On Target: Embedded Systems

Model That MIMO

Wireless networks have been pressed to rapidly evolve as ever greater numbers of subscribers utilize mobile devices to transmit an increasing volume of data. In fact, Cisco projects the number of mobile-connected devices, driven by a combination of personal devices and machine-to-machine (M2M) applications, will exceed the world’s population by the end of this year and that mobile data traffic will expand at a CAGR of 66% through 2017.

Technologies such as Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) and other multiple antenna techniques have emerged in response to this increased demand for wireless network throughput. MIMO systems employ multiple antennas at both the transmitter and receiver end of the communication system. This approach considerably improves performance, providing higher data rates while maintaining spectral efficiency. However, a price paid for these advances is greater system complexity facing embedded engineers tasked with designing the networks.

Accurate design of the wireless communications channel is key to optimizing network system performance. This requires consideration of a large number of variables and is a challenge well suited to software-based modeling tools. VDC Research has spoken with leading suppliers of commercially available modeling tools as we update our coverage of Software and System Lifecycle Management solutions for 2013. These conversations have revealed a growing interest in system design tools within the communications market.

Suppliers are responding to this demand. For example this week, MathWorks announced software enhancements to the Phased Array System Toolbox and SimRF to enable wireless communications and radar system designers to speed up modeling and simulation within the MATLAB and Simulink environments. Going forward, telecommunications engineers will increasingly leverage software and systems modeling tools as they design the complex next-generation networks of tomorrow.

More insight                                     

For immediate access to further investigation and discussion about software and systems modeling tools, please see our 2012 Software & Systems Lifecycle Management Tools Market Intelligence Service. The M2M Embedded Software team at VDC is in the process of updating this research for 2013. The 2013 Software & System Modeling Tools volume will be available in the next couple of weeks. 

Software Takes the Wheel

While embedded software and connectivity proves to be a massive challenge for automotive manufacturers, it also plays an increasingly vital role in providing a safer, more fuel-efficient, and differentiated user driving experience. Automakers are working closely with software developers and solutions providers to expand and improve upon both under-the-hood and in-vehicle applications. Consumer digitization has hit the automobile, and automotive OEMs must look forward with software in mind.

Embedded software continues to enhance the safety and performance of modern vehicles. The steady, widespread adoption of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), each of which controlled by complex real-time embedded systems, bestows consumers such safety functions as adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, emergency brake assist and more. Also, coinciding with the rapid adoption of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and their inherent increased amount of electronic components, software is steadily becoming a more critical  way to achieve higher fuel economy, lower emissions, and improved performance through powertrain optimization and intelligent engine management. Environmental regulations and volatile oil prices will continue to drive the use of software algorithms in engine control.

In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) systems are redefining the driving experience and simultaneously providing a new landscape for OEM differentiation. A number of automotive manufacturers, including Ford, GM, Toyota, and Nissan, have deployed IVI systems in mid- to high- grade models to capitalize on this rising trend. Automobile Magazine’s ‘2012 Car of the Year’ winner, the Tesla Model S, features a 17-inch touchscreen running a Linux-based OS that integrates navigation, communications, cabin controls and vehicle data while providing Wi-Fi or mobile connectivity. IVI systems today may include such functions as GPS/navigation, mobile phone integration, climate control, social networking, DVD playback and more.

VDC investigated the growing value and rate of change of software in automotive technology in our recently published Automotive/Rail/Transportation report from our research service, Strategic Insights 2012: Embedded Software & Tools Market.

Please contact us for more information.

Dude, what did you do in your car?

Data privacy has long been a hot contested topic fought between privacy advocates and governing bodies. The definitions of privacy laws and ownership of data are increasingly challenged as electrical systems today become more sophisticated and accrue more information. In recent years, the automotive industry has provided more kindling for the fire with the installation of event data recorders (EDR) – much like a black box in an aircraft – in most (85+%) new vehicles. Without regulation of these devices, whose presence is generally unknown, everyday drivers are potentially vulnerable to their vehicles’ data being misused by authorities and insurance providers for their own self-interests.

An EDR device is typically the size of a deck of playing cards and is installed as part of the airbag control module – storing data produced by automobile safety systems networked throughout the vehicle in the event of a crash. The EDR was originally installed by auto manufacturers to verify that their airbags had deployed as designed. As these devices matured and collected more data, researchers and automakers were able to refine and improve various safety systems. Devices today are capable of recording several variables in the event of a crash such as: the speed the vehicle was travelling, whether or not the brake was applied, the number of and time between crash events, whether or not the driver was using a safety belt, and more.

