabs Broadcom Ethernet assets
Chuck in IP licensing and we’ll call it $147m… cash
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/02/19/qlogic_buys_into_ethernet_and_gets_new_ceo/
QLogic has signed a deal with Broadcom to buy some Ethernet assets and license its Fibre Channel IP.
The converged network controller maker is spending $147m in cash to buy:
some 10/40/100Gbit Ethernet controller-related assets and
non-exclusive licences to certain intellectual property relating primarily to Broadcom’s programmable NetXtreme II Ethernet controller family.
Broadcom will become an ASIC supplier to QLogic in support of the NetXtreme II product line.
QLogic is clearly focussing more on Ethernet for future growth
Tomi Engdahl says:
Machine Safety: Year over year safety automation growth outpaces general automation
http://www.controleng.com/single-article/machine-safety-year-over-year-safety-automation-growth-outpaces-general-automation/0c46462d637ddb9d7814b16ac1935ad4.html
Safety automation growth is outpacing growth in general automation. See these seven reasons
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel, Sun vet births fast, inexpensive 3D chip-stacking breakthrough
Cranky, costly through-silicon vias replaced by inductive coils
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/02/21/thruchip_communications_comes_up_with_alternative_to_through_silicon_vias/
A startup headed up by former Intel chip architect, Sun Sparc CTO, and Transmeta cofounder David Ditzel has developed a way to allow communication in 3D stacked chips without the expense and fabrication hassles of creating physical connections between the layers.
ThruChip Communications’ ThruChip Interface (TCI) uses inductive coils that communicate layer-to-layer rather than the physical metal wires used by through-silicon via (TSV) tech to link a 3D chip’s silicon layers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Self-forming liquid metal just like a TERMINATOR emerges from China lab
The future’s not set. There’s no fate but what we make for ourselves – oh
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/02/21/liquid_metal_breakthrough_brings_our_robot_overlords_one_step_closer/
Scientists in China say they have developed a way to manipulate liquid metal substances into self-assembling shapes and forms.
The researchers, working out of Tsinghua University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, reckon that by applying an electric charge to liquid metal alloys, they could control the behavior of substances and build simple shapes.
The team used a 12V supply and non-toxic alloys with room-temperature melting points in water to demonstrate their work
Tomi Engdahl says:
Startup Stacks Chips Wirelessly
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321104&
Chips inside a package ought to talk wirelessly, eliminating costly wired links engineers are crafting for 3D stacks. ThruChip Communications has an inductive coupling link it says could save 40% of the costs of through-silicon vias (TSVs) now in development.
Today a growing group of companies is developing so-called 2.5D stacks that lay dies side-by-side, connected through wired links on a silicon interposer beneath them
Engineers are working on the next big leap, drilling tiny TSVs through dies stacked vertically, but so far the technique is mainly in a prototype phase, hampered by issues of cost and complexity.
ThruChip’s wireless approach is simpler, uses less power, and is cheaper than using TSVs, says Ditzel
Tomi Engdahl says:
DARPA wants help to counter counterfeits
DIE, FAKE CHIP!
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/02/25/darpa_wants_help_to_counter_counterfeits/
DARPA is seeking vendor input into a program designed to defeat the problem of counterfeit electronic components.
As the agency states in its announcement, the provenance of electronics components is a big deal in the military, since a component failure can endanger (for example) a fighter jet’s mission (as well as the personnel on board).
In response to this, it wants to develop a program under which a 100×100 micron “dielet” could be included in critical components to verify where they came from. The dielet would include an encryption engine and damage/tampering sensors.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DARPA wants to scrub scourge of counterfeit computer gear
DARPA looks to develop a tiny electronic tool that could guarantee component security
By Layer 8 on Mon, 02/24/14 – 12:23pm.
http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/darpa-wants-scrub-scourge-counterfeit-computer-gear
Tomi Engdahl says:
Low-Cost Substrate Supports Multiband Patch Antenna
Built on reinforced fiberglass polymer resin substrate, this antenna provides the broad bandwidth and high gain required for multiband wireless applications.
http://mwrf.com/passive-components/low-cost-substrate-supports-multiband-patch-antenna
The growing use of wireless technology is spurring the need for practical antenna designs.1,2 The demand for low-profile compact antennas with multiband compatibility has encouraged the development of various types of patch antennas, monopole antennas, and planar inverted-F antennas (PIFAs). Planar patch antennas, for example, are desirable for their low profiles, light weight, and simple structures.
