NXP launches the i.MX 8M Quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 with ARM Cortex-M4 for audio (pro audio fidelity with more than 20 audio channels each @384KHz and DSD512 audio), voice and video (4K with HDR (Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG)), fully supported on NXP’s 10 and 15-year Longevity Program. At Embedded World 2018, NXP partnered with 8 development board providers who all launched their boards with i.MX8M support.
NXP also announced their new i.MX 8M Mini, their first embedded multi-core heterogeneous applications processors built using advanced 14LPC FinFET process technology. The i.MX 8M Mini family of processors features up to four Arm Cortex-A53 cores running at up to 2GHz and an ARM Cortex-M4 based real-time processing domain at 400+MHz.
wolfSSL is a commercial grade TLS library available in open-source GPL form on GitHub (http://github.com/wolfSSL/wolfssl) written in C and designed for Embedded use because its modular design. They provide build-time options for enabling and disabling all algorithms and TLS features. They support progressive algorithms such as Ed25519/Curve25519, ChaCha20/Poly1035 and SHA-3 using TLS 1.2/TLS 1.3. The part used for the demo is an STM32F777ZI. They are going to add support for ARMv8-M TrustZone-M hardware security when chipsets become available in the near future.
Bero (Bernhard Rosenkränzer) from the Linaro Mobile Group who I have interviewed many times in the past, see my playlist with all his videos here. Bero is at Embedded World 2018 to look for parts so he can build an even better ARM Powered Laptop.
Interview with founders of QuirkLogic, Nashir Samanani and Mike Mabey. Their product, the Quilla is a Real Time Ideation solution which is aimed at replacing traditional ways of brainstorming and capturing ideas. During the interview they explained that the Quilla is shipping in volume, the types of markets include Technology, Healthcare, Design, Architecture & Construction, Hospitality etc. Quilla features a 42” ePaper display, its so low power that they can run it on battery for 16 hours and the whole thing weighs only 24 lbs making it quite portable. Here showing how it looks in direct sunlight, with no glare, the writing experience feels like paper and pen but it has full digital capabilities including file sharing, pen and touch inputs, image modifications with two finger pinch and zoom, unlimited pages, walk up and use features. Their target is for every conference room, sports locker room, nurses’ station in a hospital, construction sites that modify blue prints constantly etc can benefit from this technology. The QuirkLogic team of Zemina, Mac and Matt also demo their Ideation solution, the Quilla, in this video they show the collaboration features in real time, the ability for remote teams to work together and brainstorm, work on projects and design things and ideas collaboratively in settings that can be more inspirational without the need to be indoor.
Nubia’s flagship phone is their Z17S with a 5.73″ FHD+ screen 2040*1080 Pixel display (403ppi), 4G LTE Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, 6GB RAM, 64GB Flash, Four Cameras, Android 7.1, NFC, Type-C 26W fast Charge. Nubia also does smart locks, IoT, smart lamps and more. The N Series and V Series are going to be price attractively yet provide a 18:9 display. As concepts for future phones they are showing one with a built-in fan for gamers to cool their phone when cranking up the peak performance output and designs for gamers that includes kevlar. Noise canceling headphones, power banks, 360 degree Type-C camera and more.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 is Qualcomm’s fastest consumer ARM Processor yet (30-40% faster than last year’s Snapdragon 835 using 30% less power), on 10nm FinFET LPP Samsung process, it features 64bit Octa-core quad 2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold which are ARM Cortex-A75 custom cores and quad 1.8 GHz Kryo 385 Silver which are ARM Cortex-A55 custom cores, Qualcomm’s fastest ever GPU the Adreno 630 with its Visual Processing Subsystem (including GPU, VPU and DPU) with OpenGL ES 3.2, OpenCL 2.0, Vulkan2, DxNext eXtended Reality (XR), Room-Scale 6DoF with simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), Adreno Foveation, Advanced visual inertial odometry (VIO), HDR10 and Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG), 4K Ultra HD @ 60 FPS, 2x 2400×2400 @ 120 FPS (VR), 10-bit color depth (encoding and decoding). Qualcomm’s AI Platform is on their 3rd Generation Qualcomm Hexagon 685 DSP which supports sophisticated, on-device AI processing, delivering richer camera, voice, XR and gaming experiences as a Neural Processing Engine (NPE) with Caffe, Caffe2 and TensorFlow support. With DisplayPort and USB Type-C support. Qualcomm’s X20 Modem supports 1.2Gbit/s download speed using 5×20 MHz carrier aggregation, up to 256-QAM, up to 4×4 MIMO on three carriers, up to 150mbit/s upload speed using 2×20 MHz carrier aggregation, up to 64-QAM. Multi-gigabit Wi-Fi 802.11ad and integrated 2×2 802.11ac. Qualcomm Secure Processing Unit (SPU) where Biometrics can be used for authentication can be stored in isolation in hardware.