It comes as little surprise that this valuable information is making its way into courtrooms, influencing the verdicts of criminal and civil cases. Also unsurprising, insurance agencies are interested in ERD data to learn about your habits and capabilities as a driver to set price quotes and policy parameters. With no federal laws deciding who should have access to black box data, the states were left to develop their own laws surrounding the issue. Today, only 13 states across the country have passed laws governing the ownership of ERD data – leaving 37 states with no rules preventing law enforcement or insurance agencies from obtaining data.

However, the potential for conflict over data reliability and security currently prohibits EDR from regularly standing up in court. Privacy advocates argue that EDR devices are a means to ‘spy on them’ and some have gone as far as to use lockable mechanical covers to block access to their vehicles’ OBD-II ports from which EDR data is typically extracted. Furthermore, they argue that EDR devices effectively violate several amendments of the U.S. Constitution including: the Fourth Amendment (freedom from search and seizure), the Fifth Amendment (privilege against self-incrimination) and the Sixth Amendment (the right of the accused to cross-examine any witnesses testifying against them).

Auto manufacturers and EDR OEMs do have a guiding light in this foray with standards established by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). To be clear, black boxes are not mandatory under NHTSA rules – but as of Sept. 1, 2012, all EDR-equipped light vehicles manufactured in the model year 2013 and beyond must comply. These standards enforce auto manufacturers to disclose all onboard safety-related data recording functions to consumers. Additionally, EDRs must keep a record of 15 discrete variables and be able to withstand a multievent crash. 

Predictions for 2013 are cloudy as ever with changes possibly coming from a variety of authorities. OEMs must prepare to adapt their EDR systems as consumers become more aware of the technology and further regulations are passed. This may involve installing additional components (such as the aforementioned lockable covers), designing more complex recording devices, or even further ruggedization for reliability. Perhaps the data itself will be protected – presenting a possible opportunity for encryption solutions providers like Mocana and Revere Security.

Pending legislation could change the courtroom landscape dramatically. The Motor Vehicle and Highway Safety Improvement Act of 2011, or Mariah’s Act, would make any data in a vehicle’s black box the property of the vehicle’s owner. The bill remains in limbo waiting for approval from the senate since December 2011.

As EDR devices become standard and vehicles are increasingly connected (BMW’s vehicles now come with an EDR that communicates a car’s information to local dealerships for maintenance scheduling), data privacy and ownership will become a hotter topic still. OEMs must remain versatile to address further new or changing requirements presented by either the NHTSA or local states – possibly even the federal government. Just remember that your car will likely have a story to tell the next time (hopefully not!) you get into a fender bender.

 

The Embedded Software Beat

A Q&A with Stefan Skarin, Chief Executive Officer, IAR Systems Group AB.

This interview is the fourth in a series that we look to conduct during the course of 2012 with embedded software solution providers to share their views on their company, products, and state of the market.

VDC was fortunate to catch up with Mr. Skarin in advance of the ARM TechCon where IAR Systems will be announcing and demonstrating new products.

VDC: IAR Systems is a long-time supplier of software development solutions to the embedded market.  Can you briefly introduce the company to our readers?

Skarin: IAR Systems was founded in 1983 and actually launched the world's first C compiler for the 8051 microprocessor. Since, we have grown from a local Swedish company to a global player with ten offices all over the world, and 14,000 customers in all industries. We have developed more C and C++ compilers than any other company in the embedded industry, and I would say we have accumulated a unique understanding of embedded developers’ needs. We are proud to support the market's widest range of architectures, and we are continuously enhancing our products and adding new functionality that we believe developers will benefit from. Our suite of development tools for embedded applications is called IAR Embedded Workbench and provides a complete set of C/C++ compiler and debugger tools.

VDC: What are the challenges engineers face today in designing and developing embedded devices and how are embedded software suppliers responding?

Skarin: Embedded systems are becoming more and more complex, and at the same time the time to market for new products is becoming more and more crucial. These factors create needs for simplified, flexible workflows. Companies are streamlining their development to avoid delays, and of course also to maximize the return on investment. So basically, developers need to get up and running quickly, and work faster, as the same time as their assignments are becoming more complicated. We are aiming to supply tools that are easy to use, while at the same time offer high performance and advanced functionality. To have the ability to reuse code can also help increase productivity. It is also important for software suppliers to simplify integration between tools and systems. Whether or not the supplier is able to offer you technical support when and where you need it, to help you keep production going according to schedule, is of course also a major differentiator.

