If you&rsquo;re developing an IoT device, odds are that you want it to do some valuable computations to solve an important problem. Maybe you want to <a href="https://www.mistywest.com/posts/5-reasons-to-use-an-iot-framework/" target="_blank">deploy sensors in remote locations</a>, develop a device that can perform data analytics to monitor a renewable energy source, or build a medical device that can use computer vision to detect early signs of an illness.Whatever you&rsquo;re building, at some point you may start to wonder: should your device perform these important computations in the cloud or at the edge? Choosing between computing on the cloud or on the edge is a decision that can impact things like your device&rsquo;s cost or efficiency &ndash; and no one wants to make the wrong decision initially and spend time and money later down the line to pivot to the correct one.&nbsp;We asked some of our experienced engineers what they think someone needs to consider when choosing between computing in the cloud or on the edge.&nbsp;<h2>What is cloud computing?</h2>The &ldquo;cloud&rdquo; refers to the collection of servers that can be accessed over the internet &ndash; popular <a href="https://www.mistywest.com/posts/azure-vs-aws-which-iot-framework-is-right-for-you/" target="_blank">cloud providers include Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure</a>, and Google Cloud.&nbsp;These servers can provide on-demand computing resources to store and process data. You can think of the cloud as a centralized location for your files and programs, and you can connect any device to the cloud to access them. Services like Dropbox or Google Drive are some of the many cloud-based services out there.&nbsp;<img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest_Edge_Vs_Cloud-03.png" alt="" width="100%" height="auto" srcset="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest_Edge_Vs_Cloud-03.png 1360w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest_Edge_Vs_Cloud-03-300x155.png 300w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest_Edge_Vs_Cloud-03-1024x528.png 1024w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest_Edge_Vs_Cloud-03-768x396.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1360px) 100vw, 1360px" class="fr-fic fr-dii">&nbsp;Cloud computing describes the idea of performing computations in the cloud. These computations can include data analysis and visualization, computer vision and machine learning. An example of cloud computing in action is when your average smart home speaker sends your audio input to the cloud where it is interpreted by algorithms and sends back a response. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>What is edge computing?</h2><a href="https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2022/01/05/difference-between-cloud-and-edge-computing/#:~:text=The%20main%20difference%20between%20cloud,deploy%20them%20at%20the%20edge" target="_blank">The edge describes the &ldquo;edge&rdquo; of the network.&nbsp;</a>It includes devices that are an entry/exit point to the cloud, but are not part of the cloud itself. For example, a server in a data centre is part of the cloud; your smartphone and router that connects to that server is part of the edge.&nbsp;&nbsp;<img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest_Edge_Vs_Cloud-02.png" alt="" width="100%" height="auto" srcset="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest_Edge_Vs_Cloud-02.png 1360w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest_Edge_Vs_Cloud-02-300x155.png 300w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest_Edge_Vs_Cloud-02-1024x528.png 1024w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest_Edge_Vs_Cloud-02-768x396.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1360px) 100vw, 1360px" class="fr-fic fr-dii">&nbsp;Edge computing describes the idea of performing computations on the edge. This way, the processing is done closer to or at the location where the data is collected or acted upon.An example of an edge computing process is object detection on an autonomous vehicle. The vehicle processes data from its sensors and uses the results to avoid obstacles. Unlike your smart home speaker, the data it collects is processed locally, rather than sending it to the cloud.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h1>Key Considerations</h1>There are a couple of key questions to consider when choosing between the edge and cloud computing.&nbsp;<h2>What is the quality of your device&rsquo;s network?</h2>Performing computations on the cloud can work well when you have high-bandwidth, low-latency, and stable connection to the internet, as you will be needing to send your data back and forth between cloud servers and your device. If your device is intended to be used, for instance, in a home or office with a good internet connection, this back and forth can be done relatively seamlessly.&nbsp;In most cases, if the computation is done on the edge, it won&rsquo;t be affected by poor or lost internet connection in a remote location; the processing can continue since it is not computed in the cloud. You wouldn&rsquo;t want your vehicle&rsquo;s object detection to stop working while on a long road trip; that&rsquo;s one of the reasons why autonomous vehicles frequently perform computations like object detection on the edge.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>How quick and how often does your data need to be processed?</h2>Edge computing can be ideal in cases where your customer needs response times from your device to be faster than what can be achieved with a decent network connection, such as monitoring vital components of a system. The latency from travel-time between the device and the cloud can be reduced or eliminated completely. As a result, the data can be processed right away. If the data processing itself is quick, you could achieve real-time responses from your device.&nbsp;Cloud computing is beneficial when device use is intermittent. Smart homes devices are a good example of this again, where running computations in the cloud lets you share the same computing resources between multiple customers. This reduces costs by avoiding the need to provision your device with upgraded hardware to run the data processing.&nbsp;&nbsp;<img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest_Edge_Vs_Cloud-05.png" alt="" width="100%" height="auto" srcset="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest_Edge_Vs_Cloud-05.png 1360w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest_Edge_Vs_Cloud-05-300x155.png 300w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest_Edge_Vs_Cloud-05-1024x528.png 1024w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest_Edge_Vs_Cloud-05-768x396.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1360px) 100vw, 1360px" class="fr-fic fr-dii">&nbsp;<h2>What part of your data is important to you?</h2>Computing on the edge is useful if you only care about the result of your data after it has been processed. You can send only what is important to store in the long-term in the cloud, and doing so will allow you to reduce the cost of storing and processing data in the cloud. For example, if you are creating a traffic surveillance device that needs to report levels of congestion on a road, you could preprocess the videos on the edge&ndash;Instead of running hours of raw video in the cloud&ndash;and only send images or clips of the traffic when traffic is present.It&rsquo;s possible you need to keep the data to <a href="https://www.mistywest.com/posts/improving-dataset-creation-for-machine-learning/" target="_blank">build out your machine learning dataset</a>, or you plan on analyzing the raw data in other ways in the future. If you are already sending your raw data to the cloud, it may be ideal to perform calculations in the cloud as well.&nbsp;<h2>What are your device&rsquo;s power and size limitations?</h2>If you expect your device will be restricted in power and size, given that it has a good network connection, sending the computing work to be done on the cloud will allow your device to remain small and low-power. Google Home and Amazon Alexa, for example, will capture the audio and send it to the cloud for processing, allowing complex computations to be run on the audio that would not be possible to run on the small computers inside the devices themselves.&nbsp;<img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest_Edge_Vs_Cloud-04.png" alt="" width="100%" height="auto" srcset="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest_Edge_Vs_Cloud-04.png 1360w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest_Edge_Vs_Cloud-04-300x155.png 300w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest_Edge_Vs_Cloud-04-1024x528.png 1024w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest_Edge_Vs_Cloud-04-768x396.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1360px) 100vw, 1360px" class="fr-fic fr-dii">&nbsp;<h2>Is your data processing model your Intellectual Property?</h2>If you are making a consumer device and the method you are using to process data is part of your Intellectual Property (IP), you may need to consider how you plan to protect it. Putting your IP on your device without a robust security plan can leave it vulnerable to hacks. If you don&rsquo;t have the knowledge or resources to secure your IP on the edge, it may be best to leave it on the cloud, which already has security measures in place.&nbsp;<a data-rel="lightbox-image-0" data-rl_caption="" data-rl_title="" href="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest-Cloud-Vs-Edge-FlowChart-01.jpg" target="_blank" title=""><img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest-Cloud-Vs-Edge-FlowChart-01.jpg" alt="" width="100%" height="auto" srcset="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest-Cloud-Vs-Edge-FlowChart-01.jpg 1801w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest-Cloud-Vs-Edge-FlowChart-01-275x300.jpg 275w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest-Cloud-Vs-Edge-FlowChart-01-938x1024.jpg 938w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest-Cloud-Vs-Edge-FlowChart-01-768x839.jpg 768w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MistyWest-Cloud-Vs-Edge-FlowChart-01-1406x1536.jpg 1406w" sizes="(max-width: 1801px) 100vw, 1801px" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></a>&nbsp;<h2>Some final considerations for choosing between edge and cloud computing</h2>There are quite a few things to consider when choosing between computing on the edge or in the cloud. In complex problems, you may benefit from using a combination of both, by leaving some parts of your processing on the edge and the rest on the cloud.We created the above flow chart to help guide you through which path you should take, but there may always be more to consider for your device, depending on how complex your use case is.&nbsp; This article was originally written by Amanda Luu, former Product Design Engineer Coop at MistyWest,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mistywest.com/posts/edge-vs-cloud-computing-which-solution-is-better-for-your-connected-device/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">for the MistyWest blog</a>.

