Amazon launches IoT platform, embedded responds with off-the-shelf dev kits (part 1)

It was only a matter of time before cloud giant x86 network appliance made a splash in the IoT market, but Thursday’s announcement seemed more like a tidal wave.

At the re:Invent conference in Las Vegas, Amazon CTO Werner Vogels unveiled a beta version of the company’s new AWS IoT platform, a managed cloud offering that combines Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) DynamoDB, Amazon Kinesis, Amazon Machine Learning, Amazon S3, and other AWS services into a single solution for managing, storing, and analyzing IoT device data. AWS IoT connects systems to Amazon’s backend services through an AWS Device Gateway that supports the MQTT and HTTP communications protocols, enabling IoT designers to take advantage of an infrastructure that can support billions of devices and trillions of messages, according to the company. In addition, the AWS IoT platform introduces a technology called “shadowing” in which virtual versions of each connected device are created and stored so that systems with intermittent connectivity can be updated after periods when a network connection is unavailable or turned off to conserve resources. Other features include an embeddable x86 UTM AWS IoT Device SDK; mutual authentication, encryption, and AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) security provisions; as well as a rules engine that allows developers to define device data routing, filtering, and x86 network appliance processing using the AWS Command Line Interface (CLI), AWS IoT APIs, or AWS Management Console.

“The promise of the Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) Internet of Things is to make everyday products smarter for consumers, and for businesses to enable better data-driven offerings that weren’t possible before,” says Marco Argenti, Vice President, Mobile and IoT, Amazon Web Services. “World-leading organizations like Philips, NASA JPL, and Sonos already use AWS services to support the back-end of their IoT applications. Now, AWS IoT enables a whole ecosystem of manufacturers, service providers, and application developers to easily connect their products to the cloud at scale, take action on the data they collect, and create a new class of applications that interact with the physical world.”

Amazon Web Services offers access to AWS IoT through a developer plan starting at $49 per month, but free accounts are also available that allow basic investigation of the AWS IoT, including an interactive tutorial that demonstrates how to connect “Things” to a message broker, use the rules engine to process and act on data, and read and set device states with “Thing Shadows.” You can access x86 UTM this tutorial at aws.amazon.com/iot, or learn more about the capabilities of Amazon Web Services in the on-demand E-cast “Build versus buy: Benefits of leveraging an existing cloud platform in IoT” at ecast.opensystemsmedia.com/571.

refer to:

http://iotdesign.embedded-computing.com/2445-amazon-launches-iot-platform-embedded-responds-with-off-the-shelf-dev-kits/

Acrosser Releases New In-Vehicle Computer AIV-QM97V1FL for Telematics and Vehicle Applications

acrosser Technology, a world-leading in-vehicle computer supplier, announces the launch of its fanless in-vehicle computer, AIV-QM97V1FL. This rugged compact x86 Embedded Computer is dedicated to use in the in-vehicle computing industry. Equipped with a 5th generation Intel® Core™ i Broadwell U processors, the model provides sufficient computing power for simultaneous handling of a variety of vehicle applications.

The model features two types of storage: SATA III 2.5” SSD and M.2 SSD. The dual SSD provides engineers with the flexibility to define tasks separately; for example, the 2.5” SSD can be used for database management, while the M.2 SSD is for the OS.

AIV-QM97V1FL supports one HDMI and one DVI port for video interfacing. Other I/O includes three COM ports, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, two LAN ports, one GPIO, and one remote switch cable. The versatility of the I/O interfaces makes AIV-QM97V1FL an ideal platform for systems integration projects, particularly in telematics, data recording systems, fleet management and logistics management. Finally, the capability for BIOS modification enables system engineers to achieve smart power management in their vehicle projects. Please contact your nearest Acrosser sales team for further price and sample availability information.