A considerable amount of research has been directed toward developing compact, low-cost, lightweight, planar microstrip patch antennas for multiple applications,
The inverted-H-shaped radiating patch antenna was obtained by cutting slots from the conventional rectangular shape.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Guest Post: Try Radar for Your Next Project
http://hackaday.com/2014/02/24/guest-post-try-radar-for-your-next-project/
Sensors. The low-end stuff that we can get our hands on usually suffers from poor range, lack of sensitivity, and no way to characterize what the target is. But today we can use the good stuff that, until recently, was only available to military: radar. In this post we will discuss how radar works, commercially available small radar devices, and where to learn more to help make it easy to add radar to your next project.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel, TSMC Revive EUV Hopes
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321162&
In separate talks, Intel and TSMC revealed two new efforts that are rekindling hopes for extreme ultraviolet lithography. EUV has long been seen as one of the most promising tools to ease the mounting complexity of making a future generation of smaller, faster chips.
Intel and TSMC want to use the ultra-fine patterning systems to make their generation of 7 and 10 nanometer chips starting in about 2017. But such aspirations have been dashed many times: EUV was originally targeted at use as early as 2007.
Making chips is “becoming a game of accounting for every nanometer, and that’s not possible without a rigorous and mathematically sound approach,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
RF Micro & TriQuint to Merge in $1.6B Stock Deal
Boosts RF chip line to the mobile, infrastructure, and defense sectors
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321187&
Tomi Engdahl says:
IEEE & MEMS Industry Group Team Up on Standards
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321190&
formation of the IEEE P2700 working group on standards for sensor performance parameter definitions. “Telemedicine, eHealth, and IoT technologies are advancing rapidly,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Taste-O-Vision Is Now A Thing
http://hackaday.com/2014/02/27/taste-o-vision-is-now-a-thing/
Not satisfied with late 1950s concepts of Smell-O-Vision [Nimesha] has created something extraordinary: A digital taste sensor, capable of representing taste with a little bit of heat, electricity, and an Arduino
The device purportedly works by via thermal and electrical stimulation of the tongue using silver electrodes. According to this video, different tastes are created with different currents and temperatures.
Digital Taste Interface
http://nimesha.info/digitaltaste.html#dti
Thus, in this research, a digital method for simulating the sensation of taste is introduced by actuating the human tongue through electrical and thermal stimulation methods. The digital taste interface, a control system, is developed to simulate the taste sensations digitally on the tongue. The Digital Taste Interface consists of two main modules, the control module (to formulate different electrical and thermal stimuli) and the tongue interface (which has two silver electrodes to wear on the human tongue).
Tomi Engdahl says:
Agbogbloshie: the world’s largest e-waste dump – in pictures
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2014/feb/27/agbogbloshie-worlds-largest-e-waste-dump-in-pictures
Discarders of electronic goods expect them to be recycled properly. But almost all such devices contain toxic chemicals which, even if they are recyclable, make it expensive to do so. As a result, illegal dumping has become a lucrative business.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Washing machine uses plastic beads instead of water, reduces electricity by 47%
Novel concept developed by Xeros
http://www.electronicproducts.com/Power_Products/Power_Management/Washing_machine_uses_plastic_beads_instead_of_water_reduces_electricity_by_47.aspx
Developed by Stephen Burkinshaw at the University of Leeds, this particular machine uses specially formulated nylon polymer beads in place of gallons of water.
The beads are tasked with sucking away dirt and grease from the user’s clothing, and can be used up to 100 times (estimated to be six months of use) before needing to be replaced.