Choosing between computing on the cloud or on the edge is a decision that can impact things like your device’s cost or efficiency. Here’s how you can ensure you make the right decision early on in your product development roadmap.

Edge Vs. Cloud Computing: Which Solution Is Better For Your Connected Device?

Electric machinery parts manufacturing in industry 

This guide delves into DFM's principles, implementation process, impacts, and challenges, aiming to provide readers with a comprehensive understanding of this integral concept.

Enhancing Industrial Processes through Design for Manufacturing: A Comprehensive Guide

<h2 id="isPasted">Introduction</h2>The 21st century has seen a rapid advancement in semiconductor technology, leading to the development of highly complex electronic devices and systems. Engineers today face the challenge of delivering high levels of performance and functionality within increasingly restrictive size and power constraints. Moreover, with a rising global focus on minimizing energy costs and gas emissions, the cost and power requirements of electronic devices will only become more demanding. Therefore, engineers and designers must have an in-depth understanding of the devices and components they are utilizing to build complex systems.&nbsp;Currently, a number of manufacturers around the globe offer discrete semiconductor device technologies with features suitable for wide-ranging applications. However, there is a gap between the technical specifications of these devices, their behaviours and operating principles and the knowledge and understanding of the engineers who use them. This know-how is imperative for engineers today to achieve the high-efficiency standards set by consumers.&nbsp;Nexperia, a global producer of essential semiconductor devices, recognizes these design challenges, and aims to address them by providing engineers and designers with a greater understanding of their products and solutions. They are doing this by developing a comprehensive library of advanced support tools comprising of improved simulation models, interactive application notes, video resources and handbooks[1]. Nexperia&rsquo;s aim is to facilitate engineers while using its products in their designs to achieve a higher level of efficiently, reduced costs and faster time to market.<h2>Precision Electrothermal Models</h2>Compared to integrated circuit (IC) components, board level discrete power devices are typically manufactured with very limited modelling data. These models are simulated using a few device parameters covering only typical temperatures and do not provide an in-depth analysis of the device&rsquo;s behaviour at extended temperature ranges. When designing more complex systems, engineers are therefore, forced to resort to their experience or estimation to analyse device performance in wider case scenarios.&nbsp;Data regarding characteristics like electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is often completely overlooked. This means that critical weaknesses and flaws in electromagnetic interference and compatibility are sometimes only revealed after complete product design and testing. As a result, companies have to do costly and time consuming debugging and redesigning late in the product design cycle.To solve this issue, Nexperia has released highly comprehensive Electrothermal models for its power MOSFETs[2,3]. These models were developed in close collaboration with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) with focus on their application specific requirements regarding modelling data. The models provide engineers with the thermal and electrical interdependency data of all device parameters simulated across a large operating temperature range of -55 &deg;C to 175 &deg;C.&nbsp;The electrothermal models also include reverse diode recovery time and better estimations of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) performance. The EMC modelling of devices is especially important, as EMC performance cannot be tested until a device is fully manufactured. Without simulation data, engineers would have to completely redesign a product if it does not meet the specified EMC criteria. Accurate models representing EMC and reverse diode recovery time allow engineers to build more complex systems, save valuable design time, and lower the risk of re-design costs.&nbsp;Nexperia&rsquo;s advanced electrothermal models allow devices to be simulated under all possible thermal and electrical conditions that will be encountered in their applied use. Consequently, engineers can design products and systems with complete confidence of their end operation.<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GS-mlkSKcRc??list=TLGGURexvjFQ50QyMTA0MjAyMw&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe><h2>Quick Learning Videos</h2>Another unique support tool offered by Nexperia is a compilation of &ldquo;Quick Learning Videos&rdquo;[4]. As the name suggests, the videos are created to provide users with quick and easy understanding of the principles behind Nexperia products. The videos are designed in the traditional chalkboard style to make learning more convenient and informal and can be used by professional engineers and amateur designers alike to get a head start in creating new products.The videos encompass a range of topics from basics like the correct method of interpreting a device datasheet, selecting the right power MOSFET for a specific application as well as more advanced topics such as the design considerations for sub-milliohm MOSFETs, evaluation of switching performances and connecting various devices to the power MOSFETs. The videos feature Nexperia&rsquo;s own community of engineers and designers who guide the audience on insights regarding its products and best practices of designing and testing.Although the videos focus on Nexperia&rsquo;s products, however, they are a valuable resource for anyone hoping to learn about power MOSFET design. They also prove to be an effective tool in introducing Nexperia&rsquo;s products and solutions to customers worldwide and help them understand which applications they are best suited for.<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GFVde4Nayqw?&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe><h2>Interactive Application Notes</h2>Analysing extensive datasheets to work out the operating parameters of a device is familiar for electronics engineers. Nexperia has transformed this previously often tedious activity by introducing interactive application notes. This novel approach allows engineers to use embedded Cloud-based simulations and see the behavior of the company&rsquo;s Power MOSFETs[5].&nbsp;Users can open an application note and view a component&rsquo;s simulation simply by clicking on it. From there, users can open the schematics of the design and play around with different device parameters. The notes are designed to aid in modelling any physical system comprising electrical, mechanical, electromechanical, thermal or pneumatic components. They also provide guidelines on how to employ various power designs and topologies leading to design optimization, faster prototyping and a greater degree of design validation before moving on to the manufacturing stage.&nbsp;<h2>Engineer&rsquo;s Handbook</h2>Perhaps the largest and most comprehensive resource provided by Nexperia is its Engineer&rsquo;s handbook [6]. It is designed to provide up-to-date information to professional engineers using a collection of technical data and application notes. The handbook is a &ldquo;go to&rdquo; resource for engineers tasked with integrating MOSFETs and GaN FETs into real-world systems, already appearing on the workstations of tens of thousands of engineers, and rated 4.8 out of 5 stars by readers.Through the handbook, Nexperia shares the expertise and knowledge gathered by its engineers through decades of assisting customers in building their applications through the initial stages of prototyping all the way to end production. The handbook investigates issues and challenges an engineer typically faces when dealing with complex designs using MOSFETs and Power GaN FETs. Coming from the perspective of veteran engineers who have had hands-on experience with these devices, the book serves as a guide that is more helpful than any publication written from a purely theoretical or academic point of view.The MOSFET and GaN FET <a href="https://efficiencywins.nexperia.com/efficient-products/nexperia-design-engineers-guides.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Engineers&rsquo; Handbook</a> features in a library of Design Engineers&rsquo; Guides from Nexperia, with additional editions for ESD Protection, Diodes, and Logic products.<h2>Design Acceleration with Nexperia</h2>Nexperia&rsquo;s advanced support tools tackle a crucial problem in modern electronic design i.e. the increasing compromise between design complexity, efficiency, cost and time. Engineers are expected to produce highly complex systems with dozens of interdependent parameters and deliver the complete design within ever-tightening time, size, cost, and power constraints. In order to achieve this, they must be equipped with the most relevant and practical information and knowledge regarding their tools and materials.&nbsp;Nexperia&rsquo;s advanced support tools aim to achieve this on several distinct levels. The electrothermal models and application notes are designed to give engineers the complete arsenal required to design a system for unpredictable or extreme electrical and thermal conditions. On the other hand, the quick learning videos and handbooks are to help and aid the engineer in a visual manner regarding design pitfalls and best practices.&nbsp;The tools can allow engineers and amateur designers to spend more time optimizing their project rather than waste valuable time and resources on the initial steps of device selection and behavioural simulation. In turn, companies can develop prototypes faster with more certainty of their performance.<h2>About the sponsor: Nexperia</h2>Nexperia is a dedicated global leader in Discretes, Logic and MOSFETs. We became independent at the beginning of 2017. Focused on efficiency, Nexperia produces consistently reliable semiconductor components at high volume: more than 90 billion annually. &nbsp;Our extensive portfolio meets the stringent standards set by the automotive industry. And industry-leading small packages, produced in our own manufacturing facilities, combine power and thermal efficiency with best-in-class quality levels. Built on over half a century of expertise, Nexperia has over 11,000 employees across Asia, Europe and the U.S. supporting customers globally.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjgyMDY0MzYzOTUyLW5leHBlcmlhIGxvZ28ucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><h3>References</h3>&nbsp;1.&nbsp;Nexperia. Advanced Support Tools [Internet]. Nexperia. [cited 2023 Apr 2]. Available from: https://www.nexperia.com/applications/advanced-support-tools/2.&nbsp;Nexperia. Advanced Support Tools - Electrothermal MOSFET models [Internet]. Nexperia. [cited 2023 Apr 3]. Available from: https://www.nexperia.com/applications/advanced-support-tools/3.&nbsp;Berry A. Discrete MOSFETs Finally Get the Models they Deserve [Internet]. Nexperia. [cited 2023 Apr 3]. Available from: https://efficiencywins.nexperia.com/efficient-products/Discrete-MOSFETs-Finally-Get-the-Models-they-Deserve.html4.&nbsp;Nexperia. Advanced Support Tools - Quick Learning Videos [Internet]. Nexperia. [cited 2023 Apr 3]. Available from: https://www.nexperia.com/applications/advanced-support-tools/5.&nbsp;Nexperia. Advanced Support Tools - Interactive Application Notes [Internet]. Nexperia. [cited 2023 Apr 3]. Available from: https://www.nexperia.com/applications/advanced-support-tools/6.&nbsp;Nexperia. MOSFET and GaN FET application handbook | Efficiency Wins [Internet]. 2nd ed. 2020 [cited 2023 Apr 3]. 600 p. Available from: https://efficiencywins.nexperia.com/efficient-products/mosfet-and-gan-fet-application-handbook.html

Semiconductor manufacturers are providing more support to engineers to  support in the design of highly complex electronic systems. The tools include highly detailed models of semiconductor devices, interactive application notes, quick learning videos and a handbook designed specifically for power electronics engineers.