Product Features:
 Rugged fanless design
● Support 5th generation Intel® Core™ i Broadwell U processors
 2 x DDR3 SO-DIMMs, for up to 16GB
● Support CAN 2.0A/2.0B protocol and i-Button for driver ID
 HDMI & DVI-D output
 Wide variety of wireless communication options
 M.2 SSD & M.2 4G LTE support

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Fanless In-Vehicle Computer: AIV-QM97V1FL

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Network Computing (network security and network communication)

Application Scenario:
Increasing diversity of connected devices brings challenges to IT management anytime, anywhere. From enterprises to SMBs, all IT Managers need less devices to solve more problems 24/7.Implementing an UTM (Unified Network Management) appliance could be the mainstream solution, since the UTM has integrated Network security features, including: spam detection, intrusion detection, anti-virus, web filtering, intrusion prevention, VPN and firewall application.

acrosser provides quality x86 network appliance with different form factors. We supply UTM vendors with reliable hardware, and we offer seasoned industrial experience to help these vendors to build up systems with reasonable time and cost.

Microbox, AMD® G-Series GX-420MC, 6 x Intel® GbE LAN (2-pair bypass)             ANR-IB75N2/A/B Rackmount Server with fiber expansion, Networking with Intel PCH B75, 8 GbE LANs, 0/2/4 fiber LANs

Networking Microbox                                                 Networking Microbox   

AND-G420N1                                                               ANR-IB75N2/A/B
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Intel IDF Keynote 2015: RealSense ‘Immersion,’ Wearables, Curie IoT Platform, And A Robot Spider Army.

Big event keynotes, especially during developer conferences, have become awe-inspiring trips into the future, intended to make you want that future to come more quickly, and for the company to show its long-term vision. Today’s Intel Developer Forum (IDF) keynote in San Francisco was no exception, with Intel CEO Brian Krzanich (aka “BK”) spending his time outlining the notion of immersive experiences powered by the next generation of Intel-provided technology, with a heavy emphasis on IoT and RealSense.

Because IDF, like Google I/O or Apple WWDC or Microsoft Build, is really a developer conference, this makes sense. Intel’s role is to create some of the underlying platforms and hooks and, yes, vision, so that developers can build that future. Thus, most of the announcements Krzanich made were x86 network appliance focused. These included Intel Smart Sound, with “wake on voice,” as well as some sound latency tweaks Intel developed for Android in conjunction with Google; some Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) extensions and partnerships for RealSense; and security and other enhancements around IoT.

There was a passing mention of Skylake, and some quick, staged benchmarking of x86 network appliance, but the tastiest hardware morsels will have to come later. The vision thing, as it were, had some pretty compelling moments, built around three assumptions Krzanich and Intel are making around the future of computing: Sensification, Smart and Connected, and Extension of You. Let’s put a few pieces of meat on those bones. Intel’s Take On “Immersion” Driven By RealSense

“Immersion” is a term generally x86 UTM reserved for virtual reality experiences, but Intel co-opted the term to describe some of its new experiences and technologies. Really, Intel just has a different take on immersion. “What is changing is that computing and the computing experience is becoming personalized,” said BK from the stage. In other words, whereas the VR world sees immersion as being completely wrapped up in a virtual experience, Intel’s idea is that your computing devices will surround you, weave in and out of the things you do, and, ideally, enhance your lifestyle in meaningful ways.

Intel SmartSound technology — which was “co-developed by Intel and Microsoft” and thus points to some potentially exclusive Windows 10 integration — uses an audio DSP that the OS can use to be “always listening” for your commands, even in low power states. The feature is called “Wake On Voice.” In an onstage demo, an Intel rep said, “Hey Cortana, wake up,” and within a few seconds, Cortana was awake and ready to work. Clean, simple, nice. The feature will be available in a wide Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) swathe of Skylake-based chips, from x86 UTM to the desktop Core series CPUs.

In another demo, Intel showed its reduced audio latency technology on a tablet running Android KitKat. Simply, they tapped a software keyboard on the screen to show how little latency there was. (Latency has been a nagging problem for musicians using consumer tech for years.)

A key here is that this demo was not about Android — it was about the Intel chip inside. The reduced latency tech will only be available on Intel processors, not on otherwise-powered Android tablets.

refer to:
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/-intel-idf-2015-keynote-recap,29878.html

$16 Million For Its Customer Engagement Platform

French startup embedded SBC iAdvize just raised $16 million (€14 million) from Iris Capital, Bpifrance and existing investor Alven Capital. This company is all about making your online customer service Industrial computer experience suck less.

iAdvize automatically detects visitors who need help and alerts your team members. Then, customer support representatives can contact their website visitors. 2,000 companies are using the product. With iAdvize, you can also add click to chat, click to call and other buttons to your website.