ST Microelectronics Booth Tour at Embedded World 2018 featuring their major new product announcements (STM32WB, STM32C2C and ST25DVW), featuring ST partners in the ST fanzone with Photon with ToF (Time-of-flight), Conrad robotics, Style spinner, universities and research organisations that ST collaborates with: the CEA-leti for self-flying drones (360 sensor fusion), INSA from Toulouse France for some gameboy projects to teach students about system integration, software defined instrumentation with the CTU university from Prague.
STM32WB is a dual-core MCU with wireless support based on an Arm Cortex‐M4 core running at 64 MHz (application processor) and an Arm Cortex‐M0+ core at 32 MHz (network processor). With two totally independent cores, this innovative architecture is optimized for real‑time execution (radio‑related software processing), resource use flexibility, power management, and a low BOM cost, to bring better user experience. The STM32WB platform is an evolution of the well‐known market-leading STM32L4 ultra‑low‑power series of MCUs. It provides the same digital and analog peripherals suitable for applications requiring extended battery life and complex functionalities. STM32WB proposes a variety of communication assets, a practical crystal-less USB2.0 FS interface, audio support, an LCD driver, up to 72 GPIOs, an integrated SMPS for power consumption optimization, and multiple low-power modes to maximize battery life. On top of wireless and ultra‐low‐power aspects, a particular focus was placed on embedding security hardware functions such as a 256‐bit AES, PCROP, JTAG Fuse, PKA (elliptic curve encryption engine), and Root Secure Services (RSS). The RSS allows authenticating OTA communications, regardless of the radio stack or application.
The STM32WB55 Bluetooth 5 -certified device offers Mesh 1.0 software support, multiple profiles and flexibility to integrate proprietary BLE stacks.
ST25DV-W series of dynamic NFC/RFID tags offers a 13.56 MHz long-range interface compatible with NFC phones and readers. Based on an ISO/IEC 15693 and NFC Forum Type 5 tag, ST25DV tag ICs can be operated from an RFID reader or an NFC phone. They also include an I²C interface that lets them connect to a host (MCU, MPU, etc.). These tags feature an innovative fast transfer mode between an embedded host and an NFC phone or reader thanks to their half-duplex 256-byte buffer. ST25DV dynamic NFC/RFID tags can be used in a wide variety of applications including consumer electronics, industrial, metering, electronic shelf labels, IoT objects and more.
STM32C2C P-L496G-CELL01 STM32 discovery pack for 2G/3G cellular to cloud (STM32-C2C/2G-3G) is a turnkey development platform for cellular and cloud technology based solutions. The pack is composed of an STM32L496AGI6-based low-power discovery mother board with preloaded firmware, and an STMod+ cellular expansion board with antenna. The P-L496G-CELL02 discovery pack for LTE IoT cellular to cloud (STM32-C2C/LTE IoT) is a turnkey development platform for cellular and cloud technology based solutions. The pack is composed of an STM32L496AGI6-based low-power discovery mother board with preloaded firmware, and an STMod+ cellular expansion board with antenna.
This is Epson’s best ultra short throw interactive FHD projector, generating up to a 100″ laser display at Full HD WUXGA resolution with Epson’s 0.67 inch with MLA (D10) 3LCD technology at 4000lumen, 2,500,000:1 Contrast Ratio, 20,000 Hours Durability.
Paul Gray is a Principal Analyst/Researcher within the IHS Technology group since November 2014, when IHS acquired DisplaySearch, a leader in primary research and forecasting on the global display market. At DisplaySearch, he served as director of European research. In addition to TVs, he also covered wearable devices, digital broadcast and semiconductor technology. He conducted in-depth analysis and forecasting of wearable devices, connected TV and 4K Ultra HD. Mr. Gray has more than 20 years of experience in market intelligence, marketing and product management. His work includes forecasting, product strategy, investment and R&D decisions. He has also been involved in consulting and conferences, and he has been cited as an expert in Nikkei, Los Angeles Times, Le Monde, Financial Times, The Korea Herald and other publications.
