VDC Research: Embedded Microprocessor, Board & Systems Market Blog

At the Design West – Embedded Systems Conference 2013 – Part 2

In this blog we will continue to provide a few more highlights from the suppliers we spoke to at the 2013 DESIGN WEST / Embedded Systems Conference that was held last week in San Jose.

Small Form Factor Motherboards: At the VersaLogic booth we were shown several of their new small form factor motherboards, including the EBX format Copperhead that is powered by an Intel i7 processor and can support up to 3 independent displays. We also saw their COM Express Mini format Falcon and EPIC format Iguana that are powered by Intel Atom processors. The Iguana boards have a Mini PCIe card socket that allows an OEM to round out its configuration with a wide array of connectivity, storage, and other options. All of the Versalogic products we saw at the show were designed for extremely high reliability in operating temperatures that extend from -40C to +85C, and many of them can be ordered in Class 3 assembly versions for mission critical applications.

Computers-on-Modules (COMs): At the congatec booth we saw the variety of COM product lines they offer including Qseven, COM Express, ETX, and XTX. If customers require high power COMs in passive cooling configurations, congatec has patented spring loaded heatspreader thermal interfaces that pull heat away from chipset components and transfer it to the edge of the module. Depending on the OEM application, many of the congatec Qseven products can be ordered with x86 processors from AMD and Intel or ARM processors from Freescale.

Development Platforms: At the ST Micro booth we visited with Ayla Networks who were demonstrating their proof-of-concept secure M2M cloud connectivity solutions with the STM32 F3 evaluation platforms representing connectivity targets. We expect to hear more from Ayla in the future, and you will likely be reading about them in our blog. At the Texas Instruments booth we were shown the new BeagleBoard Black open-source development platform. This impressive unit sells for only $45, and has a 1 GHz ARM A8 processor, 512MB of DDR3 RAM memory, and an on-board HDMI. The BeagleBoard can be expanded for multiple applications by using BeagleBone “capes”. There were multiple applications highlighted, including a remotely controlled electro-mechanical spider that had been fabricated using 3D printed parts.

Ultra Low Power MCUs: We noted that ST Micro had won an EE Times / EDN ACE Award for its Fully-Depleted Silicon-on-Insulator (FD-SOI) technology that allows devices to run using 20 – 50% less power. On a similar note, Renesas was demonstrating the power sipping ability of its RX111 group of MCUs that can wake up in 4.8us from a sleep mode, where it only consumes 350nA. In addition, the RX111 has 6 safety functions to verify/ensure that the device and supporting circuitry are working properly.

Industrial SATA III SSD: The VDC team met with Innodisc and learned about their new SATA III line of Flash Storage Products targeted at embedded applications in the industrial market.  These Innodisc products use arrays of lower-cost Multi-Layer Cell (MLC) memory chips to duplicate Single-Layer Cell performance and reliability at a significantly lower price point.

Embedded Certainty: At the XMOS booth we learned about their series of MCUs that were designed to remove uncertainty from critical applications. This means that programs can be developed where the signal timing is completely predictable. Roughly stated, the XMOS MCU have removed I/O layers and other elements that create signal latency or processing variables that can affect timing. There are many applications such as digital audio and collision avoidance that can benefit from MCUs with predictable timing.

Embedded Motherboards: As the VDC EHW team is currently in the midst of our supply-side coverage of the embedded motherboard market, we were particularly interested in seeing the two new SuperMicro X9DR products. Both of these units were extremely powerful and can be used in applications that require power-efficient processing of high volumes of data. SuperMicro also sells its products into the traditional IT space and, as such, has some system options that can be attractive to OEMs supporting mission critical applications. These include built in Uninterruptible Power Supply and automatic flash memory backup of system RAM and CPU processes in the event of a power outage.

Stay tuned for part 3 where we will wrap up our observations from the 2013 Design West show. 

At the Design West – Embedded Systems Conference 2013 – Part 1 the Embeddy

Last week, while attending the 2013 DESIGN West/Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose we presented the VDC Research Embeddy Award for the best new embedded hardware product. As part of the selection process the VDC Embedded Hardware team met with more than 30 companies to discuss product announcements and a variety of industry trends impacting the embedded hardware market today. Before we get to the award winner, we will start with a few highlights from some of the suppliers we spoke to at the show.