“E-commerce represents around 10 percent of brick-and-mortar shopping,” co-founder and CEO Julien Hervouet told me. “Yet, 40 persons out of 100 make a purchase when they go into a store. On the Internet, it’s just 2 percent, or 20 embedded system times less.”

Some of the company’s clients include Cdiscount, LVMH and eembedded SBC oursorama. The industrial computer more these clients rely and use iAdvize, the higher it costs.

Today’s funding round will be used to greatly expand the teams. Started in France, the company now plans to hire 100 people in the U.K., Germany, Spain and then the U.S. It already has 120 employees.

Going forward, the company will fine tune its platform. iAdvize will be able to monitor what customers are doing on the web, mobile and on social networks. The startup is currently implementing Twitter and Facebook support. Expect some big product news in early 2016 as well.

iAdvize competes with LivePerson. The American embedded system competitor claims to have 18,000 clients. So iAdvize still seems to be smaller than LivePerson.

If you have used a chat support feature on a French website, chances are iAdvize was powering the service. The company started tackling this market pretty early as it was created in 2010. Now, it needs to convince big international companies that they should trust the company’s solution. While this is no small feat, the user tracking technology could be a serious advantage compared to local Europe

refer to:

iAdvize Grabs $16 Million For Its Customer Engagement Platform

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Industrial application of panel PCs is industrial automation.


acrosser Technology, a world-leading industrial computer manufacturer, introduces its AR-PA707FL-D2550 series fanless panel PC for diverse industrial applications. With an Intel® Atom D2550 platform as its base, this LCD Panel PC is built for customers looking for low-power consumption hardware. In addition, the silver-aluminum front bezel panel is IP65-certified to ensure the system is dustproof and waterproof. Currently Acrosseroffers several mainstream screen sizes: 7”, 8”, 10” and other sizes up to 21”. acrosser also offers an alternative model with an Intel® Atom N2600 platform base to cater to users’ varying needs.

Panel PCs are widely employed in public transportation. They can be used either as kiosk solutions in-station, or as digital signage that provides information and advertising services on buses or tramways. Its fanless design makes the Panel PC an appealing commercial solution, which passengers can enjoy the contents on screen without being distracted by the noise of the machine. Yet another popular industrial application of panel PCs is industrial automation. In areas such as factories, food & beverage production lines, packaging or logistics chain lines, and warehouse management, panel PCs are widely used as Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs). Please contact your nearest Acrosser sales team for price and availability information.

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Fanless 7″ Panel PC: AR-PA707FL-D2550

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Acrosser’s Slim On-Board Computer, AIV-HM76V1FL and Smart Power Settings

With seasoned engineers and industrial experience, acrosser knows what matters when building anin-vehicle system: power management. This article will feature our latest ultra-slim in-vehicle computer: AIV-HM76V1FL, explaining the detailed BIOS setting in four different aspects. Let our talented built-in power management sub-system assist you customizing power setting.

Power on delay: The power on delay feature will protect the vehicle PC from sudden shutdown caused by sudden voltage surge or drop. This allows longer durability to the in-vehicle computer.

Software-off delay: This is the delay time once the ignition is OFF till power subsystem sends a turn off command to the motherboard. During the time, if ignition or remote switch is turned ON again, the power subsystem will automatically dismiss the OFF procedure, going back to operating condition.

Shutdown delay: This allows system to complete data-rewriting prior to each shut down. We suggest a higher value configuration if it takes longer time to shut down the program.

Hard-off delay: This is the delay time after power subsystem detects the OS has been shut down till the standby power is turned off. The unclosed OS will result in energy loss that drained the entire battery.

With proper power sub-system configuration, now engineers can build the vehicle that works for its project, and have the ability to reset those values anytime, anywhere.