VDC: Power consumption is a critical design objective for battery operated embedded devices. How do IAR software development solutions help developers improve and manage battery life?

Skarin: This is an area where I believe software suppliers have a major role to play, and we are putting a lot of effort into helping developers minimize power consumption. A couple of years ago, we introduced our innovative Power debugging technology. This technology provides software developers with information about the power consumption in their specific application. The information is coupled to the source code and enables the developers to find any power spikes, and to test and tune the application for power optimization. Earlier this year, we launched the debug probe I-jet, which enables even more refined power measurements.

To have highly optimized code is a great way to minimize power consumption. Our compiler creates extremely compact code that runs fast and saves on the power needed to complete the tasks. We have worked extensively with compiler optimization technology for several years, but we are still able to further tweak this, and are continuously trying to beat our own records.

VDC: Today’s embedded systems have grown increasingly complex and software is coming to define a greater portion of the end product value. What’s your view on the use of modeling tools within the product development lifecycle to help engineering organizations manage this complexity?

Skarin: I believe we will see more of modeling tools as systems keep gaining in complexity. As I mentioned before, it will be even more important for software suppliers to offer extensive possibilities for integration between tools, for example modeling tools. The entire development workflows need to be well-connected and interaction between different tools need to be seamless and easy to work with.

IAR Systems supplies the state machine toolset IAR visualSTATE. It is based on a subset of the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and is used to design, test and implement embedded applications based on state machines.

VDC: In safety critical applications, regulations and compliance requirements are driving the need for increased use of automated test tools to ensure code reliability and quality. How do IAR Systems software development solutions assist developers in meeting regulatory and compliance requirements?

Skarin: We have many customers working with safety-critical applications, mainly within the medical and automotive industries. Our tools comply with industry standards and we use several commercial, and in-house developed test suites to make sure we conform to the standards. IAR Embedded Workbench features automatic checking of MISRA-C rules to ensure compliance during development, and also performs type checking during the linking process and runs extensive diagnostics, which ensures the reliability of the generated code. Our tools are also well integrated with test platforms supplied by companies such as Parasoft, LDRA, PRQA, and VectorCAST.

VDC: If you were to take a look a look into your crystal ball, how do see the opportunities for the embedded software market shaping up for 2013?

Skarin: The number of embedded devices is growing rapidly, and that gives a good potential. For us, the focus is on supplying the tools that the market needs. I see those tools as being able to handle complex applications, while ensuring safety and reliability of the code. The need for low power consumption is of course highly relevant during 2013, and I expect that all software suppliers will need to do even more in this area.

VDC: Thank you Stefan.

Interested in participating in VDC’s “The Embedded Software Beat” series of interviews? Please reach out and let us know.

Stefan Skarin was appointed CEO of Nocom Drift, now IAR Systems Group AB, in 2000 after establishing an outstanding track record of sales and corporate development in the IT software industry. In 2003, Mr. Skarin turned Nocom around from bankruptcy to its best profit in 20 years. He went on to double the company’s profit year over year in both 2004 and 2005, and Nocom became the best share and best IT share at Stockholm Nasdaq. In 2005, he acquired IAR Systems and, in reshaping the focus of IAR Systems as a leading provider of software for programming embedded systems processors, Mr. Skarin made 24 acquisitions and investments in Europe.

Mr. Skarin consistently focuses on achievement. During his first year as CEO of IAR Systems, he grew the company by 22 percent, and the company experienced its best-ever sales year in 2010 across all four regions. In 2011, IAR Systems grew 26 percent and achieved record profits.  This year, IAR Systems boasts the greatest share growth in the IT sector so far in 2012.

Mr. Skarin started his career at Ericson Mobile in 1985 when the Ericson mobile phone was launched. He moved on to Oracle Nordic starting out as the finance director, and then moving on to accomplish an impressive number of sales achievements. He was Finance Director in 1987, and became CEO of Oracle Spain in 1991, where he led a major company restructuring. At 29 years old, Mr. Skarin became the youngest CEO in Oracle when he became CEO of Oracle Eastern Europe in 1992. During his tenure there, he reached the highest quota in the company –22 MUSD – and established Oracle in four countries in Eastern Europe.