Advances in-design tools for engineers accelerate complex system design

It&rsquo;s easy to feel overwhelmed when you&rsquo;re building low power electronics. There are so many different components and technologies to learn that it can be hard to know where to begin.Recently, one of our clients wanted to redesign their field-deployed IoT environmental monitor to a smaller, lighter, and more power-efficient package with longer battery life and could be placed more easily into remote locations. In order to achieve this, they faced a choice of going with a Linux-based single-board-computer with a microprocessor, or a microcontroller-based compute platform.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc5OTQ4MjY5NDYzLTE2Nzk5NDgyNjk0NjMucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="" width="100%" height="auto" srcset="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/mistywest-environmental-monitoring-2.jpg 1000w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/mistywest-environmental-monitoring-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/mistywest-environmental-monitoring-2-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Environmental sensors may require either a microcontroller or microprocessor to compute&nbsp;In this post, we look at the differences between single board computers and microcontroller kits when it comes to <a href="https://www.mistywest.com/posts/5-reasons-to-use-an-iot-framework/" target="_blank">designing a successful remote sensor</a>, so that you have the information you need to choose the right solution for future applications.&nbsp;<h2>A summary of differences between microcontroller kits and single-board computers (SBCs)</h2>A microcontroller is a small all-in-one computing platform with features like onboard memory, built-in timers, IO handling, and other key features for interacting with electrical hardware.&nbsp;Microcontrollers&rsquo; common uses are devices like remote controls, toys, industrial equipment, cars, and implantable medical devices. You can find them in microcontroller kits like <a href="https://www.arduino.cc/" target="_blank">Arduino</a>.&nbsp;<a data-rel="lightbox-image-0" data-rl_caption="An Arduino Uno, one of the microcontroller boards in the Arduino family" data-rl_title="" href="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Arduino_Uno_-_R3.jpg" target="_blank" title=""><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc5OTQ4MjY5MjAzLTE2Nzk5NDgyNjkyMDMucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="" width="100%" height="auto" srcset="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Arduino_Uno_-_R3.jpg 600w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Arduino_Uno_-_R3-300x300.jpg 300w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Arduino_Uno_-_R3-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" class="fr-fic fr-dii">An Arduino Uno, one of the microcontroller boards in the Arduino family</a>&nbsp;A microprocessor is similar to a conventional computer CPU, which is only the processor, and needs to be connected to external memory, timers, storage, and IO peripherals in order to function. Microprocessors are generally more powerful, and allow for a more granular hardware design by selecting the exact memory, timers and other features that one needs. You&rsquo;ll find microprocessors in consumer computing equipment, and the increase of small and cheap single-board computers (SBCs) like <a href="https://www.raspberrypi.org/" target="_blank">Raspberry Pi</a> has enabled them to be used in new applications like smart devices.&nbsp;<a href="https://opensource.com/resources/raspberry-pi" target="_blank"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc5OTQ4MjY5NDk4LTE2Nzk5NDgyNjk0OTcucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="" width="100%" height="auto" srcset="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/mistywest-raspberry-pi.jpg 675w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/mistywest-raspberry-pi-300x205.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 675px) 100vw, 675px" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Raspberry Pi single-board computer</a>&nbsp;<h2>Strengths and Weaknesses</h2>When it comes to computing power, how resource-intensive is your problem? Will it be simple sensor reading (low intensity), image processing (high intensity), or machine vision/AI (very intense)? For development, can you use an off-the-shelf operating system or reuse other people&rsquo;s code? And how much power consumption or battery life will you require?To help you evaluate the strengths and weaknesses between your options, we&rsquo;ve added them to Table 1 below, followed by a detailed breakdown of each feature.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc5OTQ4MjY5MDgyLTE2Nzk5NDgyNjkwODIucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="" width="100%" height="auto" srcset="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/mistywest-microcontroller-microprocessor-compare-v3-01.jpg 717w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/mistywest-microcontroller-microprocessor-compare-v3-01-300x193.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 717px) 100vw, 717px" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Table 1: strengths and weaknesses between the computing devices&nbsp;<h3>Computing power</h3>Some microcontrollers are designed with low power consumption in mind and are specified to be run at reduced clock frequencies, meaning the chip computes more slowly but with less power consumption. This makes microcontrollers good for less compute-intensive applications like sensor reading, serial communication, or mechanical control systems, but they don&rsquo;t tend to have the processing power for computationally intensive tasks, like image processing.In comparison, there&rsquo;s often much more computing power available on commercial microprocessor boards like Raspberry Pi, which can support more complicated tasks like streaming video or running a local website. There are also microprocessors with additional modules, such as the <a href="https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/autonomous-machines/embedded-systems/jetson-nano/" target="_blank">Nvidia Jetson Nano</a>, which has a graphics processing unit for tasks like machine vision and AI.