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INTRO
CHALLENGE 1
The complexity
DIGITAL E-BOOK
IoT
CHALLENGE 2
The interdisciplinary skills
CHALLENGE 3
The need to understand
datasheets required
CHALLENGE 4
The security issues
CHALLENGE 5
Managing the interfaces
CHALLENGE 6
The need for analog
Sponsored by:
CHALLENGE 7
The cloud
CONCLUSION
SPONSORS
CONTACT
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Sensors and Embedded Systems in the Era of the IoT: The Top 7 Challenges and What Engineers Need to Do Today to Succeed
quite possibly represents the biggest challenge many engineers will face in their careers.
INTRO
CHALLENGE 1
The complexity
CHALLENGE 2
The interdisciplinary skills
CHALLENGE 3
The need to understand
datasheets required
CHALLENGE 4
The security issues
From the need to cope with small memories, power constraints, and
CHALLENGE 5
Managing the interfaces
EMBEDDED SYSTEMS
DESIGN
CHALLENGE 6
The need for analog
CONNECTED DEVICES
AND IoT
EMBEDDED SOFTWARE
DESIGN
CHALLENGE 7
The cloud
PROGRAMMING
CONCLUSION
SPONSORS
OTHER
CONTACT
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Sensors and Embedded Systems in the Era of the IoT: The Top 7 Challenges and What Engineers Need to Do Today to Succeed
CHALLENGE 1
The complexity
INTRO
INTERFACE
BOARDS
CHALLENGE 1
The complexity
SIGNAL
CONDITIONING BOARDS
CHALLENGE 2
The interdisciplinary skills
DATA-ACQUISITION
(DAQ) BOARDS
Svec points out that with the IoT, there are more concerns for
embedded engineers than just worrying about the firmware and
the device and how to update the device. An IoT design involves
many layers of decisions, and each decision triggers a cascading
set of consequences that can completely change the system
architecture. That requires more iterations.
SINGLE-BOARD
COMPUTERS (SBCS)
DISPLAYS
OFF-THE-SHELF
SOFTWARE
COMPONENTS
I found out that you could actually prototype something fairly easily and get a reasonable amount of functionality done
quickly with a board like an Arduino, he explains. And youll build something that works and looks complete, even though
youre not going to be able to actually manufacture and sell it or anything.
The power of working on a real-world hobby project is that an engineer will gain hands-on experience in
defining the architecture and wrestling with the associated trade-offs in a situation where the stakes are low.
CHALLENGE 3
The need to understand
datasheets required
CHALLENGE 4
The security issues
SECURITY
CHALLENGE 5
Managing the interfaces
CUSTOM DEVELOPED
SOFTWARE
CUSTOM DEVELOPED
HARDWARE
CHALLENGE 6
The need for analog
IMAGE SENSORS,
CAMERAS, OR
CAMERA MODULES
CHALLENGE 7
The cloud
PROCESSORS
CONCLUSION
FPGAs
MICROCONTROLLERS
Work with
Sponsored by:
Source: 2015
Sensors Magazine
Embedded Survey
Expect to work with
SPONSORS
CONTACT
Produced by:
Sensors and Embedded Systems in the Era of the IoT: The Top 7 Challenges and What Engineers Need to Do Today to Succeed
CHALLENGE 2
INTRO
CHALLENGE 2
The interdisciplinary skills
SOFTWARE
ENGINEERING
HARDWARE
ENGINEERING
CHALLENGE 3
The need to understand
datasheets required
CHALLENGE 4
The security issues
CHALLENGE 1
The complexity
CHALLENGE 5
Managing the interfaces
CHALLENGE 6
The need for analog
CHALLENGE 7
The cloud
CONCLUSION
SPONSORS
4
Sponsored by:
CONTACT
Produced by:
Sensors and Embedded Systems in the Era of the IoT: The Top 7 Challenges and What Engineers Need to Do Today to Succeed
CHALLENGE 3
INTRO
CHALLENGE 2
The interdisciplinary skills
ACCELERATION
ACOUSTIC/ULTRASONIC
CHEMICAL/GAS
CHALLENGE 3
The need to understand
datasheets required
DISPLACEMENT
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ENCODERS/LVDTS
library for something like the Arduino, look at the source code,
look at the datasheet, and figure out how the individual who
wrote the library interpreted the datasheet and turned it into
code, describes Anderson.