After Oracle, Mr. Skarin served as CEO for Interleaf Nordic and then worked as Sales Director at Adobe, where he established Adobe Finland. His successful sales accomplishments resulted in two personal awards for the two biggest global deals in Adobe’s history.

Mr. Skarin has served on the board of the Society for Organizational Learning (SoL) in Sweden for three years, global SoL for two years, and he is a founding member of Academy for Change. Mr. Skarin has also had a number of speaking engagements with organizations including Save the Children International and World Wildlife Fund International in United States, Europe and Asia Pacific.

Is There a Market for Standalone Hypervisors?

The commercial market for mobile virtualization solutions was highly limited even before General Dynamics’ acquisition of Open Kernel Labs last month. Now, with several recent reports indicating that IBM is close to reaching an agreement to buy Red Bend Software, the commercial market may disappear entirely. But is this really that surprising?

For years, suppliers of mobile hypervisors have struggled to effectively communicate the value proposition of their solutions. Initially touted as a technology that can enable reduced bill-of-material costs, mobile virtualization has more recently been evangelized as the way to allow mobile devices to securely support multiple personas. In either case, device manufacturers failed to significantly support either premise – at least in terms of making investments in commercial solutions. As a result, revenues did not scale and leading vendors struggled to realize significant growth.

On the embedded side, the majority of the market is not based on standalone hypervisors. In this segment, virtualization has been primarily instituted as part of a broader runtime platform. Embedded virtualization solutions from vendors such as Green Hills Software, LynuxWorks, SYSGO, and Wind River heavily leverage – and in some cases are completely integrated with – each company’s flagship RTOS platform. Consequently, the success of these vendors has been driven in large part by their solutions’ ability to enable a guest operating system (Android/Linux or Windows, for example) to run alongside an RTOS in a multi-OS environment. Clearly, this value proposition has gained much more traction than the previously described mobile virtualization use cases.

So what do we see as the market moves forward?

According to GD’s press release, OK Labs will deploy its OKL4 Microvisor in secure mobile devices (for civilian, government, and military use) and automotive in-vehicle infotainment systems as part of the GD Broadband business unit – presumably within both internal and commercial opportunities. However, given the historical difficulties in monetizing mobile virtualization, we believe it may be only a matter of time before GD completely internalizes the use of OKL4 technology.

Of course, IBM’s intentions for Red Bend’s virtualization technology have not been publicly discussed, and the storyline is slightly different. Red Bend’s VLX product line (which the company acquired through its 2010 purchase of VirtualLogix) is a small fraction of Red Bend’s total business and is not likely to be the driving factor behind IBM’s interest. A more plausible scenario is that IBM is most focused on Red Bend’s mobile software/device management solutions, which are particularly attractive due to the rapid expansion of the BYOD paradigm. In fact, we suspect that it is possible – perhaps even likely – that IBM has no interest in VLX at all.

All this in mind, we expect that the commercial market for mobile and embedded virtualization solutions will begin to shift more heavily to traditional embedded markets. A large portion of this business will be driven by deployments within device classes utilizing a multi-OS environment in which Android or Windows powers the user interface with an RTOS controlling any critical/deterministic processes. Aside from smaller, specialized vendors such as Real-Time Systems and TenAsys, a majority of these solutions will be integrated runtime platforms as opposed to standalone hypervisor offerings.

VDC will investigate these and other trends in our upcoming report, Virtualization for Mobile & Embedded Systems, from our research service Strategic Insights 2012: Embedded Software & Tools Market. Please contact us for more information.

State of the Market: Android in Embedded

Together with Apple’s iOS, Android has helped to redefine expectations with regard to user interaction and functionality in the smartphone space. The widespread success of Android and iOS are among the major factors contributing to changes in OS strategy on the part of traditional market leaders Nokia (a shift from Symbian to Windows Phone) and Research In Motion (acquisition of QNX Software Systems and shift to a QNX-based platform). Furthermore, the ubiquity of smartphones has begun to impact UI expectations in other devices classes, with interest in utilizing Android to serve these requirements continually mounting.

But while interest in Android beyond smartphones (and tablets) has been widespread, actual deployments of other types of Android-based devices have remained somewhat scarce. 

So where exactly are we today with regard to Android’s penetration in other areas?

According to our recently published report Android in the Embedded Systems Market, less than 5% of all Android-based unit shipments in 2011 were products other than smartphones, tablets, and eReaders. Among those device classes included within these estimates are military communication devices, medical devices, and connected car systems. 

