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The Digitization of Medicine

Posted on October 30, 2013 - 5:28 am by

We read so much these days – including on this blog – about the Internet of Things and intelligent systems. Much of the focus is on “fun things”, liked the smart basketball we wrote about during March Madness (Smarter than the Average Basketball) or on consumer items, like the NEST Themostat. At Critical Link, we tend to get involved in more industrial applications: scientific instrumentation, test and measurement, transportation, communications, aerospace-defense… Most of the applications our SoMs are embedded in are behind the scenes, helping these applications run more efficiently, intelligently, and effectively, but most people don’t experience these applications up close and personal as they do, say, a smartcard swiped to buy a cup of coffee, or – as will increasingly be the case – monitor their health.

Dr. Eric Topol is perhaps the person most closely associated with the digitization of medicine. Last year, his book on the subject, The Creative Destruction of Medicine, was published.

I wasn’t familiar with the book, but I’ve put it on my reading list, since it’s a subject that I find both important and fascinating.

I read about in a piece that Brian Toohey, who’s the head of the Semi-Conductor Industry Association, had a few weeks back in EE Times.

Toohey was writing to stir up interest in the annual SIA Awards Dinner, coming up next week in San Francisco, where Topol will be the keynote speaker.

Not that I’m going to run out to California for the event, and it’s not like this type of event is my exact cup of tea, but it does sound like I’ll be missing an interesting speech:

What if your smartphone could help identify cancer cells in your blood or warn that you’re at risk of an impending heart attack? That’s one of the questions raised by Dr. Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Translational Science …It might sound like the plot of a science fiction movie, but life-saving medical breakthroughs like these are becoming a reality, thanks largely to advances in semiconductor technology. In the coming years, this digital revolution in medicine could have far-reaching and dramatic implications, changing the face of healthcare around the world.

Mobile sensors and advanced processors are also enhancing doctors’ understanding of their patients, leading to more personalized and effective ways to maintain health, detect problems, and treat illness. In our increasingly connected world, where about 6 billion people have access to mobile phones, this individualized healthcare data has the potential to be collected and distributed nearly instantly, resulting in improved care for people of all ages, in every area of the world, who suffer from virtually any disease, from diabetes to Alzheimer’s to breast cancer.

It’s easy (and fun) to get caught up in the gadgets that have come out of the digital revolution, or, as we do at Critical Link, on those industrial-strength applications that most of us aren’t aware of on a day to day basis.  Medicine is one area in which the consumer and the complex are at an intersection that will without a doubt change the way that healthcare is delivered.

When the Information Superhighway was new

Posted on October 23, 2013 - 5:08 am by

I don’t know about you, but most days I can use something to smile about.

A couple of days ago, I came across an article on Gizmodo that includes a link to a Computer Chronicles episode from 1995 in which Stewart Cheifet explores the then-mysterious Information Superhighway.

I’ll confess that I sat through the entire half-hour video, and it’s fascinating from many different points of view. First, there’s the nostalgia element – mentions of Eudora and CompuServe, and the CRT that Stewart uses in the cyber-café.  Then there’s the warning that “the Internet can be a pretty intimidating place”, which seems pretty funny these days, now that everyone from three-year-olds to great-grandparents are able to navigate around pretty well.

Also interesting were the precursors of things to come:

  • Severe Tire Damage as the first band to broadcast on the ‘net. (With warnings that, if a lot of band tried to do this once, there wouldn’t be enough bandwidth to support it.)
  • A section on FTP, where you can “download entire copies of books”, as long as they’re in the public domain.
  • A look at usenet groups, noting that “with thousands of user groups, there’s something for everyone.”
  • And the possibility raised that there may be money to be made on the Internet, which will work better when there’s a secure place to leave your credit card number.

We have all gotten so accustomed to the Internet of Everything, it’s easy to forget the baby-steps on the information superhighway that were being made fewer than twenty years ago.

Remember when they used to say that “the Internet changes everything”?

I think that “they” pretty much had it right.

Anyway, if you want to have some fun on your lunch break, check out the video.