The Zephyr Project is a scalable real-time operating system (RTOS) supporting multiple hardware architectures with more than 82 development boards supported already, with additional hardware support being added regularly, optimized for resource constrained devices, and built with security in mind. The Zephyr Project wants to be the open source “Linux of Embedded”. Zephyr Project members include Linaro and the Open Source Foundries, Intel, NXP, Synopsys, Nordic Semiconductor, DeviceTone, runtime.io, Texas Instruments, Oticon and more. This video features functional prototype devices using the Zephyr kernel, including a functional Bluetooth Mesh network, a low energy Bluetooth controller, and an OpenThread demo. Other demos include the World’s first Bluetooth 5.0 qualified, open source low energy Bluetooth Controller that features open source code from Application to Radio, a BlueZ Bluetooth Host stack, a Zephyr kernel, low energy link layer, OS Host Controller Interface, the Nordic Semiconductor nRF52, and the Arm Cortex M4F + Bluetooth 5 and Radio SoC. This demo will take a closer look at the different layers that make up a full BLE protocol stack helps explain this capability. Bluetooth Mesh in action on BBC micro:bit boards available since Zephyr OS v1.9 showcases the many-to-many BLE communication, how every node can be a relay and the user interface. A functional Bluetooth Mesh Network with Lightweight Machine to Machine Device Management showcases the Cloud Device Management System using Linux-based IoT gateways and Zephyr-based IoT devices for real-world project prototypes and smart objects. A demonstration of OpenThread integration, benefits from the Zephyr infrastructure and how it works with Nordic nRF52840 and OpenThread 6loWPAN Thread Stack. The flow of IP traffic is handled seamlessly by both the Zephyr native IP stack and OpenThread: 802.15.4 traffic received by radio driver is forwarded to the OpenThread stack, where it is processed by the 802.15.4 MAC, 6loWPAN and IPv6 layers implemented in OpenThread.
Reinhard Keil, Senior Director Embedded Tools, Arm talks about the Arm Keil MDK which is a complete development environment and supports over 5000 microcontrollers. At Embedded World, Arm introduced the TrustZone-M firmware project for security and a runtime software system for safety applications that accelerates software development for Cortex-M press release The certification enables the use of the runtime system in projects that run on Arm Cortex-M0, Cortex-M0+, Cortex-M3, Cortex-M4 and Cortex-M7, and target certification according to ISO 26262 and IEC 61508 up to ASIL D and SIL 3, respectively. Certification for Cortex-M23 and Cortex-M33 is planned for 2019.
Karim Yaghmour at Embedded World in Nuremberg, he is most widely known as the author of O’Reilly’s “Embedded Android” and “Building Embedded Linux Systems” books. He talks about a wide-range of topics including Android’s Project Treble, Android Things and Embedded Android in general. Karim will be holding a live session on Android’s Project Treble on YouTube on March 27th (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XJAdK9XKcQ) and another one on the HIDL mechanism introduced as part of Treble on March 28th (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFaWqdxBW4E) you can click on these to set a reminder so that you can watch them live and later on demand.
Jack Ogawa, Senior Director of Marketing, MCU at Cypress Semiconductor talks PSoC 6 and arm PSA at Embedded World 2018, PSoC 6 MCUs now support the highest level of security as defined by the Arm Platform Security Architecture (PSA). In the interview, Jack discusses the three levels of hardware-based isolation for securing connecting devices. Cypress also gave a cool demo illustrating how a LoRaWAN edge node can be secured with a PSoC 6 MCU.
PSoC 6 is purpose built for the Internet of Things, enabling easy integration of sensing, processing, connectivity and security functions all in a low-power MCU. Integrating secure element functionality with on-chip hardware accelerated cryptography, PSoC 6 MCUs enable designers to easily implement security in a single chip without needing an external secure element device. For more information you can check out the announcement here and here.
TechNexion shows off its Android Things development kits, modules, embedded systems and more new products at the Embedded World 2018. The TechNexion product lineup has grown once again in size. The company is showcasing Android Things development kits based on PICO-PI-IMX7 Low-cost system on modules that are modular, scalable and versatile. The Android Things development boards are based on the NXP i.MX7 applications processor. TechNexion is also launching several wireless communication modules, including PIXI-41Z and the PIXI-9377 low-cost, certified, 1×1 802.11 AC/BT4.1 module that deliver high transmission rates, low latency and improved range.
TechNexion is a provider of embedded systems and system-on-modules, in 2017, TechNexion was chosen by Google as a partner to develop the reference design for its Android Things development kit. That kit based on the PICO-PI-IMX7 board has been the go-to development kit distributed at developer shows and used for demoing the potential of Android Things.
The New TechNexion PIXI series is a communication module that delivers all IoT multi-mode communication needs in one ultra-compact and secure module series. It is specifically designed to enable better transmission rates, lower latency, better range and higher resistance to interference when two or more communication protocols – for example, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or Thread – are needed to run concurrently on one system-on-chip. Multiple communication protocols in one chip means users can collect more data from disparate communication protocols, while also having the flexibility to use the right protocol to suit the type of data and distance from your hub.