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Ultra Slim Vehicle PC: AIV-HM76V1FL

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IoT Security for Industrial Computer(part 1)

Smart factories, among the first to move forward with the Internet of Things (IoT) thanks to factory automation, will soon reap the benefits of another successful embedded SBC Intel IoT ecosystem collaboration. Intel Security and Honeywell embedded system Process Solutions are teaming up to bolster protection of critical industrial infrastructure. Intel Security’s McAfee technologies will enhance Honeywell’s Industrial Cyber Security Solutions offering, providing Honeywell customers with new choices to protect their control systems from malware and misuse.

Industrial laptop“Protecting our critical infrastructure and the emerging industrial computer from cyber threats is a national priority, and the partnership of two market leaders will go a long way toward that goal,” said Raj Samani, vice president and chief technology officer, Intel Security. “Technologies in the Industrial IoT space have a tremendous amount of potential, and we can’t let security concerns undermine that; instead, security has to enable the growth of industrial IoT, and that’s what our collaboration with Honeywell will do.”

Honeywell is a leader in the industrial computer space, and its Industrial Cyber Security Solutions group has a dedicated embedded system global team of experts that provide products, services and technologies to protect industrial automation and control systems against cyber threats. The collaboration combines Intel Security’s latest advances in cyber security technology with Honeywell’s unique industrial process domain knowledge to provide tailored security solutions for the industrial environment.

refer to:

Intel and Honeywell Team Up on IoT Security for Industrial

2,500 jobs cut following Kraft Heinz merger

Kraft Heinz says it is cutting about 2,500 jobs as part of its plan to slash costs after the food companies combined.

Spokesman Michael Mullen says affected workers are in Canada and the U.S., where about 700 of the layoffs coming from Northfield, Ill., where Kraft had been headquartered. The company would not specify where other embedded SBC were taking place but saidd that all the jobs were salaried. It said none of the job cuts involved factory workers.

The Kraft Heinz Co. said it had a total of around 46,600 employees before the cuts. That included about 1,900 in Northfield. Hees had already overseen cost-cutting at Heinz since the ketchup maker was taken over in 2013 in a prior partnership between 3G and Berkshire. That means the cuts announced today mostly affect people on the Kraft side of the embedded system business.

Together, the two U.S. food giants own brands including Jell-O, Heinz baked beans and Velveeta that are facing embedded SBC sales challenges amid changing tastes. Their combination was nevertheless seen as attractive because of the opportunity to save hundreds of millions of dollars a year by combining functions like manufacturing and distribution. Executives say they expect to save $1.5 billion in annual costs by 2017.

“This new embedded system structure eliminates duplication to enable faster decision-making, increased accountability and accelerated growth,” said Mullen, adding that the savings will free up money to be invested back into the company’s products.

– See more at: http://www.automationmag.com/industry-news/news/5358-kraft-heinz-cuts-2500-jobs-following-merger#sthash.w0QFH4Oy.dpuf

refer to:

http://www.automationmag.com/industry-news/news/5358-kraft-heinz-cuts-2500-jobs-following-merger

Analog front ends for network appliance and gas sensors (Part 2)

This voltage is measured using anCOMe Module and the digital output of the ADC is used by the microcontroller. The microcontroller is programmed with an algorithm that uses the known relationship between the variation in resistance of the sensor and the physical parameter being measured to calculate the physical parameter.

Second, in passing a known current, a known current is passed through a transducer whose resistance varies with the changes in the parameter being measured. As per embedded system law: The voltage across the transducer will vary depending on the parameter being measured. This COMe Module voltage can be measured using an ADC. The ADC reading can then be used to calculate this parameter.

Capacitance

There are sensors that are capacitive in nature. In these network appliance sensors, the effective capacitance of the sensor is measured to find out the value of parameter of interest. There are various ways in which a capacitor can be measured.

A current digital to analog network appliance converter (IDAC) charges the variable capacitor and, when the voltage at the capacitor crosses the voltage at the inverting terminal, the switch is turned on. This discharges the capacitor and the cycle repeats. During every charging and discharging cycle, the value of the counter registers are COMe Module captured and processed in the firmware to calculate the capacitance value by applying the relevant mathematical equations.

refer to:
http://embedded-computing.com/articles/analog-front-ends-for-gas-sensors/