Because of Android’s many pre-integrated components – GPS, wireless radio, camera – the platform is a logical solution for mobile communication devices used by the military. These types of communication devices – such as a wearable rugged computer made by GD Itronix – comprised slightly more than 1% of this market in 2011. Clearly, the use of Android within military communication devices is still in its infancy, with the potential security vulnerabilities associated with an open source platform having contributed to the relatively slow rate of adoption thus far.

When Android was first discussed as a potential fit within non-consumer devices, the medical device market was frequently cited as an area that would benefit from the user interface and graphics capabilities of the platform. Despite this interest, few OEMs have elected to include Android in their designs, and initial uptake has been slow. VDC believes that a reluctance to augment legacy designs to include Android and complications around deploying the platform in devices with real-time requirements have been the primary inhibitors to broader adoption of Android within this market. However, new use cases such as patient entertainment systems continue to emerge.

While the GENIVI Alliance has garnered much of the attention around Linux-based platforms for OEMs’ automotive in-vehicle infotainment  (IVI) platforms, Android-based IVI systems have begun to appear in the form of aftermarket solutions such as the Clarion Mirage (which runs a version of Android 2.2 customized by Wind River.) VDC expects that ongoing investments and relationships between major automotive OEMs and leading IVI solutions providers such as Microsoft and QNX Software Systems is likely to limit the adoption of this platform directly by OEMs. However, low-cost, highly functional aftermarket solutions enabled by Android offer consumers the ability to upgrade from lower-end factory-installed systems that do not take advantage of the latest in IVI innovations.

The strengths of Android make the platform a strong fit in a wide range of product categories. To date, Android has been deployed in devices ranging from televisions and set-top boxes to HMI applications in the industrial space, digital signage solutions, watches, and even ski goggles. As the effectiveness of Android beyond smartphones and tablets becomes more readily accepted, we believe new use cases for Android will continue to emerge and fuel the platform’s growth path.

However, many challenges – such as security, fragmentation, and legal issues – still remain. VDC investigates these and other trends in our recently published report, Android in the Embedded Systems Market, from our research service Strategic Insights 2012: Embedded Software & Tools Market. Please contact us for more information.

Can Google Defend Open Source Software?

As you probably know, Google is currently entrenched in a battle with Oracle over the use of Java in Android. The trial may be only a month old, but the war began with the original suit filed in August 2010 for alleged copyright and patent infringement related to the Java programming language. However, this case is not just about Google defending its use of the technology or simply lining its pockets. The outcome of this trial has the potential to cripple the Android ecosystem and other open source projects as well.

The copyright phase of the trial has the attention of the software community. On May 7, 2012 a jury ruled that Google had violated Oracle’s copyright on 37 APIs, but could not decide if the violation was an acceptable level of fair use. Judge William Alsup of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California has been tasked with ruling on the big question: Can the structure, sequence, and organization (SSO) of an API be covered under copyright law?

If Judge Alsup finds in favor of Google and decides that the SSO of an API cannot be copyrightable, Oracle will be rewarded a maximum of $150,000 in statutory damages for each of the two counts brought against Google.

However, a ruling in the opposing favor would send toxic ripples throughout the software industry. Google would be required to attain a license through Oracle and pay significant royalties so long as they continue to produce Android. Oracle would then have the ability to charge a licensing fee to all Android manufacturers. Whether Android remains free or not is critical not only to phone manufacturers, but to Android’s push into other embedded vertical markets as well. Android developers are already hesitant to venture beyond the smartphone/tablet arena because of the additional engineering work required to extend the Android platform beyond such applications, and licensing/royalty concerns would only amplify that hesitation.

The licensing requirement would resonate throughout open source projects. Regardless if the license is free or not, programmers may potentially steer away from using Java in favor of other programming platforms. Open source platforms like Linux would be in jeopardy because of their use of foreign APIs (portions of Linux APIs duplicate those from commercial software). To top things off, programmers would no longer be able to implement “clean room design” to reverse engineer and replicate software.

This case is far from over as appeals are expected to follow. Google has already moved for a mistrial as a result of the jury’s split verdict over the fair use question, over which Judge Alsup is currently deliberating.  For more information on litigation surrounding Android please see our past blog post: Will Legal Battles Jeopardize Android’s Rise to Dominate the Device Market? Stay tuned as VDC Research continues to follow Oracle v. Google. 