Panel PCs – TechNexion has three human-machine-interface (HMI) panel computing series: TC, TEP and TWP. The TEP Series is available with either ARM or x86 architecture and has an IP65 anodized aluminum enclosure and a flux mounted projective capacitive touch, high brightness LCD display – ranging from 5 to 15.6 inches. The TWP Series is a fully waterproof, IP69K, panel PC designed to withstand extreme temperatures, high vibration, and cleaning with a jet spray. It is also available with either ARM or x86 architecture – ranging from 10 to 15.6 inches. The TEP-1560-IMX6 is their 15” panel computer based on i.MX6 and the TWP-1560-IMX6 is their NEW model that is waterproof, stainless steel, panel computer.
Fanless Box PCs – The TEK Series fanless computing systems are enclosed in a compact, fully ruggedized enclosure, and are perfect for controlling versatile end-equipment.
System-on-Modules – TechNexion continues to expand its SoM options through its two series, EDM and PICO. These series have an exhaustive range of options around size, processor capability and connector type enabling the creation of almost any kind of embedded device. They are designed to be scalable and come with fully open source software – Linux and Android – and schematics.
WandPi-8M community board – TechNexion were also showing the latest version of their community development board. It is based on NXP’s i.MX8M Quad application processor with ARM Cortex-A53 + M4 architecture to deliver 4K UltraHD with HDR video quality with pro audio fidelity. The WandPi-8M is available for pre-order and is expected to ship in Spring of this year.
Diamond Systems founder Jonathan Miller shows the company’s newest products at Embedded World 2018 including the COM-based Zeta SBC, EPSM-10GX (used to connect to a carrier board) and EPS-24G2X Ethernet switch solutions. As Miller explains, the EPS-24G2X brings out all the signals including those for the two 10G SFI ports. There is a lot of Ethernet available via this solution. It’s all about communication, sharing information and so some people want more ports. The switches discussed are examples of those found in unmanned vehicles as well as many other rugged applications. Included in these new products is the EPS-12GMini, one of the world’s smallest 12-port Ethernet switches is a two-board design enabling its small form factor for on-board vehicle use (military and industrial).
The rugged enclosure called SABRE is the newest of Diamond Systems’ enclosures, this rugged box provides protection in the harshest environments and enables complete solutions for their customers. The one on display, Sabre, at this show is for the COM Express Mini form factor and it accommodates the 12-port switch. On the front is a set of three military connectors. Next is a an Industrial MIDI enclosure with a variety of I/O brought out to the front which accommodates an Eagle SBC which uses Toradex Apalis ARM modules and Diamond Eagle carrier board that goes inside along with a variety of I/O (serial ports, CAN ports, connectors, display, analog). Diamond has an ongoing relationship with partner Toradex who I also filmed at EW2018 here
More boards on display in their booth includes the Analog I/O modules: DMM-16-AT along with DMM-16RP-AT which is bus agnostic. Eaglet, a more compact version of the earlier noted Eagle SBC. The discussion turns to PC/104 where Miller notes the longevity of the product and long value it has had as a form factor. A little later, PCIe MiniCards are shown and discussed as used: I/O; CAN module, Analog I/O module; Ethernet and digital I/O.
Pandora box with connectors on the board for connecting directly into the box. Plug in and go. Typically used on a controller.
Products shown on the right half of the booth are proven designs that they have had on the market now already for a while. A large part of the sales are based on these designs and are custom in some fashion depending on customer’s request.
Next for Diamond are more small things, COM Express, small form factors and more. You can read more about their solutions at http://diamondsystems.com
Toradex booth tour at Embedded World 2018 featuring their new Toradex Apalis iMX8 QM System on Module (SoM) based on the NXP’s i.MX 8QuadMax processor. Toradex’s demos featuring the Apalis iMX8QM includes one with Qt 3D Studio. The Apalis iMX8QM offers one click OS installation via the Toradex Easy Installer and offers 2x Arm Cortex-A72 cores, 4x Cortex-A53 cores, and 2x Cortex-M4 cores. The Apalis iMX8QM also contains on-board dual-band 802.11ac 2×2 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi and is Bluetooth 5 ready. This SoM offers advanced hardware security and safety features, and is ideal for signal processing, computer vision and HMI applications. Interested third parties can sign up for early access for the Apalis iMX8QM here
In addition, Toradex is also showing their soon to be available Toradex Colibri iMX8X SoM, based on NXP’s i.MX 8X processor. With 2-4x Arm Cortex-A35 cores and 1x Cortex-M4 core, the SoM is ideal for industrial automation, HMI, robotics, building applications and healthcare. The Colibri iMX8X also contains on-board dual-band 802.11ac 2×2 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi and is Bluetooth 5 ready.
