ESC preview: Connected devices, security & telehealth

9/18/2011 10:28 AM EDT

ESC Boston is coming up next week (Sept. 26-29) and if you're involved in developing Internet-connected embedded systems it offers plenty of sessions and events that you won't want to miss. Here are some highlights:

Networking & Connectivity
Embedding TCP/IP, the Implementation Challenges: Describes TCP/IP processes using demos and examples on a real platform running an application using a TCP/IP stack, a local Ethernet network and analysis tools on a PC.

Embedded IPv6 Ready or Not, Here it Comes: Technical details of IPv6 in relation to traditional IPv4 networking; new requirements and standards; how to add and support IPv6 at a system level and at an application level; suggestions on how to become more oriented with IPv6 networks.

Connectivity Solutions featuring USB and Ethernet: 60-Minute Sponsored Training

Embedding USB, Working Through Challenges and Limitations: Addresses the question of which USB class to use in relation to the major Operating Systems. Performance analysis is important as it is put in relation to the Time-share nature of the USB bus.

Looking Inside the Blackberry Bold 9900 and Discussion on the Future of NFC: A live teardown on one of RIM’s newest Blackberry handsets that will reveal RIM’s design decisions, as they attempt to compete with Apple, and will also explore the adoption of a new technology - NFC - that could alter the landscape of cellular use for the future.

Wireless Solutions for Embedded Design : 60-Minute Sponsored Training

Low Power DSP Uses in Connected Audio Applications: Overview of how certain algorithms and software can improve the user experience in connected audio applications (USB & Bluetooth); provides an example on how to meet those system-level challenges.

USB 3 - An Introduction for Embedded Software Developers: The history and internal operation of USB will be reprised in detail. Then, the changes and enhancements that come along with USB 3 will be reviewed.

Best Practices in Designing Low Power Embedded Systems: Focus on the power management architecture verification experiences of Wireless SoCs and specifically on the tasks for validating a power managed ARM Cortex A-8 core used in SoCs targeted for mobile segment.

Smart Energy Monitoring, Metering and Control: 60-Minute Sponsored Training

Wireless Development with the RF-enabled eZ430-Chronos Watch from MSP430: This lab will walk developers through realizing a sub-GHz network using the eZ430-Chronos watch empowered with TI’s SimpliciTI wireless protocol.

Embedded Security
Modern Network Security Protocols for Embedded Systems: An overview of the latest and most important cryptographic algorithms and protocols, the implications of their use in constrained embedded systems, and loads of other useful advice regarding performance, power consumption, footprint, and key management.

Embedded Design in a Black Hat World: Attacks on Embedded Systems are Spreading — Know Your Options: Security strategies to manage risk in embedded design, including the security ecosystem in the embedded world; new attack classes in hardware and software; upgrades and connectivity; the evolution of security for connected devices; evolving counterstrategies; the realities of embedded design that hinder or help address security issues; and lessons learned from the PC ecosystem and more.

Secure by Design: an integrated development approach for secure systems: The security analysis profile enables reasoning in designing cyberphysical systems during the requirements and design phases of development and provides a more formal environment for thinking about, planning, and implementing security features in systems.

Strong Encryption and Correct Design are not Enough: Protecting Your Secure System from Side Channel Attacks: Power analysis can be used to observe the internal functions of an unsecured device and extract the secret key. Data from a real implementation is analyzed to show how the key is systematically extracted. Methods to defeat power analysis and timing attacks are also presented to help engineers build systems protected from these attacks.

Medical Electronics
Revolutionizing Medical Device Design: Will discuss specific areas that show promise for medical devices, including wearable or minimally invasive monitoring devices, medical imaging, laboratory instrumentation, and the data communication from these devices and instruments to healthcare providers and caregivers.

Building a Mobile Health App? Complying with FDA Medical Device Regulations: A guide through the evolving FDA regulation of mobile health applications; who needs to comply, how to comply, and how long it takes to do so; the different classifications of medical devices (Class 1, 2 and 3) and the cost of registering your product with the FDA, if needed.

The Changing Face of the Medical Field Courtesy of Wireless Technologies: Examines the vital role that wireless technologies play in advancing new capabilities in the telehealth and telemedicine markets.

ZigBee Health and Wellness Wireless Monitoring and Sensing Solutions for Telehealth: Reviews the telehealth market potential, offers a basic foundation for wireless sensing, includes a list of potential applications, explains why the ZigBee standard-based wireless protocol is best-suited for these applications, and provides information on preferred system functionality.

Freescale makes it LIBERATING: Featuring the VGo robot in the role of a telepresent doctor providing a diagnosis from data received from a blood glucose meter and blood pressure cuff wirelessly communicating with Freescale's i.MX28 empowered Home Health Hub Reference Design.

Introduction to Personal Medical Devices: Describes the principles behind a few personal medical devices like digital thermometers, blood pressure monitors, glucose meters and pulse oximeters; an overview of the physics and biology driving the architectures for each of these systems; the key specifications for the signal chain; description of the integrated circuits addressing each of these solutions.

Embedded Operating Systems
Android's Open Accessory Kit: The Android Open Accessory Kit is an Arduino-based platform (and now MicroChip-based) for connecting your Android device to things in the physical world. But, how does it work? What can you interface to? And, how does this play into the Android at Home platform? Come to this presentation and find out.

Easily Create a Custom Embedded Linux for Your Embedded Device – on Any Architecture!: Complete overview of the Yocto Project, an open source collaboration project that provides templates, tools and methods to help you create custom Linux-based systems for embedded products regardless of the hardware architecture.

Optimizing Android Apps for Intel Architecture: Pros and cons of using NDK and how to port native libraries using x86 NDK. The tips & tricks of tuning applications for optimum performance for Intel® Architecture based platforms.

Android Jumpstart: Covers what types of applications can benefit most from Android, how to adapt it for use in non-cell-phone hardware, basic programming techniques, how to implement device drivers and native applications under Android, and numerous programming examples and demonstrations.

Android Variants, Hacks, Tricks and Resources: An overview of 3rd party projects, resources, tools, etc. that embedded developers may want to look at if they intend to build Android-based embedded systems.

Embedded Android Lab: Half-day tutorial.

Miscellaneous
Mobile Applications for Geeks: Presented by Karen Field, who in addition to heading up content strategy and vision for UBM Electronics, is currently focusing on mobile apps, K-12 STEM initiatives, and the creation of new professional networking experiences for design engineers.

Kinect Teardown and Giveaway: A teardown and inside look at the Kinect for Xbox 360.

Comments, questions or suggestions? Email me at rich.pell@verizon.net.