Connectivity enhanced Microcontrollers: Microchip usually makes several significant embedded hardware announcements at DW/ESC shows and this year was no exception.  VDC was given a detailed briefing on several new connectivity modules that OEMs can use for many applications. If the OEM's product already has a computing element, the new microchip modules are designed to easily integrate the needed Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, MiWi, and/or proprietary network types. If the OEM’s engineers have not settled on a processing element to interface with sensors or product components they might consider the modules that include integrated MCUs. The good news for OEMs is that the selection of any of these Microchip modules will likely eliminate product testing for overall FCC compliance and production test and calibration. Microchip demonstrated how a lighting OEM might integrate these new products in a way that would enable lighting products to be controlled in M2M applications including network based portals and authenticated mobile devices.

Secure M2M: Our next stop at the show was with Icon Labs and they were highlighting a new barrier/firewall device that was well suited for supporting M2M on legacy equipment in industrial applications. The unit we saw was targeted for a market price of ~$1K but included many security elements using Intel Atom processing and embedded software from Icon Labs’ partners including Wind River, ZiLog, McAfee, and Green Hills.

New Rugged Handheld Devices: At our next stop, the VDC EHW team was greeted by the enthusiastic ADLINK team and they had every right to be that way. There were a number of interesting products in many categories.  We were particularly interested in ADLINK’s foray into the enterprise handheld device market with the IMX-9000 which includes barcode reading capability, multiple connectivity protocols all contained in a stylish but rugged enclosure that is said to withstand IP67 and 1.5M drop tests. While at the ADLINK booth, we saw the new Advanced TCA processor blade. The new aTCA-9300 is well suited for media delivery platforms because of the need for scalable processing to deliver content in the needed forms and formats for the transmission and end use by the target device.

Media Processing: As a bit of background, it is not feasible to store content in all forms and formats suitable for delivery to, and use by, the huge numbers of things used to view them. This means that content has to be converted on the fly and that means there is a huge need for embedded processing products to perform these tasks.

ASICs and FPGAs: We received updates on the latest developments in the world of ASICs and FPGAs. We spoke with Altera who divides the majority of the FPGA market with Xilinx.  Altera  provided an update on the SoC FPGA line that was introduced in late 2011. The Cyclone V and Arria V FPGAs incorporate ARM CPU cores with FPGAs to allow OEMs to develop more powerful and flexible product designs while economizing on needed circuit board space.  One advantage that FPGAs normally have over ASICS is that they take less time to design and can be brought into production faster. If design issues are discovered at later stages, they can be corrected faster and at lower cost. The Altera inclusion of ARM cores allows OEM engineers to leverage many development tools that are available for ARM and that theoretically increases the advantages over traditional ASIC processes.

On the ASIC side, we received a briefing by Triad Semiconductor on their ViaASICs  and the associated development toolset ViaDesigner. The goals of these two products is to eliminate the time-to-market and development cost advantages of FPGA products over ASICs. The process works like this. In the semiconductor fab, the wafers are started and arrays of circuits and functional blocks are laid down but not configured and interconnected. These are then stocked until needed. An OEM engineer then uses the development tool that determines how the Triad chip will be configured. The data from that tool is sent to the fab and they create the mask(s) needed to for the next steps in the wafer creation process. The next steps lay down the layers needed for connecting the functional blocks creating a finished product.

New SBCs: Advantech highlighted a new compact design Single Board Computer (SBC) called the MIO-5290 that can be ordered with 3^rd Gen Intel i3 or i7 processors. With its ability to drive 3 independent displays with intense graphics, and the availability to add various I/O modules to customize the product, the MIO-5290 is well suited for many applications such as intelligent signage. The VDC team identified the MIO as one of the finalists in the Embeddy Award selection process.

Another finalist in the Embeddy Award selection process was WinSystems SBC35C series of products that utilize the 800 Mhz Freescale  i.MX 6Q Industrial Processor. There were several things that impressed us. The SBC35C board layout was very well thought out with industrial bus connections all on one side and the other needed connections on the other. The SBC35C can be run with Power over Ethernet (PoE) or a single DC source. The last thing that impressed us was the fact that the WinSystems team was showing their product the proper respect by handling the demo SBC with an anti-static bag. If they do that on the show floor, you can expect that their production and test process is also using similar precautions.

