https://www.iotworldtoday.com/wp-content/themes/ioti_child/assets/images/logo/mobile-logo.png
  • Home
  • News
    • Back
    • Roundups
  • Strategy
  • Special Reports
  • Business Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Industry Perspectives
    • Featured Vendors
  • Other Content
    • Back
    • Q&As
    • Case Studies
    • Features
    • How-to
    • Opinion
    • Podcasts
    • Strategic Partners
    • Latest videos
  • More
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Editorial Submissions
  • Events
    • Back
    • Embedded IoT World (Part of DesignCon) 2022
Iot World Today
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • News
    • Back
    • Roundups
  • Strategy
  • Special Reports
  • Business Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Industry Perspectives
    • Featured Vendors
  • Other Content
    • Back
    • Q&As
    • Case Studies
    • Features
    • How-to
    • Opinion
    • Podcasts
    • Strategic Partners
    • Latest videos
  • More
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Editorial Submissions
  • Events
    • Back
    • Embedded IoT World (Part of DesignCon) 2022
  • newsletter
  • IIoT
  • Cities
  • Energy
  • Homes/Buildings
  • Transportation/Logistics
  • Connected Health Care
  • Retail
  • AI
  • Metaverse
  • Development
  • Security
ioti.com

Embedded Computing


Thinkstock

Graphic of windup office workers

Engineering the IoT: Business as Usual, or Something Much Different?

Mark is an expert in maintenance management, having racked up an impressive track record during his time working in the field. He also has extensive knowledge of, and practical expertise with, the National Electrical Code (NEC). Through his consulting business, he provides articles and training materials on electrical topics, specializing in making difficult subjects easy to understand and focusing on the practical aspects of electrical work.Prior to starting his own business, Mark served as the Technical Editor on EC&M for six years, worked three years in nuclear maintenance, six years as a contract project engineer/project manager, three years as a systems engineer, and three years in plant maintenance management.Mark earned an AAS degree from Rock Valley College, a BSEET from Columbia Pacific University, and an MBA from Lake Erie College. He?s also completed several related certifications over the years and even was formerly licensed as a Master Electrician. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and past Chairman of the Kansas City Chapters of both the IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society. Mark also served as the program director for, a board member of, and webmaster of, the Midwest Chapter of the 7x24 Exchange. He has also held memberships with the following organizations: NETA, NFPA, International Association of Webmasters, and Institute of Certified Professional Managers.
  • Written by Dwight Bues
  • 1st April 2016

The terms Big Data, Cloud, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are bandied about freely, but not well understood—at least in the engineering sense. What is easily grasped, though, is that larger returns can be expected when the system is designed properly.

The potential of the IoT is breathtaking: Imagine a sea of sensors, put out in the field by multiple vendors (complying with specifications only in an informal sense), sending out terabytes of data available to anyone. Also envision applications (that can be written by anyone) filtering out the “nuggets” of valuable information for decision makers.

Dr. Dennis Curry, of Konica/Minolta, even hinted that “cognition” at the IoT level would be possible in his white paper Genius of Things:  “The real promise of the IoT [is] its potential to deliver such a leap of insight about the world around us. Only when this becomes a reality will we understand the true genius made possible by connecting many things together.”

Sounds like a kind of nirvana, doesn’t it? But don’t forget that technology doesn’t just happen, somebody somewhere has to create it. And when it comes to the IoT, that means the ability to navigate the countless choices and tradeoffs inherent in any complex system and manage the consequences of the decisions made. Take data.

Every day, data gets delayed while traveling through the network without catastrophic consequences. Tomorrow, though, a stock trade “trigger” could be delayed—costing billions. Key economic indicators could be lost, setting off large economic movements. As with today’s Internet, tomorrow’s IoT developers will need to ensure that the right data gets to its destination in a timely fashion.

Want to move terabytes of data around a network? Recognize it ain’t all free. Engineers also must be concerned with things like whether all of the high-priority data will get through. Will any data be lost? How will you know? If a piezoelectric sensor detects a crack in the drill pipe, will you get the notification, or will it get out-prioritized by the ambient air temperature-reading made every ten minutes?

While the promise of the IoT is that the right data is out there waiting only to be collected to help us make better decisions, a little design rigor will help to ensure it.

At the risk of “being the hammer that thinks everything is a nail,” I think that Systems Engineering—an interdisciplinary field of engineering that focuses on how to design and manage complex engineering systems over their life cycles—concepts apply equally well to the IoT as they do in the design of any complex system.

Allow me to relate a lesson from early on in my career. If you remember the big move from 7400-series logic and PLDs to Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) in the early 1980s, you know that the first designs were just “tossed in” and the FPGA software worked its magic.

Yes, we tossed the working design into the FPGA, and—guess what? It no longer worked. Only after weeks of painstaking simulations and re-routing signals to “clock spines” were we able to get a functional design. A bit of rigor on the front end of the design would have pointed out the critical setup/hold time areas of the circuitry and reduced design rework.

