December 2014 – EEJournal

Gestures Stalling?

December 30, 2014

The Touch Gesture Motion conference (TGM) covers various technologies related to up-and-coming human-machine interface approaches. And its middle name is “Gesture.” How we doin’ there?

Well, first off, some of the consistent names in gesture – regular faces in past years – were not present this year. That caught my eye. And then there was an interesting presentation providing evidence that consumers aren’t delighted with gesture technology. Another red flag.

So let’s look at some evidence and then go over some of the challenges that gesture technology may … Read More → "Gestures Stalling?"

IoT Business Objects

by Kevin Morris

December 18, 2014

We do this thing here where we try to take occasional stock of the structure of the Internet of Things (IoT) to try to make sense out of the various pieces that come together to work or compete with each other. And I usually try to generalize or abstract some of the mess into some broader structure that’s hopefully easier to parse (or becomes an easier entry point).

We did that a while ago when looking briefly at Xively. Well, another … Read More → "IoT Business Objects"

Beefed-Up Sensor Subsystem

by Kevin Morris

December 17, 2014

You may recall that, about a year ago, Synopsys released a sensor subsystem. You could think of it as the IP needed to implement sensors in an SoC.

So this year they announce a “Sensor and Control IP Subsystem.” And the obvious question is, “How does this relate to last year’s announcement?”

Well, at the top level, you can think of it as an upgrade. When available in January, it will essentially replace last year& … Read More → "Beefed-Up Sensor Subsystem"

The Power of the Pen

by Kevin Morris

December 16, 2014

This year’s recent Touch Gesture Motion (TGM) conference had a surprising focus on pens. Which I like, actually. While most of my professional time is with a keyboard, I still take notes manually on paper. Partly it’s because, in an interview situation, I feel like it’s rude and impersonal to be typing away as if I’m some bureaucrat entering data into a form.

But, even though I’m a fast typist (on a real keyboard, not a virtual one), I can write even faster (depending on how long … Read More → "The Power of the Pen"

Sensor Algorithms Go Open Source

by Bryon Moyer

December 10, 2014

So you’re bringing together some sensors in your system, and you want to fuse their data together. Congratulations; you’re in good company. You and the rest of the world want this. If this capability is simply a need-to-have, while not being the key differentiator for you, well, yay, you get to reinvent the fusion algorithms that everyone else has already reinvented. Or you can buy them with dollars that your Board would rather be spent on differentiating technology.

Or, let’s say this capability is a differentiator for you – you’ … Read More → "Sensor Algorithms Go Open Source"

Managing Context Options

by Kevin Morris

December 9, 2014

There are so many stories about the ways in which ubiquitous sensors and The Cloud will transform our lives. Most of these stories come in the form of small examples that illustrate just how powerfully this can affect what we do on a day-to-day basis.

The idea, of course, is that The Cloud knows lots of things about you – what you like, where you go, what’ … Read More → "Managing Context Options"

On the Scene: Almost-Instant Semi Quotes with eSilicon

by Bryon Moyer

December 8, 2014

Historically, it has taken months, possibly many months to get a quote for semiconductor production. Lots of paper was involved – maybe a fax machine or two. Getting a MPW quote (in the old days) could be more like dentistry (get it? pulling teeth??!) than semiconductor design. Those days could be long gone if eSilicon has its way. In this episode of On The Scene, I chat with Mike Gianfagna and Bill Isaacson from eSilicon and get a MPW quote completely online and in less than three minutes. Take that fax machine!

New Nanoimprint from EVG

by Amelia Dalton

December 4, 2014

With all the delicacy involved in the advanced lithography techniques we use for patterning exquisitely small features onto wafers, occasionally we come back to a brute-force approach: nanoimprint lithography (NIL). Instead of painstakingly exposing patterns onto a photoresist, we simply press a patterned die (PS this is the kind of die whose plural is “dies,” not the singulated silicon bits whose plural is “dice”) into a bed of moosh to create a pattern as if making an old-school vinyl record. Harden … Read More → "New Nanoimprint from EVG"

IoT Standards: a oneM2M Follow-UP

by Amelia Dalton

December 3, 2014

A couple months ago I did a survey of Internet of Things (IoT) standards – or, more accurately, activities moving in the direction of standards, since it’s kind of early days yet.

And in it, I was a bit harsh with one standard… oneM2M. I found it dense and somewhat hard to penetrate, with language that didn’t seem clear or well-explained. The status at the time – and currently (for a bit longer) was as a candidate release, … Read More → "IoT Standards: a oneM2M Follow-UP"

Multicore Task-Management Standard Implemented

by Kevin Morris

December 2, 2014

In spring of last year, we described a new standard from the Multicore Association for use in managing tasks on multicore embedded systems. Called MTAPI, it abstracts away details of exactly where a particular task might run at any given time, allowing for fixed or real-time binding to a core or hardware accelerator.

Well, standards … Read More → "Multicore Task-Management Standard Implemented"