It requires a small cup of water, along with a tiny amount of detergent, per load
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to get access to over 25,000 free electronic components
Selection is easy and hassle-free
http://www.electronicproducts.com/Passive_Components/Capacitors/How_to_get_access_to_over_25_000_free_electronic_components.aspx
Electronic Products’ Sample Center provides access to over 25,000 samples from one consolidated, easy-to-search location ─ the majority of which are free!
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sulfur Polymers Could Enable Long-Lasting, High-Capacity Batteries
Materials: Lithium-sulfur battery electrodes made of an inexpensive sulfur copolymer have one of the highest energy-storage capacities ever reported
http://cen.acs.org/articles/92/web/2014/02/Sulfur-Polymers-Enable-Long-Lasting.html
Lithium-sulfur batteries promise to store four to five times as much energy as today’s best lithium-ion batteries. But some major practical hurdles have stood in the way of their commercialization
Lithium-sulfur batteries aren’t practical because they don’t last. “Lithium-ion batteries can last 1,000 charge cycles, but lithium-sulfur batteries tend to fail before they’re charged 100 times,”
Several groups have extended the lifetimes of lithium-sulfur batteries
He thinks electrodes made from sulfur polymers, like other plastic products, should be inexpensive to manufacture on a large scale.
The best performing copolymer consisted of 90% sulfur by mass. Batteries using this copolymer had an initial storage capacity of 1,225 mAh per gram of material. After 100 charge-discharge cycles, the capacity dropped to 1,005 mAh/g, and after 500 cycles it fell to about 635 mAh/g. In comparison, a lithium-ion battery typically starts out with a storage capacity of 200 mAh/g but maintains it for the life of the battery, Pyun says.
Tomi Engdahl says:
RFID Jacket Flashes the Crowd at Make Fashion 2014
http://hackaday.com/2014/03/04/rfid-jacket-flashes-the-crowd-at-make-fashion-2014/
The [RADLab team] has created an eye-opening RFID jacket for Make Fashion 2014.
During the fashion show, the jacket wearer danced with a second model who had RFID tags sewn into his t-shirt. The LED clusters on the front, back and sleeves of the jacket would light up, and change color and flash frequency based upon which tag and antenna got a read.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Building an Army of Accredited Engineers
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321259&
Future Electronics is planning to train 300 staff around the world as ARM microcontroller accredited engineers.
The distributor has become the first ARM Accreditation Corporate Partner and will adopt the ARM Accredited Engineer (AAE) program worldwide throughout the company, with a particular focus on the ARM Accredited MCU Engineer (AAME) certification.
Tomi Engdahl says:
January Chip Sales Top $26 Billion
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321267&
The global semiconductor industry is off to a solid start in 2014, with semiconductor sales topping the $26 billion mark for January, according to the latest numbers from Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA).
Worldwide sales of semiconductors rose 8.8% from a year earlier
Tomi Engdahl says:
EEs Sue Adobe, Apple, Google, Intel
Suit alleges unfair hiring, salary caps
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321247&
A jury trial is slated for May in a class action alleging that Adobe, Apple, Google and Intel unfairly agreed not to hire one another’s engineers, and that they set pay ceilings based on salary data they shared.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Interferometer Approach Improves Bio-Sensor Sensitivity
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321257&
A research team of the Toyohashi University of Technology has developed a label-free biosensor that overcomes the weakness of conventional MEMS-based biosensors for medical and pharmaceutical applications. Utilizing a Fabry-Perot interferometer, the researchers succeeded in raising the sensor’s sensitivity by a factor of 100.
Label-free biosensors are used in many laboratory applications including rapid diagnosis, tailor-made medication, and drug discovery. Label-free MEMS-based sensors detect molecules by measuring the deflection of cantilevers caused by biomolecular adsorption.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This looks like an interesting project:
Making OLEDs In The Kitchen Sink
http://hackaday.com/2014/03/02/making-oleds-in-the-kitchen-sink/
When [Ian] first set out to create a homebrew OLED, he found chemical suppliers that wouldn’t take his money, manufacturers that wouldn’t talk to him, and researchers that would actively discourage him. Luckily for us, he powered through all these obstructions and created his own organic LED.