Systems Engineering has many different aspects to it, but it all starts with the basic question, “What do I really want to know?” From this basic question, requirements are derived and analyzed against a target architecture, an iterative process that may require changes to both, many times.

Once a project is underway, methods of Integration are planned in order to provide Validation (did we build the right system?) and Verification (did we build the system right?) of the Requirements.

Other systems engineering principles include: Peer Review, studying Defects (which are a fact of work), processes for Quality, and compliance with Standards.

You know the more I think about it, the more I realize that engineering for the IoT is the same as it’s always been for any complex system: Add structure to the design process to ensure success.

Article was originally published on Electronic Design.

Tags: Article AI Embedded Computing Technologies IdeaXchange

Related


  • The Five Foundational Pillars of Digital Transformation
    Learn the five key elements to build an Industry 4.0 roadmap that ensure long-term success.
  • Ford Autonomous Shuttles Deliver Groceries to Senior Citizens
    The motor giant is also testing simulated AVs in British ports
  • Canonical Teams up With Xilinx to Strengthen Software for Adaptive IoT Chips
    The chip vendor partnered with Canonical to deliver Ubuntu software images built for IoT chips with adjustable hardware.
  • Honda Testing Autonomous Vehicles for Construction Sites
    The building site transport was among several mobility concepts first unveiled by Honda in 2018 at CES.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your IoT World Today account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Content

  • IoT World Silicon Valley: Interview with Jonathan Cassell
  • Delta Launches Computer Vision Luggage Drop
  • Arm Unveils Strategy to Speed IoT Development
  • AI at the Edge for Enterprise Iot

Roundups

View all

IoT Product Roundup: PTC, Nokia, Arm and More

19th May 2022

IoT Deals, Partnerships Roundup: Intel, Nauto, Helium and more

14th May 2022

IoT Product Roundup: Amazon, Synaptics, Urban Control and More

27th April 2022

White Papers

View all

The Role of Manufacturing Technology in Continuous Improvement Ebook

6th April 2022

IIoT Platform Trends for Manufacturing in 2022

6th April 2022

Latest Videos

View all
Dylan Kennedy of EMQ

Embedded IoT World 2022: Dylan Kennedy of EMQ

Dylan Kennedy, EMQ’s VP of global operations, sat down with Chuck Martin at Embedded IoT World 2022.

Embedded IoT World 2022: Omdia’s Sang Oh Talks Vehicle Chip Shortage

Omdia’s automotive semiconductor analyst sits down with Chuck Martin at this year’s event

E-books

View all

How Remote Access Helps Enterprises Improve IT Service and Employee Satisfaction

12th January 2022

An Integrated Approach to IoT Security

6th November 2020

Webinars

View all

Rethinking the Database in the IoT Era

18th May 2022

Jumpstarting Industrial IoT solutions with an edge data management platform

12th May 2022

AI led Digital Transformation of Manufacturing: Time is NOW

9th December 2021

Special Reports

View all

Omdia’s Smart Home Market Dynamics Report

7th January 2022

Cybersecurity Protection Increasingly Depends on Machine Learning

28th October 2020

IoT Security Best Practices for Industry and Enterprise

20th October 2020

Twitter

IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

3D Home Printer to Build 72 Residences for National Homebuilder dlvr.it/SQhWSF https://t.co/XJOs70DqzH

19th May 2022
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

Microsoft Ramping up Cybersecurity Service Offerings dlvr.it/SQhPR0 https://t.co/nYzaDRnyVY

19th May 2022
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

IoT Product Roundup: PTC, Nokia, Arm and More dlvr.it/SQhNNF https://t.co/ZApdw3RHdu

19th May 2022
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

Britain’s postal service has plans to run a fleet of autonomous #drones to make rural postal deliveries easier.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

19th May 2022
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

Britain’s postal service has plans to run a fleet of autonomous #drones to make rural postal deliveries easier.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

19th May 2022
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

Tesla Plans ‘Many Cool Updates’ at Annual Event dlvr.it/SQhLLP https://t.co/kgSTGBrYrG

19th May 2022
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

@JohnDeere’s acquisition of #AI startup Light continues to advance its roadmap toward @autonomous farming.iotworldtoday.com/2022/05/19/joh…

19th May 2022
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

📣JUNE DIGITAL SYMPOSIUM Drive your strategy forward and stay on the #Healthcare and #IndustrialIoT pulse with key… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

19th May 2022

Newsletter

Sign up for IoT World Today newsletters: vertical industry coverage on Tuesdays and horizontal tech coverage on Thursdays.

Special Reports

Our Special Reports take an in-depth look at key topics within the IoT space. Download our latest reports.

Business Resources

Find the latest white papers and other resources from selected vendors.

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IoT World Series
  • Channel Futures
  • RISC-V
  • Dark Reading
  • ITPro Today
  • Web Hosting Talk

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Login/Register

FOLLOW IoT World Today ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X