Toradex also showcases some of their other demos such as a Deep Learning demo featuring its Toradex Apalis TK1 SoM in collaboration with its partner Vertex.AI, the demo highlights Vertex.AI’s Vision deep learning and object detection software, and is a complete end-to-end deep learning demo, showcasing pasta detection. Additionally, Toradex has a demo in collaboration with its partner, Roboception, which integrates Toradex’s Apalis TK1 SoM for high-performance onboard processing, the demo has onboard SLAM for indoor and outdoor navigation, accurate visual-intertial motion estimation, and standard interfaces for an intuitive WEB-GUI.
Toradex also has a range of demos highlighting its Toradex partner ecosystem. From CODESYS’ real-time SoftPLC with EtherCAT, Crank’s low- and high-end UI, DiSTI’s safety focused HMI, Green Hills’ INTEGRITY RTOS on Colibri iMX6, Antmicro’s Android on Vision Kit, Acontis’ optimized EtherCAT, TES’ 3D Surround View/Guiliani, Mender.io’s over-the-air updates, Christmann’s Apalis computer cluster, Gumstix’s voice control carrier board, MVTec’s HPeek and more.
Berlin-based new-space company PTScientists is taking you on a Mission to the Moon Working with key technology partners Audi and Vodafone, they aim to drive a pair of Audi lunar quattro rovers on the surface of the Moon, and re-visit the last place that humans set foot on the lunar surface during the Apollo 17 mission 45 years ago. After doing a 384,000 km trip from Earth to the Moon, their ALINA spacecraft will attempt to land safely on the lunar surface to deliver their two Audi Lunar quattro rovers and a range of scientific payloads. Once safely on the Moon, their pair of Audi Lunar quattro rovers will use their four-wheel drive capability to explore the harsh lunar environment to attempt to Drive 500m on the Moon also to test a new lunar communications architecture, with a Vodafone-provided LTE base-station allowing the rovers to transfer data to ALINA. They will attempt to send HD images to the Earth 48 years after the final human footprints were left on the Moon, they will return to the Apollo 17 landing site to capture the first high-resolution images of the original Lunar Roving Vehicle (while taking great care not to disturb the site).
The Arm Machine Learning processor provides up to 4.6 Trillions of Machine Learning Operations Per Second, as part of the Project Trillium, Arm’s Machine Learning (ML) platform, enables a new era of advanced, ultra-efficient inference at the edge with Programmable layer engines for future-proofing, Highly tuned for advanced geometry implementations, Specifically designed for ML and neural network (NN) capabilities, the architecture is versatile enough to scale to any device, from IoT to connected cars and servers.
Built from the ground up for optimal performance and efficiency, Project Trillium completes the Arm Heterogenous ML compute platform with the Arm ML processor, the second-generation Arm Object Detection (OD) processor and open-source Arm NN software.
The Arm Machine Learning processor consists of state-of-the-art optimized fixed-function engines that provide best-in-class performance within a constrained power envelope. Additional programmable layer engines support the execution of non-convolution layers, and the implementation of selected primitives and operators, along with future innovation and algorithm generation. The network control unit manages the overall execution and traversal of the network and the DMA moves data in and out of the main memory. Onboard memory allows central storage for weights and feature maps, thus reducing traffic to the external memory and therefore, power.
Sony launches their XZ2 and XZ2 Compact Smartphone (https://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/phones/xperia-xz2/) based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 with 4K HDR video recording support. Featuring a 5.7″ Full HD+ (2160×1080) HDR display (5″ on XZ2 Compact), Dynamic Vibration System with powerful stereo speakers, Full HD 960fps slow motion, 19MP Motion Eye camera with memory-stacked image sensor. 4GB RAM, 64GB UFS internal memory.
MediaTek helio P60 is MediaTek’s most powerful chipset yet, built on TSMC’s 12nm FinFET production process, with MediaTek’s CorePilot 4.0, featuring four ARM Cortex-A73 cores at 2.0GHz, four ARM Cortex-A53 cores at 2.0GHz in a big.LITTLE configuration, ARM Mali-G72 MP3 GPU clocked at 800MHz. They also provide a Multi-core AI processing unit (Mobile APU) with a 280GMAC/s performance for deep learning facial recognition, object and scene identification, user behavior-informed performance and other AI and AR application enhancements good for computer vision enhancements on the cameras such as Single or Dual Camera bokeh, Real-time HDR recording and viewing and more.
