Embedded World 2024: Trends, Tech, and Trailblazers

Embedded World 2024, held at Nuremberg Messe from April 8 to 11, was a brilliant event for all engineers, designers, and researchers involved in embedded systems. 

With almost a thousand exhibitors and a huge schedule of related events, Embedded World has really lived up to its reputation of showcasing the industry's cutting-edge. 

Wevolver team members took the chance to meet engineers from all over the world. Here are some of the highlights. 

OKdo: LLMs at the edge. 

At Embedded World 2024, OKdo - a key player in single-board computing and IoT solutions -  showcased its significant advancements in industrial computing technologies. One of the highlights was the display from LiquidAI. Liquid AI is developing a new generation of AI foundation models built from first principles - going beyond generative pre-trained Transformers (GPTs). Liquid neural net technologies unlock efficiency, robustness, explainability, and state-of-the-art performance. Generative AI on the edge (for example on a Raspberry Pi 5 or Rock 5a) becomes possible. 

The OKdo Embedded World stand. Credit: OKdo.

Enabling cutting-edge PCB design

Altium, a PCB design software company,  introduced its new enterprise-grade system, Electronics Lifecycle Management (ELM), a system for enterprise-level hardware design and development, which was a featured presentation in the Exhibit Hall. The booth experience also featured live demos of solutions, including Altium Designer, Altium 365, Nexar API, and Octopart. Altium is transforming electronic development by allowing anyone in the electronics industry to connect with team members and partners and with solutions and data to work more productively. 

“Altium is uniquely positioned to reshape the future of electronics development and production. We were extremely excited to share our vision of a transformed industry ― which is fast becoming a reality ― with the world’s leaders in embedded technology at Embedded World 2024.” – VP Enterprise Marketing, Altium, Naomi Hamels 

See Altium in action below: 

Exploring NXP's advancements in motor control and TSN communication 

At Embedded World 2024, NXP showcased advancements in smart edge technologies aimed at improving device automation and connectivity. They introduced new technologies and products for various markets, including automotive, industrial, and smart home sectors. Demonstrations highlighted NXP's solutions for software-defined vehicles, smart home interoperability, and industrial automation. The event also featured expert-led tours and demonstrations exploring AI, edge computing, and more.

The latest in automotive local dimming control with Synaptics

AT EW 2024, Synaptics launched its Astra platform of AI-native embedded processors designed to enhance the capabilities of Internet of Things (IoT) devices. This platform focuses on providing multi-modal, AI-enabled microprocessors (MPUs) and microcontrollers (MCUs) that are optimized for power efficiency and high performance. Astra supports a unified software experience across various operating systems and includes an adaptive AI framework, which facilitates the integration of AI into devices. It also offers robust connectivity solutions, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and is designed to help developers easily incorporate AI features into their products.

During our visit, we also got to see their SmartBridge technology live. This advanced automotive display processor is a local dimming IC that supports large, high-contrast, high-resolution automotive LCDs while consuming lower overall power and cost. SmartBridge can handle up to 30-inch displays and 6k resolutions. It leverages a proprietary algorithm to analyze incoming images and control the brightness of each LED in the array. 

Code reading with MVTec Software

At the Embedded World 2024, MVTec Software showcased its extensive portfolio of machine vision software, prominently featuring their products HALCON and MERLIC. These products are designed to integrate seamlessly with various hardware configurations, supporting a broad spectrum of operating systems, AI accelerators, CPUs, and embedded boards. The company emphasized the adaptability of their software to different industrial needs, making it suitable for smart cameras, sensors, and other embedded vision applications.

MVTec's presentation revolved around the theme "Embedded Vision = YOUR Hardware + OUR Software," underscoring the customizable nature of their solutions to enhance hardware capabilities with sophisticated vision software. This approach not only facilitates enhanced performance and compatibility across different machine vision standards like GigE Vision, GenICam, and USB3 Vision but also promotes quicker time-to-market for products developed using their systems. The technologies highlighted include advanced features for code reading, optical character recognition (Deep OCR), and deep learning applications such as anomaly detection.

The 2024 State of Edge AI Report

At Embedded World we were thrilled to share the 2024 State of Edge AI Report with you.  This report represents months of hard work, research, and dedication to exploring the dynamic world of Edge AI applications across industries.

Report Highlights:

#1: Industry-specific insights– Each industry is covered by a dedicated chapter that provides industry-specific insights, descriptions, and examples. ,

#2: Real-life case studies – Get comprehensive insights from featured sections of real-world case studies. 

#3: A look into the future - The report also provides a peek into the exciting generative AI technology and its convergence with edge computing before delving into the challenges still hindering Edge AI today.

We hope you download the report below!