The Embedded Software Beat

A Q&A with John Carbone, Vice President of Marketing, Express Logic

This interview is the first in a series that we look to conduct during the course of 2012 with embedded software solution providers to share views on their company, products, and state of the market.

VDC: Congratulations on the 15 year anniversary for Express Logic in the RTOS business.  Can you briefly introduce the company to our readers?

Carbone: Express Logic is a software company, focused on real-time operating systems (RTOS), related middleware, and development tools for embedded systems. Our ThreadX RTOS was introduced in 1997, and has been deployed in over 1.25 billion electronic products, including HP printers, Apple iPhones, Welch Allyn medical devices, and a host of other well-known products in the consumer, medical and industrial-control areas. Our technology is small, fast, real-time, and easy to use. Our products are licensed with full source code and are 100% royalty-free.

VDC: You recently reported a record banner year for product license sales for 2011. What were the drivers for this success?

Carbone: We believe the biggest factor was the large number of embedded development projects that were “re-activated” from previous suspensions at the onset of the economic downturn. Many companies, both new and repeat customers, funded projects that required an RTOS, and we were fortunate to have been selected by a good number of them, leading to our record revenue for 2011. We saw the beginning of this activity in late 2010, and it continued through 2011 to this day.

Also fueling our record sales in 2011 is the popularity of ARM’s Cortex-M3 and M4 architectures, for which ThreadX is an ideal fit and for which our royalty-free licensing is especially appealing. High-volume manufacturers of smartphones and other handheld devices that use Cortex-M3 and M4 also find our no-royalty licensing a great way to reduce their COGS.

VDC: Express Logic recently expanded the product engineering team in Shanghai, China. What’s the status of the move and what responsibilities will the Shanghai team have?

Carbone: Our engineering team in Shanghai, established during 2011, focuses on networking software. They develop high-performance drivers for our NetX Duo TCP/IP stack, enabling us to support the plethora of Ethernet controllers used in networked devices. The team, made up of university graduate researchers with excellent skills in embedded software development, is managed by our VP of Engineering, who is a native of Shanghai. This gives us a unique ability to interact with the team, and it has led to numerous successful projects even in this short period of time.

VDC: The ThreadX RTOS has been deployed in over a billion devices.  How does ThreadX scale to meet the engineering needs for such a broad spectrum of applications (from printers to cell phones to space probes)?

Carbone: ThreadX is much like a RISC architecture for software. We provide fundamental services, from which more complex operations can be constructed. Like a RISC processor, these services are designed to be extremely fast, so they can be combined and applied to a wide variety of applications without excessive overhead. This makes ThreadX efficient for both small and large requirements, much like RISC processors that now handle virtually all computing requirements in embedded systems.

VDC: The “Build versus Buy” dilemma has been a challenge facing engineering organizations for years.  How has the growing availability of low to no cost open source and other types of RTOS solutions affected the decision to migrate to commercially available and supported OS platforms?

Carbone: Certainly, there are applications that do not warrant an RTOS, but these are at the very low end of functionality, and are generally one-shot solutions for very specific, simple needs. Beyond these opportunities, we believe that a “build” decision is both inefficient and unnecessary, given the wealth of commercial offerings that are available. And, we believe that selection of a “free” or “low-cost” solution simply because of its price is misguided. Studies indicate that the benefits of a product that gets to market faster far outweigh any savings in acquisition cost. Developers should be alarmed by the fact that these same studies show that “free” offerings can slow time to market below the industry average, exposing the development team to the extremely painful and expensive cost of “free.”

The use of quality development tools and RTOS increase the likelihood of product success through faster time to market, greater product quality and reduced support costs. These benefits far outweigh any cost savings from DIY or “free” tools and RTOS use. So, in our opinion, either building in-house or using a “free” or “low-cost” solution, solely based on cost considerations, is unwise. We believe that the investment in selecting and using “the best tools for the job” pays many dividends through the production of better products, brought to market sooner than would be experienced with inferior tools.

More than once, teams, that elected to use low-cost tools due to lack of budget, have returned to us 6-18 months later after experiencing disappointing results. In such instances, the cost these customers incurred, both in extended development and loss of time to market, is incredibly unfortunate.

VDC: If you were to take a look a look into your crystal ball, how do see the opportunities for the embedded software market shaping up for 2012?