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/autonomous-machines/embedded-systems/jetson-nano/education-projects/" target="_blank"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc5OTQ4MjY5MDA3LTE2Nzk5NDgyNjkwMDcucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="" width="100%" height="auto" srcset="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/mistywest-jetson-nano-nvdia.jpg 800w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/mistywest-jetson-nano-nvdia-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/mistywest-jetson-nano-nvdia-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Nvidia Jetson Nano</a>&nbsp;<h3>Available packages, development resources, and support</h3>If you pick an established platform like Arduino or Raspberry Pi, there are many existing open-source libraries and a community that can help debug issues. However, If you pick a more specialized and less common platform, you may be on your own when sorting through documentation and trying to fix the issue. It is important for you to decide if you need the specialized features of a particular platform and trade that against the supportWith embedded Linux solutions, most of the basic drivers for common connections like ethernet, audio, and video are already available, tested and stable. In contrast, you may need to write the drivers for your particular microcontroller to connect with peripherals, which can be time-consuming and challenging.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc5OTQ4MjY4NzkwLTE2Nzk5NDgyNjg3OTAucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="" width="100%" height="auto" srcset="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/mistywest-power-consumption-graphic-01.png 612w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/mistywest-power-consumption-graphic-01-300x74.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 612px) 100vw, 612px" class="fr-fic fr-dii">&nbsp;<h3>Power consumption</h3>Microcontroller-based boards usually use less energy than microprocessor-based SBCs. One of the reasons is that microcontrollers generally run at lower clock frequencies than microprocessors which in turn also means reduced computing power.&nbsp;<h3>Coding language support</h3>If you&rsquo;re running your code on a microcontroller, you&rsquo;re likely going to need to build your software with a lower level language like C or C++. On a microprocessor with a Linux distribution, you will have the choice between many more languages. This can help to create POCs (Proof Of Concepts) at a much faster pace.&nbsp;There are many libraries for peripherals like cameras, sensors, etc. written in higher-level languages like Python, for instance. By picking a platform that can run those languages you will be able to leverage those open source libraries. However, If your solution requires a lot of low-level hardware manipulation, this may not be helpful.&nbsp;<h3>Code portability</h3>How tightly integrated is the code with the hardware? If you write a bare-metal application for a microcontroller, it will be challenging to switch over to another platform &ndash; but projects that are running FreeRTOS, for example, make switching easier. If you&rsquo;re using a Linux-based SBC and peripherals over protocol like USB, it will be even easier to change the compute platform because there&rsquo;s often libraries and drivers available. In summary, depending on the tools you are planning to use some platforms might be more flexible to be interchangeable than others.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc5OTQ4MjY4ODY2LTE2Nzk5NDgyNjg4NjYucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="" width="100%" height="auto" srcset="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/mistywest-boot-time-graphic-01.png 892w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/mistywest-boot-time-graphic-01-300x100.png 300w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/mistywest-boot-time-graphic-01-768x257.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 892px) 100vw, 892px" class="fr-fic fr-dii">&nbsp;<h3>Boot time</h3>The boot time of a SBC with embedded Linux on it is significantly greater than that of a microcontroller, be it bare-metal or running an RTOS. When utilizing an SBC, an application must not depend on fixed time slots during start up and a few seconds for it to come up must be acceptable.&nbsp;<h3>Cost</h3>In general, microcontrollers cost less than microprocessors. As an example, the <a href="https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/" target="_blank">top of the line Teensy</a> costs $26 and the flagship <a href="https://store-usa.arduino.cc/collections/boards/products/arduino-uno-rev3" target="_blank">Arduino board (Uno)</a> costs $25, whereas the flagship <a href="https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-4-model-b/" target="_blank">Raspberry Pi board (Pi 4)</a> starts at $35 and more expensive boards like the <a href="https://store.nvidia.com/en-us/jetson/store/?page=1&limit=9&locale=en-us&product=117&product_filter=117~3,118~3,119~4,120~3,173~1" target="_blank">Jetson Nano</a> may range up to $130. There is a wide range of costs in both domains and plenty of choices available on the market.&nbsp;<h2>Conclusion</h2>Ultimately, SBCs and microcontroller kits are both solutions for embedded applications that require computing; it&rsquo;s the use case that will inform which selection is the right one to make.SBCs with an embedded Linux OS, even though more costly, offer greater computing power, and allow a quick start to your project, with a wide range of options for your application&rsquo;s programming language, very active online communities and advantageous portability. Microcontrollers, on the other hand, are much more energy efficient and allow full control and fine tuning of their internal configuration &ndash; but additional time for development of features might need to be considered.In the case for our client, there were tradeoffs for both; a microcontroller-based platform/MCU could achieve lower power consumption, but would require more custom firmware development to integrate. The SBC accelerated development by providing a lot of open-source software packages and drivers that could be rapidly configured, but at the expense of higher power consumption.When it comes to making the right selection, if a quick prototype for a proof of concept is needed or if the device is going to be used for inference, object localization or other demanding computing tasks, an SBC is likely the better solution. The portability of the code and the flexibility of the system will simplify development and maintenance significantly. This article was originally written by Malcolm Dimeglio, Software Developer at MistyWest, <a href="https://www.mistywest.com/posts/choosing-the-right-computing-device-for-a-low-power-sensor-application/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">for the MistyWest blog</a>.