Making OLEDs – a post-mortem of my first attempt
http://escapehatchlabs.com/blog/?p=155
Tomi Engdahl says:
Low-Cost Substrate Supports Multiband Patch Antenna
http://mwrf.com/passive-components/low-cost-substrate-supports-multiband-patch-antenna
Built on reinforced fiberglass polymer resin substrate, this antenna provides the broad bandwidth and high gain required for multiband wireless applications.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Radio Shack: Still Relevant for Neighborhood Engineers?
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321285&
The Wall Street Journal reported today that Radio Shack will close 1,100 stores, or about 20% of its total. Frankly, I’ve wondered how Radio Shack has survived this long anyway.
I was honestly surprised to see so many hobby products at the local store. But in general, why buy components from a Radio Shack when you can buy them online from major distributors such as Digi-Key and, in some cases, receive your parts the next day if you’re willing to pay the delivery charge? If you happen to live near a real electronics component store such as You-Do-It Electronics or Fry’s, you’ll likely find more of the parts you need there than at Radio Shack.
Now you can get phones and TVs, but why buy them there when you have so many other outlets — often at better prices.
Do you ever buy from Radio Shack? Is that because it’s the only electronics store in your area? (I don’t consider stores such as Best Buy to be electronics stores.) I can see myself buying from Radio Shack only when I need something right away and it happens to be in stock
Tomi Engdahl says:
Energy Benchmark Measures MCUs
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321279&
The Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium (EMBC) released the first of a planned family of tests to measure the energy efficiency of ultra-low-power microcontrollers. ULPBench-CP (core profile) is the first tool of the ULPBench series, targeting MCUs that consume 28 milliamps or less in active mode.
The ULPBench-CP benchmark exercises an MCU’s memory, math, sorting, and general-purpose I/O functions.
ULPBench will be in limited availability for $100
Tomi Engdahl says:
Startup Slashes SRAM Power With Standard Logic Process
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321283&
A UK startup has developed an entirely new way of building static memory on a standard logic process that cuts the power in half without paying a penalty in area or speed.
Silicon Basis sees two key advantages for its technology: It can save up to 50% of the power consumption, and it can go below the bit cell voltage of the foundry memories. This allows the memories to be powered by the same voltage source as the logic and so eliminates the need for a second DC-DC converter. It also makes the technology foundry independent and scalable to new technologies such as FinFet, says de Souza. The company, based in the SETsquared center in Brunel’s EngineShed in Bristol, has produced all the models needed and is now working on 28nm silicon to prove the implementation.
The technology has previously been used by Beat to develop low-power FPGA fabric but has attracted more interest for the SRAM compiler.
Tomi Engdahl says:
New DARPA Program Targets Bootleg Components
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321308&
The electronics industry has adopted a wealth of practices to foil or at least identify counterfeit components, from marking to x-raying. Now the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is calling upon engineers to solve the problem.
DARPA has published a call for proposals to develop a nearly microscopic component that could be attached to system components to help identify and combat counterfeit and suspect electronic parts.
Counterfeiter components are pervasive in the defense supply chain. Counterfeiters target both high-ticket chips and components that cost pennies. Worse, system failures associated with fake parts can lead to loss of life and failure of military missions.
The program calls for the development of a dielet, a small (100 x 100 microns) component that “authenticates the provenance of electronics components.” The proposed component would incorporate a full encryption engine, as well as tampering sensors.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Europe floats DIRTY ORE plan, rights groups scoff: It’s VOLUNTARY?
Intel applauds conflict mineral proposal: We’re ready to commit
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/03/06/eu_conflict_mineral_plan_draws_mixed_reactions/
The European Commission has released a draft for a programme to regulate the use of conflict materials.
The EC said that its plan includes measures which would seek to restrict groups from trading in valuable minerals in order to fund armed conflicts. The package would bring a certification which would require importers in the EU to show that their supplies of gold, tantalum, tin and tungsten were not sourced from armed groups using forced labour.