What a lot of us end up doing, he adds, if we dont want
to take the time to read the datasheets is to see if there is a
software library and just grab the source code, as long as its
legal to do so of course!
FLOW
FORCE/STRAIN/LOAD/TORQUE
CHALLENGE 4
The security issues
HALL EFFECT
INFRARED DETECTORS
LEAK/LEVEL
MAGNETIC
CHALLENGE 5
Managing the interfaces
MOISTURE/HUMIDITY
MOTION/VELOCITY
OPTICAL
CHALLENGE 6
The need for analog
PIEZOELECTRIC/RESTRICTIVE
POSITION/
PRESENCE/PROXIMITY
PRESSURE
RADIATION
CHALLENGE 7
The cloud
SAFETY/SECURITY
SPEED
TEMPERATURE
VIBRATION
WIRELESS
CHALLENGE 1
The complexity
Wireless
44%
CONCLUSION
SPONSORS
5
Sponsored by:
CONTACT
Produced by:
Sensors and Embedded Systems in the Era of the IoT: The Top 7 Challenges and What Engineers Need to Do Today to Succeed
CHALLENGE 4
INTRO
SINGLE-BOARD
COMPUTERS (SBCS)
CHALLENGE 1
The complexity
INTERFACE
BOARDS
SIGNAL
CONDITIONING BOARDS
CHALLENGE 2
The interdisciplinary skills
DATA-ACQUISITION
(DAQ) BOARDS
CHALLENGE 3
The need to understand
datasheets required
DISPLAYS
OFF-THE-SHELF
SOFTWARE
COMPONENTS
CHALLENGE 4
The security issues
SECURITY
CHALLENGE 5
Managing the interfaces
CUSTOM DEVELOPED
SOFTWARE
CUSTOM DEVELOPED
HARDWARE
CHALLENGE 6
The need for analog
IMAGE SENSORS,
CAMERAS, OR
CAMERA MODULES
CHALLENGE 7
The cloud
PROCESSORS
FPGAs
Source:
2015 Sensors
Magazine
Embedded
Survey
MICROCONTROLLERS
Work with
Sponsored by:
CONCLUSION
SPONSORS
CONTACT
Produced by:
Sensors and Embedded Systems in the Era of the IoT: The Top 7 Challenges and What Engineers Need to Do Today to Succeed
CHALLENGE 5
INTRO
HARDWARE
CHALLENGE 1
The complexity
SOFTWARE
CHALLENGE 2
The interdisciplinary skills
BOTH
CHALLENGE 3
The need to understand
datasheets required
CHALLENGE 4
The security issues
CHALLENGE 5
Managing the interfaces
I2C and SPI Interface Samples
CHALLENGE 6
The need for analog
Engineers today not only need to know both hardware and software, they have to understand the
intersection between those two in a way that was not required in the past, said Michael Anderson. Its not
as simple as, Okay, I am going to plug this USB device in and this is going to work. Its really forcing the
issue of engineers having to spend the time to understand how the hardware functions and understand
the timing of the hardware.
7
Sponsored by:
CHALLENGE 7
The cloud
CONCLUSION
SPONSORS
CONTACT
Produced by:
Sensors and Embedded Systems in the Era of the IoT: The Top 7 Challenges and What Engineers Need to Do Today to Succeed
CHALLENGE 6
INTRO
CHALLENGE 1
The complexity
Even for analog engineers, analog is not an easy discipline to grasp; many engineers describe
it as more of an art than science, a kind of engineering black magic.
But since the world is an ugly, noisy, drifty place that sensors interact with, engineers
designing for the IoT are being forced to deal with analogoften when they would prefer
not to.
CHALLENGE 2
The interdisciplinary skills
Unfortunately, analog expertise isnt exactly something an engineer can pick up on the
weekends or by doing a hobby project. Stories routinely circulate about analog engineers
being lured out of retirement to work on projects because of the rarity of their skills.