 

Smart Laptop Batteries Are Getting Smarter and Smarter

Posted on October 16, 2013 - 6:18 am by

As I’m sure that all of you engineers out there know, your engineering prowess is very likely to earn you the job of tech support for your family.  In that role, I was recently called upon to come to the rescue of a family member who had managed to spill a glass of wine on the keyboard of his laptop. Ok, so the family member was me, and it was my father, who spilled the wine on my laptop keyboard!

As my family went nuts reaching for paper towels for the mop up, I stayed calm and confidently assured them that this laptop keyboard is designed to safely drain fluids out the bottom, which it did.  I guess it just wasn’t designed for quite so generous a pour.

Anyway, while in the process of dealing with the aftermath (i.e., setting up a new laptop!), I noticed an option for updating the battery’s firmware in my new system. 

Laptop batteries have been on the smart side for a while, in terms of being able to report on the charging level, how much capacity and/or time you have left, and maybe even being able to order a new battery online if yours is beginning to droop. But I hadn’t seen this firmware update option, which would come in handy if a battery problem could be resolved with a firmware patch. Makes sense, but just never thought of updating the firmware in a battery!

Got me wondering what MCU they’re using in there. (Not that I looked all that hard, but I could find a lot of info about the battery. Just not this one piece of information.) Whatever it is, I’m not willing to do a tear-down of a perfectly good new battery to find out, but I’m assuming that the MCU is low power so that the battery “smarts” don’t end up draining the battery to nothing while they’re thinking away.

(For the record, this was a Lenovo x230.)

 

The passing of Ray Dolby

Posted on October 9, 2013 - 5:06 am by

Don’t know if you saw the news, but Ray Dolby, the electrical engineer who brought us surround sound, died a few weeks back.

Because the write up on Dolby’s death by R. Pell in EDN was a bit more technical than others I saw, I’ll quote from it here:

The Dolby system involved both an encoding step, used during recording, and a mirror-image decoding step, used during playback, to reduce noise in audio recordings, as described in a Dolby white paper:

The purpose of encoding is to raise the level of soft, high-frequency passages so they become louder than the tape’s noise. During the trip through the Dolby encoder, loud passages (that hide tape hiss) are not altered. Soft, high-frequency passages (that tape hiss affects) are made louder than normal as they are recorded on the tape. When playing back the tape, [the] loud sounds are left unaltered, while the soft, high-frequency sounds are lowered back down to their original levels…with the noise [that was added during the recording process] automatically getting the same treatment.

The first movie to use Dolby sound?

I wouldn’t have guessed it – it’s a bit before my movie-going time – but it was A Clockwork Orange. Clockwork came out in 1971, and wasn’t exactly the sort of film my folks would have been bringing the kids to see.  As the Dolby audio technology was refined, it gained more traction in movies, and a few years later was used in Close Encounters and Star Wars. (Now we’re talking.)

Personally, my strongest memory of Dolby is its use in the cassette recorders back in the day. I remember quite clearly using the Dolby record and playback capability when, as a kid, I was making recordings. It was a simple but effective concept, which is why it was adopted so widely.

Ray Dolby’s death got quite widespread coverage in the technology, entertainment, business, and general purpose press. To me, this underscores the important role that electrical engineers have played in the latter half of the 20th century, and throughout the opening decades of the 21st century as well.  (Although bio-engineers may end up giving us a run for the money, this is still the EE’s century!)

Admittedly, we’re not all billionaire geniuses, but it still kind of makes me proud when I think of the many contributions that EE’s make to mankind. Our customers are continually bringing breakthrough scientific, medical, manufacturing, and defense products to market, and none of these products would be happening without the work of electrical engineers.

Interestingly, Dolby himself would just have soon been born a century earlier, and is quoted as saying:

“I’ve often thought that I would have made a great 19th century engineer, because I love machinery. I would have liked to have been in a position to make a better steam engine, or to invent the first internal combustion engine; to work on the first car … I just regret that I was born in a time when most [of those types of] mechanical problems had already been solved and what remained were electronic problems.”