2013 Hardware Embeddy Winner: And now, without further ado, the winner of the VDC Hardware Embeddy award for the 2013 Design West / ESC show was AMD for their new G-Series family of SoC processors that we believe will make a big impact in the embedded hardware market.

Want to win an Award at Design West?

Think your company’s product deserves to win an award?

VDC will be attending the Design West/ESC conference from Tuesday April 23 through Thursday April 25. At the show, we will be presenting our 9th annual Embeddy Awards. The winners will be announced LIVE during Thursday's morning keynote session.

So how can your company win the Embeddy award?

To be considered:

First, fill out this on-line form: http://svy.mk/WU0abA

You must also schedule a meeting with VDC to discuss the announcement that you are making at the show. You can arrange a meeting time with VDC by doing one of the following:

For Hardware related meetings

Contact David Laing, Senior Analyst/Program Manager, M2M Embedded Hardware
Platforms at:

dlaing@vdcresearch.com or
508.653.9000 x146.

For Software and Tools related meetings

Contact Jared Weiner, Analyst, M2M Embedded Software & Tools at:

jweiner@vdcresearch.com or
508.653.9000 x143.

Haven't decided if you're attending DESIGN West yet?

Please check out the DESIGN West website for more information on the conference program as well as information on all of the companies that will be exhibiting. You can also click here to register.

Stay tuned to hear more details about VDC's participation at Design West. (Hint: we will be sharing some recent research on the IoT)

We look forward to seeing you at the show!

The U.S. Approach to Data Privacy is Better for Big Data

Big Data produced by our M2M world (and harvested from its inhabitants) has become immensely valuable in driving innovation, amplifying productivity/efficiency and encouraging growth. Such value cannot bear without compromise, and such is prevalent with globally diverse regulations of data privacy and control. In light of recent European litigation surrounding Google and the “Right to be Forgotten”, the topic has been rekindled in the United States where data privacy is moderated in a much-looser fashion. The U.S., however, is unlikely to adopt stricter measures in the next few years as to not squelch their own interests and recent Big Data investments. This hotly-contested, relaxed approach will pave the way for Big Data innovation and spotlight privacy-conscious businesses.

The U.S. currently has fairly restrictive measures in place regarding the collection and distribution of health and financial data, but few limitations elsewhere like with social data used in precision marketing. The government is unlikely to follow Europe’s path towards safeguarding its citizens for several reasons. For one, several federal agencies (including the National Institute of Health, Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, and the Department of Defense, among others) announced in March 2012 a $200 million investment designed to improve tools and techniques to utilize the mounting piles of data across several scientific disciplines. The U.S. government is on the Big Data bandwagon with aspirations of emulating the various successes of leading early-adopters like Walmart, T-Mobile and Barnes & Noble. Additionally, the U.S. government is unlikely to tighten regulatory control because:

• The current congress is incapable of passing a budget, let alone complex privacy legislation.
• Our maturing millennial generation has shown to be savvier with privacy controls, and is generally more open with personal information. (Just look at Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)
• The lobbyist armies of Google and Facebook continue to grow.
• A widespread lack of comprehensive understanding revolving Big Data persists among individuals, businesses and the government itself.

The relatively relaxed nature of U.S. data privacy regulation will greatly benefit Big Data adoption and maturation. Privacy can be traded for value in the online marketing world, for instance, so that specific offers can be more relevant and useful to consumers based on their individual interests and needs. But no matter the industry, regulatory compliance will always cost businesses money, resources and time that would be otherwise best distributed to R&D, educational workshops/seminars and/or any other business functions. Setting another technical barrier in developing Big Data solutions and use cases could stifle innovation, and would certainly delay or marginalize opportunities for expansion and use. By offloading the bulk of data privacy responsibilities onto the market’s shoulders, OEMs and service providers are able to deliver robust Big Data products leveraging a variety of growing data pools to end users.

Since the U.S. government is doubtful to tighten regulatory control, data privacy can be a highly-influential differentiating factor in attracting or retaining customers to products or services – not just in the United States but from a global perspective as well. Users understand that nothing is for free, but transparency in how data is collected and used can greatly nullify concerns of exploitation and possibly attract new business. The U.S. wants Big Data to grow, and by relinquishing some control to the market they are allowing Big Data to grow on its citizens as well.