The aim of the plan is to restrict the flow of “conflict minerals” gathered from resource-rich but war-torn regions of the world – such as the Congo, where armed groups often force local residents to work in mining and harvesting operations.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Squidge-droids maker updates iRobot for SUCK, SCRUB action
Mad bot tech boffins enter your bedrooms
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/03/06/irobot_revamps_suck_and_scrub_bots/
How do you get to sell 10 million robots? By appealing to the laziness in us…
It’s perhaps not the way iRobot would choose to describe its business model, but coming from space race roots and military manoeuvres – it originally made Darpa’s squidgy squeezy soft warbot – to end up making megabucks cleaning household floors does suggest the company knows how to appeal to the consumer market.
“In my view, the robot’s mission in life is to disappear, you shouldn’t see it, you shouldn’t have to touch it. It has been a bane of our existence ever since we launched. What is the point of an autonomous robot if you have go and clean it all the time? So we got rid of it – brushes are now officially obsolete from the perspective of vacuuming.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Embedded World Nuremberg’s trade fair confirmed the ARM and Linux solutions in the dominance of the embedded systems market. Although Intel and Microsoft were both present at their respective fair in large departments, solutions based on those were not much presented on other exhibitors’ stands. Intel’s new low-power embedded processor intended for Quark was featured only on the Intel with its own stand.
Moniytimissä ARM processors, in particular i.MX6 Freescale’s family has established a strong position in embedded systems. In practice, all processor modules manufacturers offer i.MX6-based solutions. i.MX6 is also doing the graphics well.
The race for embedded 3D graphics performance is fast. Today, for example, Nvidia provides the ARM architecture-based Tegra K-series graphics acceleration interfaces that have been previously used to see on the PC side, and video game consoles.
Linux says a lot about the position by the fact that even the competing operating systems manufacturers have released their own Linux products.
Source: Elektroniikkalehti
http://www.elektroniikkalehti.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1023:jaakko-ala-paavola-arm-ja-linux-syrjayttaneet-wintelin&catid=9&Itemid=139
Tomi Engdahl says:
Embedded World – First impressions
Thursday, February 27, 2014
http://embeddedexperience.blogspot.fi/2014/02/embedded-world-first-impressions.html
Once again, it’s the time of the Embedded World in Nuremberg Germany, the biggest and most important event of it’s kind in Europe
Internet of Things (IoT) is the big theme of the event this year, and in the embedded industry in general. Wireless connectivity is very important part of the IoT scheme. There are some clear changes ongoing. Rising technologies are Wifi, Bluetooth Smart (the new official name of Bluetooth Low Energy), and Sub-GHz RF solutions. Other 2.4GHz radios, including Zigbee and classic Bluetooth are loosing market share.
ARM, Linux and Qt seems to be the winning combo. In the past, x86 architecture dominated the embedded market. Now clearly all new design are based on ARM architecture.
Embedded Windows seems to disappeared from the map altogether. All the demos I familiarized myself where either based on Linux or QNX, or in some occasions some other RTOSs as well.
Tomi Engdahl says:
ARM to Drive Tablet & Set-Top SoC Convergence
ARM-led Linaro plans on a new Digital Home Group
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321297&
The battle over the digital TV market among semiconductor companies is undergoing a quiet but major transformation, as key players reshuffle and target devices multiply.
First, the players doggedly chasing the DTV and set-top market are no longer traditional TV chip vendors. Instead, mobile (i.e., tablet) SoC vendors have emerged to take the lead.
Second, ARM, accordingly, is putting significant effort into the ecosystem of DTV SoCs, once a domain dominated by MIPS (now acquired by Imagination Technologies).
Third, key players in the DTV field are now Chinese. Western contenders like Intel, Trident, and Zoran abandoned the DTV SoC market a few years ago.
A case in point is Allwinner Technology, a fabless chip company in Zhuahi, China, that specializes in ARM-based apps processors for smartphones and tablets.