The world of movie goers and those who enjoyed cassette recorders is just has glad he held out for solving those “electronic problems.”

 

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I missed this, but Amar Bose, another electrical engineer who was a pioneer when it came to sound, died this past July. I know there’s some overlap in what their respective companies do, but Bose pretty much did for home sound systems what Dolby did for cassette recorders and movie theaters: made for a better listening experience.

 

Coming up: more and more “intelligent systems”. (A bit of market research for you.)

Posted on October 2, 2013 - 6:22 am by

As we work on our product roadmap, I’ve been doing some market research, and came across some especially interesting material from IDC – International Data Corporation, which provides market research in the tech space.  Basically, what they see is that the market for traditional embedded systems will be surpassed, and pretty much taken over by, the market for what they’re calling “intelligent systems.”

My first thought was that the traditional embedded systems that Critical Link’s customers bring to market are pretty darned intelligent – scientific instrumentation, spectroscopy, manufacturing quality… The applications that our “Mity” branded products (including our scientific cameras) are used in are complex. They’re doing computationally rich and interesting work. They’re performing tasks that would take really smart human beings a long time to perform by hand (and with greater accuracy and precision, I might add).

But then I saw IDC’s definition of intelligent systems, which means not just those based on high-performance microprocessors but also with IP connectivity. This does pretty much put our SoMs in the intelligent category. And some of them – like the MitySOM-335x with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth – are pretty much geniuses.

Anyway, for IDC, intelligent systems, which include the Internet of Everything (the Internet of People + the Internet of Things), and machine-to-machine communications, are wildly taking off, with a compound annual growth rate of 24% through 2020. The market is expected to grow from 3.5 billion units this year, to over 5 billion by2017, and 25 billion by 2020. That’s an awful lot of intelligent systems out there…

Also interesting was IDC’s finding that ARM processors are used in roughly one-third of intelligent systems, and Intel based architectures are used in about 10 percent of them.

My key takeaway: Critical Link and our customers are at the heart of this trend, which sure beats being a buggy-whip maker after the Model T Ford was introduced!

 

The IDC press release where most of the info in this post comes from can be found here. Mario Morales is the IDC analyst who closely follows this space, if you’re interested in finding more about what he has to say.

Processing Primer

Posted on September 25, 2013 - 6:46 am by

In a website section called Getting Started with TI Processors, TI has a good general overview piece, Getting to Know Processor Architectures. This is at a pretty high level, but it’s solid, and helps explain the different approaches. The drill down information, not surprisingly, covers TI-specific processors, but overall the information may help you decide which processing option is the right on for your application. As the TI article says:

Selecting the right processor involves more than just estimating performance requirements.

The topics covered:

Microcontrollers (MCUs) are programmable, small in size, and low cost, and TI considers them “ideal for motor control, capacitive touch, measurement, sensing, lighting and energy.” Using an MCU has time-to-market and flexibility advantages over hard-coded approaches.

ARM and general purpose processors (GPP) are also programmable and flexible. ARM in itself is not a processor, but a core that vendors like TI use as building blocks to create a  complete chip-level processor solution around. When combined with DSPs or microcontrollers, they’re used for applications like video and multimedia, as well as industrial applications.

Historically, we’re partial to Digital Signal Processors.  Programmable, flexible, efficient. As TI says: “DSPs are ideal to apply embedded analytics to end-equipments…. DSPs are a great choice when low power, high performance, feature flexibility and time to market are key concerns.” Yep!

TI’s take on Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) is that, given the cost of development and their lack of flexibility – not a great attribute when markets and technology change so rapidly – is that they need to be very carefully thought out. The big advantage of sinking the investment dollars into an ASIC development is the low recurring cost of the IC once it’s complete and verified. Take on ASIC development only when there is no other way to get the job done, or the extremely high volume of the end product warrants the small footprint or low recurring price tag.

Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGAs) “provide performance close to ASICs without the delays and costs associated with respinning an ASIC.” However, TI views them as difficult to work with. We don’t see them in quite the same way, but concur with TI that, “for certain applications, FPGA can be used to complement the DSP.” We offer an optional FPGA on many of our SoMs.