 

The Next big Thing in Smart Phones is LITTLE

Last week, Samsung unveiled its latest Galaxy S4 Smartphone. The first wave of news indicated that it would be powered by Samsung’s new 8-core Exynos 5 octa processor.  This is exciting to us because it represents one of the first commercial rollouts of the ARM big.LITTLE technology.  Samsung intends to sell the Exynos 5 to other device makers as well. These types of processors although targeted for use in high-end mobile devices, may find M2M and embedded market traction as well because of the many functions that are included and the technology that balances processor speed and power consumption.

The Exynos 5 octa includes four powerful A-15 cores, each one paired with a subsidiary “energy sipping” A-7 core. The ARM technology allows seamless switching from one core to the other, depending upon the application. This heterogeneous approach allows the Exynos 5 to be as much as 70% more efficient than processors utilizing homogeneous cores.

The use of heterogeneous cores is not new, but other versions we have seen often have required some application design finesse to achieve a balance between energy conservation and performance. ARM’s big.LITTLE architecture, on the other hand, allows software developers to concentrate on the use of the four A-15 cores because the instruction sets for the A-15s and the subsidiary A-7s are the same.

Smartphones are not the only mobile products that can benefit from the big.LITTLE technology and processors such as the Exynos 5 octa. If Samsung or another supplier commit to making these military and/or industrial versions of these devices and to making them available for the extended periods of time that these markets require, we might see them make inroads in areas such as telematics M2M and/or micro unmanned platforms. These small-sized platforms have to operate autonomously for as long as possible, so power available for processing is a precious commodity. As with smartphones, loads on processing in mini unmanned and M2M platform applications can vary significantly, depending on the situation. Therefore, a 70% energy efficiency improvement might become the difference between a successful mission and one that is terminated before reaching its goal.

As this blog is posting, there is some information to suggest that the North American release of the Samsung S4 may not use the Exynos, instead using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600. There are a few possible reasons for this potential processor swap. The first being given is that US carriers are presently more receptive to Qualcomm’s cellular modem technology. We believe that it is also possible that the supply of Exynos 5 octa chips is limited because of wafer fab capacity or yields. Lastly Samsung, like many phone suppliers, keeps each product platform fresh by introducing new derivatives. These incremental upgrades can serve to keep products popular with consumers, thereby maintaining revenue margins for suppliers and cellular providers.

VDC Initiating Coverage on SMARC Embedded COMs

Supplier interviews for VDC’s 2013 Embedded Hardware Service for Embedded Products are currently underway. As a result of a recent SGET (Standardization Group for Embedded Technologies) announcement, we will now be including SMARC as a separate form factor in VDC’s embedded COMs report. SMARC, formerly known as ULP-COM, comprises a Kontron-proposed SGET standard for ultra low power COMs. In 2013, Kontron has announced the release of 3 new SMARC products utilizing one of Freescale, TI, or NVidia ARM-based processors. Somewhat similar in appearance to the DIMM-PC COM form factor which originated with JUMPtec (acquired by Kontron in 2002), SMARC modules are edge-connected rather than pin-connected as are many other COM form factors.

We expect low power computing modules such as SMARC which take advantage of new low power SoC products will find traction in many embedded markets, particularly in M2M applications. OEMs should be very interested in products that can be added to their existing platforms to add M2M functionality. In cases where an OEM’s products were not future-proofed with respect to available space or power supply capacity, being able to add new computing modules that support M2M without costly retrofits can be a huge advantage. In cases where M2M is being designed into a new system, these ultra low power computing modules can add the necessary functionality without having a huge impact on Bill of Material (BoM) costs.

We believe that VDC’s coverage of SMARC and similar embedded devices is of critical importance, both to suppliers of those products as well as to their customers. To put it simply, nobody wants to “bet on the wrong horse.” For an embedded product standard to be successful, it would have to be supported by several suppliers and purchased by a solid and wide customer base. Given any uncertainty, customers and suppliers are more likely to commit their money to proven products and standards, no matter how compelling the new developments might seem from a technology standpoint.

In 2013, VDC will work with both suppliers and their customers to determine which new products and standards are gaining traction and which, if any, product types or standards are losing share. It should be a very interesting year.

Will Cloud Based Virtualization Solve Sony’s PS3 - PS4 Platform Migration?