CHALLENGE 3
The need to understand
datasheets required
This business is demanding more and more of engineers who know the disciplines of
traditional embedded stuff, says Jack Ganssle, an internationally recognized Embedded
Systems Engineer, Author and Speaker.
CHALLENGE 4
The security issues
One of the particular challenges I see today is a consequence of the fact that you can buy a
nice sensor for almost nothing, says Ganssle. Fantastic! But with some of these sensors, you
have to know a fair amount of analog electronics like the use of log amps [a circuit that can
handle large dynamic ranges]. That technology is going to be outside of the comfort zone of
not just about every digital person, but many analog engineers who have never had to deal
with them.
Optical data, since it tends to have a huge dynamic range, is particularly problematic. It
means that an engineer has to do something ugly like log compressions before digitizing the
data, and then may have to do antilogs to restore the range, emphasized Ganssle. To do an
antilog in code is no fun. Its worse when the use of floating point isnt an option, perhaps for
speed constraints or for limited memory.
The situation is exacerbated by the fact that projects today get rushed. Engineers may take
analog data into the processor without being sure of how to process that data or knowing
and understanding the algorithms necessary to extract meaningful information from it (the
exception may be firmware engineers, many of whom are EEs and generally have a good
math background).
CHALLENGE 5
Managing the interfaces
Ganssle points to the fairly simple example of a bathroom scale. How do you know if its
right? Load cells are not always linearwill everyone trying to develop a weight tracking
app worry about that? Some will and some maybe wont, because you have to correct for
that non-linearity in the software. That takes a fair amount of testing, maybe even over a
temperature range. And some sensors need calibration how will the engineers handle
that?
CHALLENGE 6
The need for analog
CHALLENGE 7
The cloud
CONCLUSION
SPONSORS
8
Sponsored by:
CONTACT
Produced by:
Sensors and Embedded Systems in the Era of the IoT: The Top 7 Challenges and What Engineers Need to Do Today to Succeed
CHALLENGE 7
The cloud
When it comes to
connecting to the
Internet, the big issue
that I see is that a lot of
embedded engineers
dont have experience
with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
or even Zigbee, says
Beningo. Its completely
unfamiliar territory that
they are struggling to navigate while at the same time theyre
under pressure to get the product out the door.
For engineers more familiar with embedded systems there
is yet another wrinkle. If you have an unconnected device,
everything happens in the hardware, says Beningo. As soon
as you have a connected component, you have to choose
to do none, or some, or all of the data processing on the
actual device or do the computation and the processing
and analytics in the cloud or some server in your computer
warehouse.
Offloading more processor chores to other parts of the
system frees up designers from having to worry about the
constraints of what often is a little, cheap device. But it does
add a second piece to the puzzle that needs consideration.
Adrian Fernandez, a Microcontroller Customer Experience
Manager at Texas Instruments, sees more choices in where
the processing gets done as a benefit to developers. Lots of
applications rely on the core duty cycle of an MCU, and now
that we have the smarter sensors and the cloud I see it as
more knobs that engineers can turn.
INTRO
ACCELERATION
CHALLENGE 1
The complexity
ACOUSTIC/ULTRASONIC
CHEMICAL/GAS
DISPLACEMENT
CHALLENGE 2
The interdisciplinary skills
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ENCODERS/LVDTS
FLOW
CHALLENGE 3
The need to understand
datasheets required
FORCE/STRAIN/LOAD/TORQUE
HALL EFFECT
INFRARED DETECTORS
CHALLENGE 4
The security issues
LEAK/LEVEL
MAGNETIC
MOISTURE/HUMIDITY
CHALLENGE 5
Managing the interfaces
MOTION/VELOCITY
OPTICAL
PIEZOELECTRIC/RESTRICTIVE
CHALLENGE 6
The need for analog
POSITION/
PRESENCE/PROXIMITY
PRESSURE
RADIATION
CHALLENGE 7
The cloud
SAFETY/SECURITY
SPEED
TEMPERATURE
CONCLUSION
Wireless
VIBRATION
43%
WIRELESS
9
Sponsored by:
SPONSORS
CONTACT
Produced by:
Sensors and Embedded Systems in the Era of the IoT: The Top 7 Challenges and What Engineers Need to Do Today to Succeed
Conclusion
While the IoT will require engineers to pay closer attention to power, analog, and systems connectivity, embedded developers should also consider taking a crash course in
data analytics. It may seem like a stretch, but the amount, type and frequency of data collection and communication directly affects system performance in terms of memory
requirements and power consumption, as well as the type of wired or wireless interface needed. In addition, many organizations struggle with Big Data because it involves
stakeholders across the organization, many of whom may still operate in a siloed fashion. If you can add value to this discussion of the ultimate goals and objectives of a data
analytics initiativeand what data needs to be gathered and how oftenyou go from that person who assembles Lego blocks to give us our data to being seen as strategic data
partner with an end-to-end perspective and with a strong voice in the boardroom.