Here's what you should consider when designing a successful remote sensor.

Choosing The Right Computing Device For A Low Power Sensor Application

When entering the connected device market, businesses are looking for IoT solutions that can keep costs manageable, scale effectively with business demands, and keep data secure.In particular, scaling effectively requires proper consideration for provisioning, configuration, monitoring, and analysis of the connected devices because making the wrong decisions early on can get costly later. Getting scalability right is even more critical for sensors deployed in remote and inaccessible locations.One of our clients initially planned on building their own custom IoT solution for their remote monitored devices that are being deployed in 10 locations. While being a more affordable cost up-front, a custom, in-house solution would require our client to be responsible for all maintenance throughout a device&rsquo;s lifecycle. This ongoing maintenance would mean increased resources &ndash; and increased costs, <a href="https://www.outsystems.com/glossary/what-is-technical-debt/" target="_blank">known as &ldquo;tech debt&rdquo;</a>.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc5OTQ3OTgzMjY0LTE2Nzk5NDc5ODMyNjQucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="" width="100%" height="auto" srcset="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/mistywest-benefits-standard-iot-framework-01.png 909w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/mistywest-benefits-standard-iot-framework-01-300x194.png 300w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/mistywest-benefits-standard-iot-framework-01-768x496.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 909px) 100vw, 909px" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Our client ultimately decided on using a standard IoT framework&ndash;<a href="https://www.mistywest.com/posts/azure-vs-aws-which-iot-framework-is-right-for-you/" target="_blank">such as Azure, AWS</a>, or Google Cloud Platform&ndash;where they&rsquo;d pay more for the development up front, but have lower operating costs in the long term. This solution also does not require specialized resources to know the technical systems.In this post, we look at the 5 major selling features of an IoT framework for a device deployment.&nbsp;<h2>1. Cradle to grave tracking of devices</h2>Our client selected Azure for their IoT framework, using it to provision devices on the assembly line and make a first-time connection. After this, the devices can arrive up-to-date and automatically update to the latest firmware, and any calibration, configuration, or firmware changes are tracked during manufacturing as well as out in the field in an automatic, consistent, cloud-hosted way.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc5OTQ3OTg0MTM3LTE2Nzk5NDc5ODQxMzcucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="" width="100%" height="auto" srcset="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/mistywest-benefits-standard-iot-framework-02.png 906w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/mistywest-benefits-standard-iot-framework-02-300x158.png 300w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/mistywest-benefits-standard-iot-framework-02-768x405.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 906px) 100vw, 906px" class="fr-fic fr-dii"><h2>2. Ability to determine at-a-glance whether a device is problematic</h2>Devices dial out to the cloud to establish connectivity, and that connectivity is tracked by Azure&rsquo;s IoT system. Proactive alerts can be set if a device has not appeared online for a while or data has not been uploaded. All of this automation helps minimize downtime and data loss.&nbsp;<h2>3. Continuous uploading and organization of data</h2>The devices will upload data continuously, whenever there is a connection. The data goes into a standard cloud-hosted storage solution (blob storage) which keeps the data centralized and accessible to those who need it, while also being monitored to ensure the devices are functioning correctly. The data upload can trigger further data processing and automated pipelines that give real time insights into activity.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc5OTQ3OTgyNzk4LTE2Nzk5NDc5ODI3OTgucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" alt="" width="100%" height="auto" srcset="https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/mistywest-benefits-standard-iot-framework-03.png 906w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/mistywest-benefits-standard-iot-framework-03-300x190.png 300w, https://www.mistywest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/mistywest-benefits-standard-iot-framework-03-768x487.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 906px) 100vw, 906px" class="fr-fic fr-dii"><h2>4. Offline (queued) updates to parameters and firmware</h2>Devices on a standard framework don&rsquo;t have to be online to queue up changes to parameters and schedule new firmware updates &ndash; they can be in storage, in transit, or in use. Businesses can adopt a &ldquo;set it and forget it&rdquo; mindset knowing updates will be automatically applied. This reduces additional coordination work.&nbsp;<h2>5. Mass updates to the smart device&rsquo;s parameters</h2>Updates to parameters can be easily made fleet-wide, or to any subset of devices. As the product evolves, these changes can be made to optimize operation, and subsets of devices can be used as a test bed before rolling out changes to a larger number. The built-in optimization for updates helps decrease device management overhead.&nbsp;<h2>Conclusion</h2>When looking at scaling of deployments, the economics favor the standard IoT framework. By using a standard solution you&rsquo;re leveraging thousands of engineering hours, other companies&rsquo; testing, and have the benefit of continued development of new features useful to (and not driven by) your business.Think about what scale your business is going to be reaching when considering your own connectivity solution &ndash; if you plan on continuing to grow, adopting a standard solution will be the more affordable and manageable solution in the long run. This article was originally written by Kevin Baillie, Mechatronics Designer, <a href="https://www.mistywest.com/posts/5-reasons-to-use-an-iot-framework/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">for the MistyWest blog</a>.

Considering a quick IoT solution that will get your product deployed faster? Here’s why you should reconsider.