This week, Sony announced some details for the next generation of the Playstation 3 (PS 3) game system. The new product will be called the Playstation 4 (PS 4) which makes sense because once you build a brand, you do not want to create confusion or disruptions with your customer base. From a technical perspective brand continuity is not as easily accomplished while making significant architecture changes between platform models. This is precisely the issue that Sony could have with the PS 4 because of the changes in embedded processing.

The PS 4 will now be using an x86 64-bit 8-core AMD  Jaguar processor as opposed to the Cell architecture used in the PS 3. In addition, a next generation AMD Radeon GPU will provide 1.84 Teraflops of graphics processing.  This embedded processor shift is attractive for game providers because there is likely to be more x86 programming expertise available than was the case with Cell, and the relative familiarity of the processing and graphics capability should allow more projects to be feasible.

If there is a negative note it is that the change in embedded processing architecture will result in the PS 4 not being directly backward compatible with PS 3 games. In other words, the PS 4 will not be able to locally run the PS 3 game disks. If allowed, the lack of compatibility could add a level of complexity to existing PS 3 owner consumer decisions including:

• Do I have enough physical space and unused TV connection ports for both a PS3 and a PS4?
• If so, will my all-in-one remote be able to operate both of them without a problem?
• If all of my PS 3 games will be obsolete, should I wait to see what the new version of the Microsoft XBOX 360 is like before I migrate to next generation gaming?
• At what point will there be enough new PS 4 games for me to consider abandoning all my favorite PS 3 games?

It is here that Sony’s July, 2012 acquisition of cloud-based virtual gaming supplier Gaikai makes sense because it can be leveraged by Sony to mitigate the backward compatibility issue between PS 3 and PS 4.  The user places a PS 3 game disk in the PS 4. The PS 4 identifies the disk as being legitimate, and acts as an interface between the game player’s activities, the local graphics display and the cloud based processing resources. This cloud based architecture, if it performs well, should mitigate the PS 3 to PS 4 migration problem, but we believe that questions still remain. For example, the business model for revenues for those cloud resources and who actually provide and pays them will be interesting questions.

Lastly, it appears from the PS 4 hardware description that the AMD CPU and GPU selected by Sony will be purchased as separate components. There are significant product design and performance advantages to combining these functions into a single semiconductor die or package. In fact, this was a key product strategy when AMD acquired graphics expert ATI in 2006. For Sony, having a separate GPU may allow a more efficient architecture for the cloud-based PS 3 compatibility and other services.

Have Embedded Computing Systems Found a Home in Consumers’ Homes?

This is not to say that embedded computing products are not already found in the typical home. To be quite clear, embedded microcontrollers are used in almost every new appliance that has any type of display, or has features beyond the lowest cost bare-bones models. Embedded computing modules and integrated systems, however, are generally not found in the home, as they are much more expensive than functionally-comparable consumer products. Furthermore, embedded computing products are usually designed with ruggedized, but aesthetically plain, enclosures. Lastly, embedded computers usually have the minimum hardware required for a given application and offer few, if any, extra bells or whistles like CD-ROM or Blu-Ray burners. For these reasons, one might assume that there was not much chance of embedded computing platforms gaining traction in the consumer market. That is, until now.

As we visited AMD’s booth at last year’s Design/West Embedded System Conference, we noticed that a company called Xi3 was showing a modular computer that utilized AMD processors, called their “5 Series”. Xi3 was demonstrating how these small, but reasonably powerful, modules could be deployed in an array for supercomputing applications, as a ‘data center on a wheels’. Although our impression at the time was that these Xi3 units might not be rugged enough for some military applications, the compact case size and attractive form factor made some of us want to adopt one. As it turns out, we were not alone.

There is buzz from the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that gaming company Valve is taking a financial interest in Xi3, and is considering their modular computers for home use with its products. The Xi3 unit called “Piston” has higher processor power, and is more graphically capable than versions of the Series 5 Xi3 products that we saw in early 2012. With a base model starting at ~$500 and a 240GB SSD version at ~$900, these Xi3 units are priced much higher than similar capacity Xbox360 or Playstation 3 gaming products. On the other hand, though, people used to pay two to three times these prices for the desktop cube computer that Apple rolled out in 2001. These Xi3 products that were originally developed for the embedded market are likely to be a lot more reliable, while still having a sexy design that high end consumers will value.