Anyway, I’ve pulled out some of the highlights, but the full TI article is worth a read, especially if you’re new to making decisions about processors.

I did want to point out one thing that’s not mentioned, and that’s microprocessor units (MPUs). The primary difference between MCU and MPU is that the MCU has on-chip memory, and the MPU requires off-chip memory in the board design. MPU’s typically have more horsepower. In their article, what TI is calling a GPP is generally classified as an MPU.

 

 

Embedded Medical Devices: “A hacker’s playground?”

Posted on September 18, 2013 - 5:06 am by

If you watch the series Homeland, you’ll undoubtedly remember that, last season, the vice president of the United States was assassinated when the bad guys acquired the serial number of his pacemaker and caused it to malfunction. (I guess I should have put a spoiler alert in there, but I’m guessing that, if you’re a Homeland fan, you definitely saw the episode.)

While it all seems very futuristic, that future is now, as I was reminded when I saw an article on embedded.com entitled “Implanted medical devices: a hacker’s playground?”

The author – José Fernández Villaseñor –is both a medical doctor and an electrical engineer who works for Freescale, so his perspective is an interesting one.

He relates a story of a hacker who happened to be a diabetic who relied on an insulin pump. Concerned that the device was vulnerable to a malicious hack, he wanted to let the medical and medical device community know that they need to pay more attention to device security.  If a “good” hacker can make his way into a device and start playing with it, a “bad” hacker can, too.  As Fernández Villaseñor writes:

Security is one of the major challenges the healthcare market will face as people’s lives depend on safe and reliable products and services. Little by little, people have grown to accept the idea of wearing devices designed to monitor certain vitals: sport watches, monitoring bracelets, heart rate monitors, activity monitors. These tools offer valuable information, but would not harm an individual if they were to malfunction.

As embedded medical devices become more prevalent, and more sophisticated, the stakes will just   keep getting higher and higher, and security will become more and more of a concern.

From Critical Link’s perspective, we see semiconductor manufacturers preparing for this by offering more and more security type features in their processor ICs. Of course, medical device manufacturers need these features and functions to be in place before OEMs can implement (at least hardware based or assisted) security features. So, it’s a good thing we see the infrastructure being built up so that the security of future medical devices can be improved.

If You’re Around: TI Tech Days

Posted on September 11, 2013 - 6:00 am by

We’ll be participating in some upcoming TI Tech Days, so if you’re going to be there, please swing by and say hello.

We’ve done a number of these Tech Days, and our customers have been pretty positive about them.

This is what TI says about these events:

See the latest cutting-edge analog and digital technologies across a wide range of applications. Hear in-depth insights, receive hands-on training and walk away with samples and discounted tools to help solve your technical design challenges and accelerate your time-to-market.

Technical sessions on a variety of topics: Amplifiers & Data Converters – Digital Signal Processing – Microcontrollers – Wireless Connectivity Solutions – Power Management – Video

What we say about them is that they’re lower key and not as overwhelming as a mega-trade show, so you really get to drill down on topics that interest you and spend quality time with TI folks and vendors like us. Usually our customers describe it as a great use of their time. That’s because the  training that TI provides during these events is focused on making sure that the attendees walk away with new skills and knowledge for solving real-world problems, as opposed to simply hawking the latest products with a day-long sales pitch.

Anyway, here’s where we’ll be over the next couple of months:

Boston (actually, Framingham)  – September 19th

Detroit (Novi) – September 26th

Anaheim – October 30th

Toronto – November 7th

Just drop by during the exhibition times, or give me a holler at tom.catalino@criticallink.com and we can set up a time to meet.

(There are also a couple of Tech Days – Austin (October 10th) and Santa Barbara (October 29th) that don’t have exhibitors, but if you’re in the area may still be of interest and value to you.)

Sign up for these events is free, by the way.

Looking forward to seeing you.