5 Reasons To Use An IoT Framework For Your Connected Devices

Smart connected devices are being deployed in all industries, but the one that could have the greatest impact for individuals is within healthcare. In this article we will take a deep dive into the <a href="https://www.renesas.com/eu/en/application/iot-applications/smart-health/smart-connected-pulse-oximeter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">smart connected pulse oximeter</a>, which is a super-low power system that can accurately measure blood oxygen levels in patients. We will take a look at the system&rsquo;s components, the unique features of the design, and why this solution is just the beginning in a bright future for smart medical devices.<h2>What is a pulse oximeter?</h2>A pulse oximeter measures the oxygen saturation of the blood in order to determine how well the heart is pumping oxygenated blood to the furthest extremities, such as the arms and legs [1]. Common devices clip a probe onto the patient&rsquo;s ear or fingertip to measure blood oxygen levels. Traditionally, these devices were attached to a monitor directly, or are often seen as part of a blood pressure machine in doctor&rsquo;s offices and hospitals.&nbsp;Healthcare professionals use oximeters quite frequently. They can be used to monitor a patient&rsquo;s current condition if they are suspected of having or diagnosed with a heart attack, heart failure, anemia, lung cancer, asthma, or pneumonia. In addition, patients that have undergone surgery that required sedation or are being subjected to a stress test to assess their cardiovascular abilities will also be monitored using a pulse oximeter&nbsp;[1]. The data captured by the oximeter provides crucial feedback to doctors, nurses, and technicians, which can help treat and monitor patients every day.During the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors began using at-home pulse oximeters to monitor blood oxygen levels of high-risk patients with the virus, such as those with diabetes, those who were pregnant, those with chronic illnesses, and those who were elderly. By taking readings on the portable sensor twice a day, patients were asked to let their doctor know if the reading dropped below 95%. If at any point a patient&rsquo;s blood oxygen level dropped to 90% or lower, they were told to seek immediate attention and to get to the emergency department. Early detection of lower blood saturation limits led to better outcomes in patients who used a pulse oximeter. A study in South Africa determined that a 50% reduction in patient mortality was possible if pulse oximeters were used to get patients the care they required as soon as blood oxygen levels dropped [2]. &nbsp;&nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr">Case Study: Renesas Smart Oximeter design</h2>To bring smart wireless technology to a commonly used medical tool, <a href="https://www.renesas.com/eu/en/application/iot-applications/smart-health/smart-connected-pulse-oximeter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Renesas developed the Smart Connected Pulse Oximeter.&nbsp;</a>Improving on traditional wired probes, the Smart Connected Pulse Oximeter uses a super-low power Bluetooth&reg; Low Energy (LE) System-on-Chip to relay the data to a smartphone app. The company has developed both iOS and Android applications that patients can download for free, and the software itself is open source for the reference design, allowing for future app improvements and collaborations within the industry.&nbsp;For example, healthcare practitioners could work together with app developers to create an interface that would serve their patient population and their own record-keeping needs. Doctors would have the best idea of how tech-savvy their patient population is and how simple the user interface would need to be. Bluetooth&reg; connection, for instance, may need to be automatic, or there may need to be tutorials in place for patients. In addition, doctors would be able to help direct the ideal frequency of checks per day and work with developers to add in notifications for the patient, so they don&rsquo;t forget to check their blood oxygen saturation. Because the device records the levels in the app, it could be further developed to connect to servers that the doctor has access to in order to help monitor the patient.&nbsp;The Smart Oximeter by Renesas is powered by two AAA batteries on the back of the board. Patients connect their smartphone to the oximeter using the Bluetooth&reg; module and can then rest their fingertip on an OB1203 biosensor. The biosensor on the chip is the smallest available at 4.2mm x 2 mm x 1.2 mm. A red light can be seen under the fingertip while measurements are taken, including heart rate, blood oxygen concentration, profusion index, and battery level, which show up in the smartphone application. Measurements take approximately six seconds, and through the use of a medical-grad algorithm have been shown to be accurate on even the most difficult-to-measure patients.Previously, pulse oximeters were not wireless devices that could connect to smartphones. They were small devices that patients used to measure their blood oxygen levels at home. But with advances in&nbsp;Bluetooth&reg; technology, including the size of the chip and the minimal energy it consumes, the pulse oximeter can now be brought online. Currently, this allows for a small device to be used at home, and it allows for greater accuracy in readings helping more patients get to the hospital if their blood oxygen levels get too low. Adding the&nbsp;Bluetooth&reg; capability also opens the door to remote monitoring both by healthcare practitioners and loved ones who are keeping track of their friends&rsquo; and family&rsquo;s health. The data can now be transmitted to the caretaker&rsquo;s phone.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjgyNTA0Mzg1MDU2LXB1bHNlIDEucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Layout of the system. Image credit; Renesas<h2 dir="ltr">Benefits of the Smart Oximeter for the healthcare industry and end consumers</h2>The Smart Oximeter with the available mobile applications is a complete solution available to different healthcare providers. While hospital departments and doctor&rsquo;s offices may have traditional wired oximeters in place, they can be bulky and cumbersome to move from room to room. The Smart Oximeter offers a compact and portable solution for healthcare professionals, and those who are providing their services in patient&rsquo;s homes. They can easily transport the Smart Oximeter on their person and can rest assured it will be using the very little battery energy throughout the day.Because of the lightweight design and mobile monitoring characteristics, the Smart Oximeter could also be used on gym or physiotherapy equipment, like treadmills, ellipticals, and stationary bikes. Patients would be able to monitor their blood oxygen levels, and healthcare providers could receive the data from their patients even between appointments.&nbsp;As a wearable device, patients can rest assured that they can check if their blood oxygen saturation is sufficient or not. This will also ensure patients get to their doctor or local emergency department when blood oxygen levels are too low. The simplicity of the Smart Oximeter by Renesas means it can be used in multiple settings to assist the maximum number of people afflicted with conditions or undergoing treatments and surgeries that may lower their blood oxygen saturation.<h2 dir="ltr">Expanding IoT and smart healthcare solutions to save lives</h2>While engineers have been expanding the Internet of Things (IoT) into all technical realms, the most common examples that seem to be at the forefront are those in manufacturing or smart home systems or even industrial energy applications. But by taking health monitors, sensors, and the latest wireless technology into the IoT domain, many people will benefit from the advances, and not just select high-tech industries.&nbsp;A simple, but powerful, device like the oximeter could be made readily available to patients and their healthcare professionals to more effectively monitor them. For example, if a patient sees their specialist once every two weeks to have their blood oxygen saturation measured, there is a large time lapse within which the patient may decline. Putting the Smart Oximeter into the hands of healthcare frontline professionals and patients could truly save many lives. And with the adoption of smart mobile monitoring, the industry and patients will grow more comfortable of the technology and the elevated level of monitoring and care they will have access to, resulting in many more smart applications in the years to come.&nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr" id="isPasted">Summary</h2>The Renesas Smart Oximeter is a complete solution to monitoring a patient&rsquo;s blood oxygen saturation wirelessly. Powered by two AAA batteries on the back of the chip, the Renesas Smart Oximeter uses a super-low power Bluetooth&reg; System-on-Chip to connect to a smartphone app where the heart rate, blood oxygen concentration, profusion index, and battery levels are displayed. The biosensor on the chip is the smallest available at just 4.2 mm x 2 mm x 1.2 mm, where a patient rests their fingertip.&nbsp;By bringing a smart mobile solution to the healthcare industry, Renesas has made the oximeter more portable, more energy efficient, and more accurate than traditional oximeters. If deployed to healthcare practitioners and their patients more widely, monitoring accuracy and frequency would increase to ensure adequate patient blood oxygen levels, meaning the Renesas Smart Oximeter could literally save lives. &nbsp;&nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr">References:</h2>[1] Johns Hopkins Medicine. Pulse Oximetry [Internet]. Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University; 2022 [cited 2022 May 12]. Available from: <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/pulse-oximetry" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/pulse-oximetry</a>[2] Parker-Pope, Tara. Do I Still Need a Pulse Oximeter? A new study shows just how lifesaving home monitoring of oxygen levels can be. [Internet]. New York: The New York Times; 2021 [cited 2022 May 15]. Available from: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/05/well/live/covid-pulse-oximeter.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/05/well/live/covid-pulse-oximeter.html</a>

