Wearable Devices: A Limitless Future


Today, there are many wearable systems across industries including medical and health care, safety, smartwatches, smart goggles and glasses, smart shoes and clothing — even smart pet trackers! So why is there such a proliferation of devices, even though many of these portable/embedded devices have been around for decades? There are a few key technical trends enabling these devices. F... » read more

The Week In Review: Design/IoT


Embedded Mentor Graphics released a new version of their Nucleus RTOS with a focus on high-performance IoT and wearable applications. Updates include support for Dynamic Linking and Loading (DLL) capabilities in Cortex-M based cores; the ability for developers to reconfigure, update, and provision connected embedded devices that utilize cloud-based remote software services; and TI WiLink 8 m... » read more

Selecting An Operating System For Embedded Applications


It seems these days, just about every embedded system has some type of operating system. And there are more options today as to which OS to choose. Is open source your best choice? What about a free RTOS? In this paper, learn the pros and cons of the many OS options available today and how to select the right OS for your next embedded project. To read more, click here. » read more

Internet of Things Design Considerations For Embedded Connected Devices


Embedded connectivity has been around since the early days of M2M. But what is new are the many complexities and emerging standards embedded system developers need to know if they are to design the latest IoT device. This paper delves into many of the key considerations developers need to know and discusses the critical areas of IoT security and connectivity along with the importance of a prove... » read more

Improving Embedded Systems Reliability With A Process Model-Based RTOS


The introduction of Nucleus Process Model to the Nucleus Real Time Operating System (RTOS) maintains the key characteristics of an RTOS and adds many of the benefits of a large scale OS, such as dynamic task, library loading and unloading, memory access protection, and operational privilege control. This paper discusses the various dimensions of operating under the process model, including its ... » read more

The Week In Review: System-Level Design


Cadence bought TranSwitch’s high-speed interface IP assets. TranSwitch, which made chips for communications equipment, filed for bankruptcy in November. (The company’s Web site is no longer active.) Cadence also won a deal with Microsoft, which will use Tensilica processors in the new Xbox One audio subsystem. And Cadence rolled out HiFi Audio Tunneling for Android, which takes advantage of... » read more

The Week In Review: Oct. 18


By Mark LaPedus & Ed Sperling The problems continue with extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. ASML promised to deliver an 80 Watt power source by year’s end. Now, the company said it only will have a 70 Watt source by mid-2014. “We are focusing on reaching the 70 Watts by the middle of next year,” said Peter Wennink, ASML’s CEO, in a conference call to discuss the company’s res... » read more

Managing Memory With Embedded Software


By Ann Steffora Mutschler Memory is shaping up to be a key leverage point for embedded software going forward as it represents such a large fraction of the silicon real estate in today’s SoCs. Managing memory effectively and memory bandwidth also represents a significant fraction of the potential bottlenecks and the power dissipation. As such, everything embedded software can do to enhance h... » read more

Measuring RTOS Performance: What? Why? How?


In the world of smart phones and tablet PCs memory might be cheap, but in the more constrained universe of deeply embedded devices, it is still a precious resource. This is one of the many reasons why most 16- and 32-bit embedded designs rely on the services of a scalable real-time operating system (RTOS). An RTOS allows product designers to focus on the added value of their solution while dele... » read more

Blurring The Lines At The OS Level


By Ed Sperling Picking an operating system—or choosing not to use an operating system—is becoming as complex a decision as choosing which IP to use in an SoC. Even decisions that sound straightforward may have ramifications on the total system power budget or performance, requiring them to be an integral part of the overall architectural process. But the choice of operating systems, as ... » read more

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