And as is true for engineers doing any type of designIoT or otherwisecontinuously scan news and information, learning is a lifelong endeavor: Take courses, go to conferences,
scan news and trends, read what you get your hands on in order to keep up with technology advancements, new ways of thinking, and the ever-evolving landscape of standards.
10
CHALLENGE 2
The interdisciplinary skills
CHALLENGE 4
The security issues
7. Hang out with engineers who have done an IoT project before
CHALLENGE 1
The complexity
CHALLENGE 3
The need to understand
datasheets required
INTRO
CHALLENGE 5
Managing the interfaces
CHALLENGE 6
The need for analog
CHALLENGE 7
The cloud
CONCLUSION
SPONSORS
10
Sponsored by:
CONTACT
Produced by:
Sensors and Embedded Systems in the Era of the IoT: The Top 7 Challenges and What Engineers Need to Do Today to Succeed
Sponsored by:
INTRO
ROHM, an industry leader in system LSI, discrete components and module products, leverages the latest semiconductor technologies and
utilizes a streamlined, completely in-house production system to ensure unmatched quality and provide the flexibility to respond to a wide
range of applications requirements in a variety of markets.
2323 Owen Street
Santa Clara, CA 95054
CHALLENGE 1
The complexity
408-720-1900
rohmmarketing@rohmsemiconductor.com
CHALLENGE 2
The interdisciplinary skills
CHALLENGE 3
The need to understand
datasheets required
Kionix, Inc., a ROHM Group Company and a global leader in MEMS inertial sensor manufacturing, offers high-performance, low-power
accelerometers, gyroscopes, and combination sensors along with comprehensive software libraries that support a full range of sensors,
operating systems and hardware platforms in the consumer, automotive, health & fitness, and industrial sectors.
36 Thornwood Drive
Ithaca, NY 14850
CHALLENGE 4
The security issues
408-720-1900
rohmmarketing@rohmsemiconductor.com
CHALLENGE 5
Managing the interfaces
LAPIS Semiconductor, a ROHM Group Company, offers a wide variety of industry-leading IC solutions, from ultra-low-power 8bit/16bit and
ARM-based microcontrollers, communication ICs, speech synthesis ICs, and display drivers to ICs for battery monitoring, communication, and
audio/video applications. Services such as wafer foundry and WL-CSP assembly and testing are also offered.
2323 Owen Street
Santa Clara, CA 95054
CHALLENGE 6
The need for analog
408-720-1900
rohmmarketing@rohmsemiconductor.com
CHALLENGE 7
The cloud
CONCLUSION
SPONSORS
11
Sponsored by:
CONTACT
Process Industries
Aerospace/
Defense/Military
Automotive
Energy
Harvesting
Temperature
Specialty
Markets
Contact:
Chemical/ Gas
MEMS
Mat Dirijsh
Executive Editor
(718) 793-5501 mdirijsh@questex.com
Position/
Presence/
Proximity
Moisture/
Humidity
IoT
Consumer
Electronics /
Appliances
Embedded
Systems
www.sensorsmag.com
Acceleration/
Vibration
Flow
Force/Strain/
Load/Torque
Manufacturing
Instrumental
Control
New!
Healthcare/
Medical Devices/
Pharmacy
Building
Automation
New!
New!
- And more!
Sensors Expo & Conference
new location!
In the heart of
Silicon Valley
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