A life-saving application of a super-low power system. 


Simply saving lives: A deep look at the simple but brilliant pulse oximeter

This article is part of the series on Getting Started with LwM2M. If you&rsquo;re new to LwM2M, make sure to start by reading the previous article: <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/whats-this-lwm2m-standard-and-why-should-you-care" target="_blank">What&#39;s this LwM2M standard, and why should you care?</a>&nbsp;In today&rsquo;s market, IoT devices come in different forms and shapes. Each device has a unique communication stack which comes with a particular data packet structure and a thoughtfully designed device management layer.Now imagine the struggles of an energy distributor who deployed various brands of smart meters over the years to measure the use of electricity in thousands of buildings. Each meter comes with a different data structure which needs to be formatted. Specific processes need to be implemented to remotely manage the different devices, and particular mechanisms need to be put in place to update the devices&rsquo; firmware.When devices use the LwM2M standard, IoT integrators can be assured that each device reports its data in a similar fashion. The configurations and firmware can be updated using similar server commands independent of the hardware, firmware version or sensors used. In this article, we will explore the three fundamental components of LwM2M that ensure interoperability: the standardized data format, LwM2M architecture and LwM2M operations.<h2 dir="ltr" id="isPasted">LwM2M Data Format - Objects &amp; Resources</h2>LwM2M is an application-layer communication protocol developed by the <a href="https://omaspecworks.org/" target="_blank">OMA SpecWorks</a> to simplify messaging and device management of IoT devices. The protocol defines communication semantics, device management mechanisms, over-the-air updates (FOTA), telemetry data collection and is well suited for resource-constrained devices.To realize data interoperability, the LwM2M standard uses so-called IPSO Smart Objects to represent configurations, functionalities and sensors. When structuring the IPSO Smart Objects in a specific way, a language is created which both the LwM2M Client and the LwM2M Server can comprehend. This language contains Objects, Object Instances and Resources.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc3NzU0OTgzNTM5LVNtYXJ0IE9iamVjdHMyLmpwZWciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><h3>Objects</h3>Objects represent a physical component (a sensor, LED or actuator) or a logical entity (such as the preferred radio technology, Firmware Update configuration or security implementation). All objects are defined by an object ID.The LwM2M standard defines three&nbsp;mandatory objects&nbsp;which are considered as essential for the device to connect and communicate with a LwM2M server. The mandatory objects are:<ul><li dir="ltr">Object ID 0: LwM2M Security - contains confidential information about connections to the LwM2M Servers configured on the Client.</li><li dir="ltr">Object ID 1: LwM2M Server - contains non-confidential information about connections to the LwM2M Servers configured on the Client.</li><li dir="ltr">Object ID 3: Device - contains basic information about the device, such as e.g. serial number and firmware version.</li></ul>Next to the mandatory objects, additional objects can be implemented. Examples of non-mandatory objects are:<ul><li dir="ltr">Object ID 4: Connectivity Monitoring - provides information about the device&#39;s connectivity status, such as the signal strength and network type.</li><li dir="ltr">Object ID 5: Firmware Update - allows for remote firmware updates to be performed.</li><li dir="ltr">Object ID 6: Location - provides information about the device&#39;s geographic location, such as its latitude and longitude.</li><li dir="ltr">Object ID 11: LwM2M APN Connection Profile - enables a device to connect to an APN.</li><li dir="ltr">Object ID 3303: Temperature - reports temperature measurements.</li><li dir="ltr">Object ID 3313: Accelerometer&nbsp;- represents a 1-3 axis accelerometer.</li></ul><h3 dir="ltr">Object Instances</h3>Some objects may have multiple&nbsp;object instances. Examples of such objects include the object that manages connections to LwM2M Servers as multiple LwM2M Servers can be configured, or devices which contain multiple SIMs with different APN profiles. When devices contain multiple identical sensors, object instances are used to distinguish the different sensors.<h3 dir="ltr">Resources</h3>Resources represent specific properties of an object which can be read, written or executed. Each Resource is identified by a unique resource ID.For example, a temperature object has the resources current temperature, unit of measurement, and a timestamp. Similarly, the device object has resources like manufacturer name, serial number and firmware version. The location object has the resources latitude, longitude and altitude. All details of the objects and resources are defined in the <a href="https://technical.openmobilealliance.org/OMNA/LwM2M/LwM2MRegistry.html" target="_blank">OMA Registry</a>. There is also a possibility to define your own custom object if a specific feature or sensor is not listed in the OMA Registry.Each resource contains an identifier, a type (float, string, int, opaque) and allowed Server Operations (such as READ, WRITE or EXECUTE).&nbsp;Examples The Device object is represented with the identifier&nbsp;3, the resources include:<div align="left" dir="ltr"><table><tbody><tr><td>Resource ID</td><td>Resource name</td><td>Server Operation</td><td>Type</td></tr><tr><td>0</td><td>Manufacturer</td><td>Read</td><td>String</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Model Number</td><td>Read</td><td>String</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Firmware Version</td><td>Read</td><td>String</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Reboot</td><td>Executable</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>13</td><td>Current Time</td><td>Writeable</td><td>Time</td></tr></tbody></table></div>The Temperature object is represented with the identifier 3303, the resources include:<div align="left" dir="ltr"><table><tbody><tr><td>Resource ID</td><td>Resource name</td><td>Server Operation</td><td>Type</td></tr><tr><td>5700</td><td>Sensor Value</td><td>Read</td><td>Float</td></tr><tr><td>5701</td><td>Sensor Units</td><td>Read</td><td>String</td></tr><tr><td>5518</td><td>Timestamp</td><td>Read</td><td>Time</td></tr></tbody></table></div>When sending data, each message is formatted as:<pre dir="ltr">&lt;object id&gt;/&lt;object instance id&gt;/&lt;resource id&gt; = &lt;data&gt;</pre>To send the latest temperature data, it could look something like:&nbsp;<pre dir="ltr">3303/0/5700 = 23.5</pre>To optimize bandwidth, the data is usually encoded to a space-efficient binary payload. Although the data can be sent with plain JSON, more common is to use CBOR or SenML to reduce the payload size.