Working with your PCB Manufacturer

Posted on September 4, 2013 - 5:03 am by

One of the principal reasons that developers choose to embed a Critical Link System-on-Module in their applications is to reduce their risk. A big part of that risk is what happens when a board moves from design to manufacture. If it turns out that you have design problems, this can prove very costly, losing you both time and money. It will typically take a month or so to get you from board release to having your assembled board back in your hands for test. If your find that the design was flawed in a major way, it’s back to the drawing board. And another month or so back in manufacture.

As I said, this can all add up in terms of time, and manufacturing costs. (Unfortunately, manufacture of a flawed design costs just as much as a perfect design)

There was an interesting article relating to this topic by Zulki Khan of NexLogic (PCB design and fabrication specialists) on embedded.com. The article provided a set of tips outlining “ways to avoid embedded PCB engineering change orders.” Although Zulki’s list is by no means exhaustive, it’s definitely worth a read.

The first tip is to be careful in your component selection. This is something that Critical Link understands quite well. We’re extremely careful about the components –  ARM processors, DSP’s, FPGA’s, WiFi, software – that go into our SoMs. As are our customers, for whom our SoMs are components.

The second area that Zulki calls out is memory selection, noting that the specs are “ever-changing”, and warns the developers should definitely keep an eye out for DDR4, which will be taking off soon. (I know that we’re keeping an eye on it.)

Moisture sensitivity levels (MSL) are also important to factor in. If not correctly identified, your manufacturer “won’t take the MSL information into account and circuitry will not work properly in the field. This is especially true if MSL levels like 3, 4, or 5 exist. As a result, baking might not be properly performed and moisture might creep in, resulting in ECOs.”

Zulki also has a warning about making sure that you’ve carefully considered your design for test (DFT)test points.

…and the angle at which the probe comes in to touch vias, pads, and other test points.

When DFT has not been allowed for early in the initial design, testing becomes a major issue and ECOs are generated. In some extreme cases, a re-spin is required to address the issue because ECOs may not work.

Paying attention to cooling, heat sinks, and the coefficient of thermal expansion  round out Zulki’s list, which is a good one. However, in our experience, Zulki’s list is really just the tip of the iceberg! Stay tuned for more on this topic.

Crowdfunding Electronics Products

Posted on August 28, 2013 - 5:44 am by

I keep coming back to The Internet of Things, which is not surprising, given that all things seem to be getting smart (at least in a technical sense) in a hurry. One item that recently caught my eye –  the Goji Smart Lock – did so largely because its design resembles the Nest thermometer, which I blogged about earlier. For the most part, what sets the Goji aside from other smart locks is its look and feel. Very slick!

I also found it interesting that Goji is crowdfunding this product on IndieGoGo, where the company raised over $300K – over 2.5 times the $120K they were looking for.Goji Lock

Goji’s not really funding their development here, or a big-splash launch – remember they were only looking for $120K initially. But what they’ve done is pretty smart in terms of using this social-meets-dollars approach to line up their initial customers by offering their funders discounted product. Funders who contributed $235 will get the Smart Lock for $235 – a 15% discount – when it ships in January. And Goji will have some early adopters who are known social types, and who may help out with viral marketing for them.  These efforts can always backfire, but it’s an interesting and smart way to gauge product interest and to spread the word.

While I was on IndieGoGo, I also looked at the other electronics-related ideas looking for money. There were a few RepRap (3D printer) projects; some service offerings, including a few for green disposal of electronics; and one kind of scary product concept that puts a keyboard on your steering wheel.  I didn’t look exhaustively, but didn’t see much that was of the same level of sophistication as Goji.

Interesting, although Critical Link’s world is industrial and scientific applications, we’ve lately been getting occasional inquiries from companies or individuals with consumer product ideas, and a few have looked for funding on IndieGoGo or Kickstarter (also a crowdfunding site, but one where it’s all or nothing: if you don’t make your goal, you don’t get any of the funds). Some of the consumer ideas we’ve seen are intriguing, all have been interesting, and some have been just plain weird. But what they have in common is that they’re all part of The Internet of Things, a universe that will continue to keep growing, with or without crowdfunding.

 

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