Tomi Engdahl says:
TI Launches “Connected LaunchPad”
http://hackaday.com/2014/03/06/ti-launches-connected-launchpad/
TI’s LaunchPad boards have a history of being both low cost and fully featured. There’s a board for each of TI’s major processor lines
The Tiva C Series Connected LaunchPad is based on the TM4C129x processor family. These provide an ethernet MAC and PHY on chip, so the only external parts required are magnetics and a jack. This makes the Connected LaunchPad an easy way to hop onto ethernet and build designs that require internet connections.
This development board is focused on the “Internet of Things,” which it seems like every silicon manufacturer is focusing on nowadays.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Glass Success Depends on Niche Apps
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321331&
Prototyping applications will be key to the success of Google Glass and other wearable glasses, speakers at Wearables DevCon said today. The conference, being held March 5-7 near San Francisco, is designed for wearable makers, software developers, and app creators trying to pick up practical technical knowledge.
It turns out that prototyping sometimes is as simple as imagining the device on your head before coding.
“No one really knows the right way to create apps or what the user experience should be,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
iRobot CEO: Humanoid Robots Too Expensive To Be the Norm
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/14/03/09/1327215/irobot-ceo-humanoid-robots-too-expensive-to-be-the-norm
“‘Building a robot that has legs and walks around is a very expensive proposition.”
Colin Angle, iRobot CEO: ‘Sonny’ Humanoid Robots Too Expensive to be a Reality
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/colin-angle-irobot-ceo-sonny-humanoid-robots-too-expensive-be-reality-1439219
According to Colin Angle, CEO and founder of advanced robotics company iRobot, the idea of having a humanoid robot like Sonny in Isaac Asimov’s Robot series or the robot butler in futuristic cartoon The Jetsons, is pretty unlikely.
“Building a robot that has legs and walks around is a very expensive proposition. Mother Nature has created many wonderful things but one thing we do have that nature doesn’t is the wheel, a continuous rotating joint, and tracks, so we need to make use of inventions to make things simpler,” Angle tells IBTimes UK.
Tomi Engdahl says:
20 Freescale staff on vanished Malaysia Airlines flight MH370
IBM employee also missing after jetliner feared to have crashed into South China Sea
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/03/09/20_freescale_employees_missing_on_mh370/
Chipmaker Freescale Semiconductor has issued a statement reporting that, tragically, 20 of its employees were aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which appears to have crashed into the South China Sea.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Projector on a smartphone? There’s a chip for that
Route all power to forward phasers!
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/03/11/projector_on_a_smartphone_theres_a_chip_for_that/
Caltech researchers have demonstrated a chip they hope will one day let smartphones act as projectors.
Instead of the light sources, image and lenses needed for a traditional projector, the Caltech chip uses an optical phased array (OPA) to create a projected image from a single laser diode – along the way eliminating the need for moving parts.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Boffins build bendy screen using LEDs just THREE atoms thick
It’s a flexible display! It’s a light-powered processor! It’s almost anything you want
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/03/11/flexible_led_three_atoms_thick/
A team of scientists at the University of Washington (UW) have created the world’s thinnest LED that is both flexible and stackable, making a new class of handheld devices and light-driven processor chips feasible.
The new LEDs measure just three atoms tall, technically making them 2D rather than 3D objects, and are made from a semiconductor called tungsten diselenide on a silicon oxide base.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Stanford Bioengineer Develops a 50-cent Paper Microscope
http://science.slashdot.org/story/14/03/10/230222/stanford-bioengineer-develops-a-50-cent-paper-microscope
The 50-cent lightweight, paper ‘Foldscope’ — which ‘can be assembled in minutes, [and] includes no mechanical moving parts’
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel, Mellanox, Vello Ride Optics
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321379&
Intel, Mellanox, and Vello Systems are among the latest companies announcing new standards efforts for optical networking at the OFC Conference this week. They aim to smooth the flow of a rising tide of data at various points through Internet datacenters and carrier networks.
Intel announced MXC optical connector products will be available from companies including Corning, US Conec, TE Connectivity, and Molex. MXC can transmit data at 1.6 Tbit/s using 64 fibers at 25 Gbit/s at distances up to 300 meters.