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc3NzUzMTI0NDk4LUxvY2F0aW9uX29iamVjdC5qcGVnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Sending Latitude and Longitude using the LwM2M data formatResource InstancesIn some cases, resources have multiple resource instances. For example, the Device object 3 includes the&nbsp;resource 6: Available Power Sources. The different instances describe the different power sources: 0: DC power 1: Internal Battery 2: External Battery 3: Fuel Cell 4: Power over Ethernet 5: USB 6: AC (Mains) power 7: SolarTo describe the availability of solar power, the message format becomes:&nbsp;<pre dir="ltr">3/0/6/7</pre><h2 dir="ltr" id="isPasted">LwM2M Architecture - Client &amp; Server</h2>The LwM2M architecture comprises the LwM2M Client and the LwM2M Server. The communication works independent of the (wireless) technology used and can run on top of both IP and non-IP networks. Popular IP technologies include WiFi and cellular. Non-IP includes Bluetooth, LoRaWAN or Wirepas. Non-IP networks can be addressed using IEEE 802.15.4 (6LoWPAN) networks. For example by running Thread over Bluetooth.&nbsp;The LwM2M standard uses the CoAP protocol to let devices easily communicate with the cloud. Think of CoAP as the HTTP protocol, but designed for resource-constrained devices. CoAP is often compared to MQTT as both protocols are commonly used in IoT applications. A key difference is that CoAP uses UDP by default while MQTT relies on TCP. The small overhead of UDP is often seen as an advantage when compared to TCP. Although CoAP can be used with TCP, UDP is often the preferred choice when efficient use of network resources is a priority.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc3NzUzMjc1ODExLUx3TTJNX0FyY2hpdGVjdHVyZS5qcGVnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 768px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Popular LwM2M Clients include Anjay (maintained by AVSystem) and Zephyr LwM2M Client (maintained by the Zephyr Project). The LwM2M Server provided by AVSystem is called Coiote and can be used to process device data, configurations and firmware updates.The LwM2M Client runs on the end device and communicates with the LwM2M server using a secure connection. The Client informs the Server about the supported objects and resources during its first connection as well as during periodic status updates. Throughout the lifetime of the device, the client sends notification to the server with telemetry data formatted as defined by the LwM2M standard. All data is captured and stored by the LwM2M Server where it can be further processed or forwarded to specific databases of platforms such as Azure IoT Hub, or AWS IoT Core.<h2 dir="ltr" id="isPasted">LwM2M Operations</h2>The third core feature of the LwM2M protocol are operations that can be initiated from both the Client and the Server. Client Operations are used to inform the Server about telemetry data or the state of devices. Server Operations are used to read or write data, or to remotely update device configurations or firmware over time.Two interfaces can be distinguished: The Information Reporting Interface, and the Device Management Interface.<h3 dir="ltr" id="isPasted">Information Reporting Interface</h3><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc3NzUzMzc0NDk1LUluZm9ybWF0aW9uIFJlcG9ydGluZyBJbnRlcmZhY2UuanBlZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The LwM2M Client can inform the Server about telemetry data or state changes in real-time, initiated by the Client. The Server can also define the device&rsquo;s behavior by requesting the device to send data at periodic intervals, or when values exceed a certain threshold (e.g. when temperature rises above 30 degrees). This can be accomplished using the operations: OBSERVE, SEND and NOTIFY.Server operation<ul><li dir="ltr">OBSERVE: When the Observe operation is invoked, the Client will start sending NOTIFY messages to the Server about its data or state at configurable intervals. The OBSERVE operation can also be canceled when sending CANCEL OBSERVE.</li></ul>Client Operations<ul><li dir="ltr">SEND: The SEND message is used by the Client to send data to the server without explicit request. Depending on the application firmware it can be used to report new measurements, or inform the server about a change in telemetry data or state.</li><li dir="ltr">NOTIFY: In response to the OBSERVE operation initiated from the server, the client sends NOTIFY operations with data. Usually, the server provides a bandwidth in which the client needs to send its data. E.g. At least every 1 hour, but no more than once every 15 minutes.</li></ul><h3 dir="ltr" id="isPasted">Device Management Interface</h3><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc3NzUzNDEwMTYyLURldmljZSBNYW5hZ2VtZW50IEludGVyZmFjZS5qcGVnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The Device Management Interface allows the server to remotely connect with the LwM2M Client and manage its configuration, software, security etc. The interface comes with a set of standardized operations, all of which are initiated by the Server.<ul><li dir="ltr">DISCOVER: Retrieving the list of objects and resources supported by the Client.</li><li dir="ltr">READ: Retrieving the current value of a specific resource or an object as a whole.</li><li dir="ltr">WRITE: Modifying the value of a specific resource, or an object as a whole.</li><li dir="ltr">EXECUTE: Invoking an action or operation on a resource. For example instructing a device to reset, reboot or upgrade its firmware.</li><li dir="ltr">CREATE: Creating a new object instance.</li><li dir="ltr">DELETE: Deleting an object instance.</li></ul><h2 dir="ltr">Conclusions</h2>The IoT landscape is fragmented and it&#39;s easy to get lost when digging through the wireless technologies, messaging protocols and data formats. LwM2M promises to simplify the connected world through standardization and interoperability.This is accomplished as a result of the IPSO Smart Objects with predefined identifiers, allowing for the creation of a digital representation of the device. The standardized data format allows any LwM2M Server to easily interpret the data. The client-server architecture specifies how data flows between the end devices and the web. Lastly, the pre-defined operations enable devices to send data and be reconfigured over time.To get started with LwM2M, follow AVSystem&rsquo;s <a href="https://iotdevzone.avsystem.com/docs/quickstart/" target="_blank">Quick Start</a> guide, and build your first end to end LwM2M application within 20 minutes.<h3 dir="ltr" id="isPasted"><a href="https://iotdevzone.avsystem.com/docs/quickstart/" target="_blank">Start Building &rarr;</a></h3>

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