With server and PC suppliers in many cases looking to expand away from traditional enterprise IT, consumer and SOHO markets by targeting embedded applications, Xi3 shows us that the tables can be turned. It is certainly possible that additional embedded computer suppliers will take some of their powerful and compact platforms and upscale them for the luxury consumer market. This trend could get very interesting.

Sandy Hook & Aurora Theatre - Can Embedded Technology be a Part of the Solution?

In yesterday’s blog we looked at some pretty creepy applications for situational awareness technology. Now, let’s look to how these systems can be employed in a much more socially acceptable manner. In the wake of the Sandy Hook School and Aurora Theatre tragedies, President Obama has made a governmental call to action with a task force being formed to examine every possible solution. Gun control will be considered as well as the NRA’s plan to use more armed guards.  Neither extreme is likely to be a good standalone solution.

Embedded computing could be part of a more optimal solution. Situational awareness technology similar to the signage and Verizon patent could be used as part of surveillance and security systems. In large urban areas, systems that detect and precisely locate gunshots are already being successfully deployed.  When these Gunshot Location (GSL) systems are coupled with remote controlled high definition cameras it is makes it much more likely that a perpetrator can be swiftly apprehended.

In an indoor setting like a school and movie theatre a GSL system would be presented with challenges that they would not have outdoors. The acoustics of walls and hallways will require sophisticated Digital Signal Processing (DSP) capabilities to account for the echoes and make a precise location. If we take the movie theatre into account, there would have to be some feedback of the movie soundtrack back into the GSL system to ignore the gunshots in the movie.

So, would this situational awareness and GSL technology be the complete solution? Unfortunately the answer would be no. What it would be is a mitigating factor allowing in some cases a much more timely response from security and/or law enforcement. The emergency responders would immediately know the identity and location of the threat. It is also possible that a situation could be prevented if the situational awareness presented an actionable alert to security before the shooting starts. Angry shouts, rapid changes in the area population’s mood / emotions could be possible triggers. Camera systems that identify possible guns being carried could also play a part but they would need humans as a backup. Even so, these surveillance systems would have the constant attention that no human could consistently apply over long time periods.

Regardless of the exact details of President Obama’s task force findings and the resulting US government legislation and response that follow, there are a few elements that are certain. Money will be appropriated and visual and acoustic data from widespread camera and microphone installations will need to be tightly integrated to provide the actionable data. Therefore, there will be clear opportunities in 2013 and beyond for embedded component, system and software suppliers. Those suppliers that already are participating in Digital Signage or Digital Security and Surveillance markets will have an advantage but new or innovative technology can easily disrupt the incumbents so complacency is not an option.

That Sign You are Viewing Might Be Looking at You

While doing some research on small form factor embedded computers for our M2M reports, I ran across something I thought was very interesting, and I think you will find it interesting as well. I saw that a recently released Kontron embedded computer targeted at the digital signage market was pre-validated for use with Intel’s AIM Suite software. I thought that it couldn’t be AOL’s Instant Messenger so I wondered what it was. As it turns out, AIM stands for Audience Impression Metric and it uses video from outward facing cameras in the digital signage. By using the AIM software, the material being presented can be changed to improve response.

The keynote speech given by MIT’s Rosalind Picard at this year’s Design East/Embedded System Conference underscored the incredible amount of information that can be automatically generated from a video feed. As part of experiments refining the technology and testing reactions, the MIT media lab installed several of these systems to measure ‘happiness levels’ in several MIT public areas. One of Ms. Picard’s presentation slides showed that facial analysis software can even measure the pulse rate of the people based on minute changes in facial coloration.

How can M2M empowered signage work in practice? First of all, one fear of any company purchasing public advertising is that not enough people will see it to justify the expense. Now, assurances can be made and contracts written based on the number of people that truly look at the signage. Which graphics and message will have the best impact? Now multiple versions can be deployed and based on real time information, all of the signage can be changed to the best versions and possibly changed again when people show they are tired of them. It is even theoretically possible to change the advertisements dynamically in response to the demographics of the people in the vicinity. It could be a simple as adults versus children or more complicated analysis based on personal characteristics and what people are wearing or carrying. Pretty interesting isn’t it and perhaps a little scary?

If this topic is of interest, this previous VDC blog also covered M2M in digital signage.