A new multicore processor portfolio could simplify the "consumerization" of the industrial market, enabling rich interfaces to be more easily integrated into products such as refrigerators, exercise equipment, patient monitors, and industrial automation systems.
Known as the Vybrid multi-processing architecture, the new technology combines a pair of ARM cores -- one for the control of a rich human-machine interface and another for real-time control of motors or industrial components. By incorporating two cores, the architecture is said to eliminate the need for engineers to use two separate processors.
"With the two cores, the heavier-duty task can be assigned to one core while the lighter-duty can be assigned to the less powerful core," Tom Halfhill, senior analyst for The Linley Group, told us. "You might even be able to turn one core off while the other operates at full speed. And you can optimize power consumption that way."
The Vybrid architecture, introduced by Freescale Semiconductor at the DESIGN West show this week, could answer a growing market need. Increasingly, products ranging from motor-based industrial equipment to washing machines and dryers are incorporating capacitive touchscreens.
"When we looked at the industrial market, we noticed an 'iPhone-ization,' where more people were beginning to expect more intuitive human-machine interfaces," Sumant Subramanian, global product line manager for 32-bit industrial microprocessorss, told Design News. "We're seeing it in washing machines, vacuum cleaners, dryers, and refrigerators -- all of the developers are looking at intuitive user interfaces."
Subramanain said that Freescale has even seen the trend migrating into exercise equipment. "One customer was using a tablet for a user interface on a treadmill," he said. "They put the New York Marathon on the tablet and the application just took off."
Ahh yes, remember the dot com days when manufacturers were scrambling to web enable toasters, coffee pots, alarm clocks, and every appliance you can think of? This too shall pass. Certainly, a touch screen can be a powerful interface, but my toothbrush probably won't need one.
Your point about not having to open the manual goes right to the heart of Cadillac's effort to build a better touch screen. If you recall, they travelled with consumers (in one case joining them on vacation) to find out how people learn about their devices. Their discovery: Most consumers don't want to use their manuals. Surprise!
I think there are plenty of customers that share your sentiments. I definitely do. I think the HMIs done right will hand you the bells and whistles, but in a way that is dummy proof--that even the computing uninitated can figure out on their own. At the risk of being called an Apple zealot here, the iPhone/iPad interface is just like that. Even if you're not familar with the commands or have ever pursued high-level functionality, it's pretty simple to play around and find yourself doing something you never thought you would be able to do before. That's how appliances should function. You should not have to open the manual to figure out how to turn on the coffee or set the timer. If you have to, the interface is a failure, in my book.
That's one of the aspects of consumer demand I don't understand, Beth. Apparently, consumers demand more bells and whistles, and the devices invariably get harder to use. Are there no consumers left who want simplicity? I don't want to waste my time figuring out how to use all six buttons on my wristwatch (so I can display Greenwich Mean Time just in case I need it) and I'm always surprised that there apparently aren't more consumers who feel the same way.
I agree with you, Chuck. Every mainstream product will embrace the touch screen over the next few years. Some of those everyday appliances--dish washers, washers, dryers--are so much easier to use and feel so much more high-tech with those interfaces. But I think sometimes it's overkill. Who needs a coffee pot with too many bells and whistles or a toaster, for that matter. Designers have to apply the new interface technology when and where it makes sense.
I agree, Beth. And this is why every product -- stove, fridge, washer, dryer, television, etc -- will be using touchscreens in the near future. They'll have to in order to keep up with consumer expectations.
@Chuck: A four-year-old's dexterity with gestures and touch screen interaction is pretty incredible, but not surprising. I can't tell you how often I see kids--really small kids--glued to their parent's iPad whether it's on the grocery store check out line, the doctor's waiting room, or even in a restaurant as a source of distraction. These interfaces are ingrained in our kids from the earliest age and they will expect no less when it comes to operating any kind of product that they buy as consumer when they grow up.
Great point about the pervasiveness of iPad-type user interfaces, Beth. While I was doing the story, an engineer told me that his four-year-old son recently tried to use his fingers to manipulate a washing machine screen while the family was looking at products at Best Buy. The fact that a four-year-old is already conversant with touch screen technology tells us a lot about that pervasiveness that you mentioned.
Thanks, Craig. Glad you liked my humor and that someone else knows what I mean. "Silent and obedient"--yes! Sometimes my train of thought is fragile, and sometimes it's so fast that I hate wasting time interacting through such a slo-o-o-w medium as two-way full-duplex speech, or even just listening to a bunch of beeps. Besides, it's just a machine, a tool. I prefer to have conversations with actual living beings.
And you're right, there are several different preferences for UIs. So why do we get stuck with just one on a given machine?
One other question. A key trend for industrial factory HMIs is that they are often also serving as the main controller for the machine. Most are PC based architectures increasingly using Windows because of the flexibility. Does this approach also compete effectively with that approach? Can envision an appliance or other products might have entirely different HMI needs.
As energy efficiency becomes more and more a concern for makers of electronics devices, researchers are coming up with new ways to harvest energy from sound vibration, footsteps, and even electromagnetic fields in the air.
The government wants to study your brain, and DARPA wants to use similar information to give robots true autonomy beyond any artificial intelligence developed to date. Sound like science fiction? It's not.
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