Carbone: I fully expect the global economy to continue its recovery, slowly but surely, and with that will come the spending that motivates manufacturing companies to develop new products for these buyers. I’m optimistic about the long-term, and I’m looking forward to another great year for Express Logic.

VDC: Thank you John.

Interested in participating in VDC’s “The Embedded Software Beat” series of interviews? Please reach out and let us know.

Embedded/Real-time Operating System Market - Uneven Growth in 2011 – Slower Growth Expected Over the Forecast Period

In 2011, growth in the market was uneven and the rate of growth below what VDC had forecasted from last year. Suppliers in the market expressed mixed views on the state of the market in 2011 and the challenges they faced during the course of the year.

VDC estimates that the market for embedded/real-time operating systems was greater than $1 billion in 2011, an increase of slightly more that 5% from a revised 2010 estimate. Over the forecast period we expect this market segment to grow at a combined annual rate of less than 6% per year through 2014.

OEMs have been affected by the global economy where companies have reduced staff, yet productivity expectations are increasing – doing more with less. The economic uncertainty tends to drive lower project costs (hardware consolidation, hardware platform choices, free tools and software, etc.) and cause project delays or cancellations.

VDC expects that the fast changing pace of technology and new functionality demands will continue to affect OEM decisions in a move to commercially available software platforms creating growth opportunities.

Our recently published report, Volume 1: Embedded/Real-time Operating Systems, from Track 2 of VDC's Strategic Insights 2012: Embedded Software Market and Tools Market provide additional insight and trends affecting the Embedded/Real-time Operating System market. Please contact us for more information.

 

Telehealth Initiatives Driving Software Stack Requirements in Medical Devices

Mobility has been among the key influencers within the medical device market in recent years, the phenomenon helping to promote the advent of teleheath-related solutions, which rely heavily on care provided away from formal healthcare facilities. The concept of telehealth – which can be broadly defined as the incorporation of telecommunications technologies within health-related services – is expected to become increasingly popular as a means through which to decentralize medical services. More and more, medical professionals in developed regions are relying on patients and other in-home care providers to administer a variety of relatively straightforward services in an effort to reduce the burden on the world’s hospitals. Many of these away-from-hospital services, such as ECG and other patient monitoring systems, utilize telehealth technologies to connect to hospital and doctor’s office networks to enable the transmission and sharing of vital patient records.

Accordingly, VDC has observed that engineers building medical devices have exhibited a greater need for software stack components that enable connectivity and data storage/transmission as compared to engineers developing embedded devices targeting other industries. The figure below displays the six software stack components (in addition to embedded/real-time operating systems) cited most frequently by survey respondents developing a medical device as a requirement for their current development project.

USB, TCP/IP, and other wired/wireless connectivity stacks are essential components that enable vital patient records to be shared with medical professionals in remote locations, while file systems and embedded databases allow for the collection and storage of such data. Considering the sensitive nature of the data collected and transmitted by these devices, the presence of security stacks among the top software requirements is also not a surprise. In fact, VDC expects security stacks to be an increasingly required component in a variety of embedded applications, as the embedded industry as a whole has begun to increase its focus on protecting sensitive data from malicious attacks and other outside threats.

Survey responses also revealed that only 19% of engineers developing a medical device used a commercially licensed operating system and nearly 40% used no formal operating system at all, as compared to 27% and 23%, respectively, when considering all survey respondents. While many less-sophisticated medical devices may never have the necessary power, connectivity, or performance requirements to justify the use of a formal, commercial operating system, VDC expects that the effect of the telehealth trend on additional software stack components required in medical devices will strengthen the demand for commercial OSs. Furthermore, OS vendors with extensive expertise and experience in this space – Green Hills Software, Mentor Graphics, Microsoft, QNX Software, and Wind River, to name a few – are well positioned to increase their revenue streams by leveraging that expertise to enable medical device manufacturers to more easily transition to commercial platforms.

VDC investigates this and other vertical market specific trends from across the embedded landscape in our upcoming report, Vertical Markets & Applications, from our 2011 Embedded Software & Tools Market Intelligence Service. This study will provide an analysis of individual vertical market standards, trends, current and emerging practices, and analysis of select applications within the following vertical markets:

• Automotive/rail/transportation
• Consumer electronics
• Industrial automation
• Medical devices
• Military/aerospace
• Mobile phones
• Office/business automation
• Retail automation
• Telecom/datacom

 

Please contact us for more information.