Collaboration and communication were two major talking points at the latest edition of Hardware Pioneers, as the challenges the industry faces – ranging from complying with the latest regulation to issues in cellular IoT connectivity – requires close collaboration and sharing. IoT Insider was present on the show floor, from 28-29 May, to report on the latest trends, challenges and product innovations.
On the evening of the 28th May, IoT Insider sat in on talks from industry experts on topics ranging from what neuromorphic AI looks like in space, developing a managed ethernet switch and machine learning in robotics applications.
Alf Kuchenbuch, VP of Sales, EMEA at BrainChip covered neuromorphic AI and its advantages in space. Neuromorphic computing differs from conventional as it is inspired by how the brain functions and responds to events. Kuchenbuch explained that space agencies exploring AI and its potential applications in space are risk-averse but see the necessity for it. The use cases for neuromorphic AI are extensive; earth observation; planetary landers; rover and drone navigation; autonomous docking; debris removal and space situational awareness (SSA).
Moe Sani, Associate Principal Software Engineer at Dyson spoke at length about applying Machine Learning on the Edge for robotics. A typical challenge for robotics is their vision system in being able to perceive and respond to a continually changing environment, which is a common situation for robotics Dyson uses in a hoover, for example. If a chair is moved from the kitchen to the living room, the challenge is on the robot to perceive it as a chair leg rather than mistaking it for a pet leg.
Localisation, perception, navigation, manipulation, human-robot interaction and control system are all “challenges that AI can solve,” said Sani. Because of the way that AI continuously learns from its environment, it aligns well with robotics as it can be used to train robotics to respond to a changing environment. “AI tends to be more adaptive to the changes, that’s one of the benefits it brings to the table,” Sani explained.
The next day of Hardware Pioneers on 29 May brought fresh insights in the form of talks on cellular IoT connectivity and the EU Cyber Resilience ACT (CRA), touching upon challenges, bottlenecks and addressing them.
Toby Gasston, Mobile Core Product Lead at Wireless Logic provided an informal history lesson on the landscape of cellular IoT connectivity in an effort to showcase just how much has changed, and to simplify confusing aspects. Spanning from the nineties until today, Gasston highlighted that cellular IoT was less complex than today: “The most you’d do with cellular data is to check your email,” he said, explaining that these were basic pieces of data.
2010 featured as a turning point as Steve Jobs’ monumental stamp by launching the first iPhone, alongside the App store and Facebook. Developments today such as wafer-level silicon, Narrowband-IoT, eSim and more reflects a complicated landscape with many considerations to consider.
One point Gasston made was the lack of communication between those making the technologies and the mobile network operators (MNOs). “I feel people haven’t been speaking readily enough … there hasn’t been enough working together,” he said. The challenges MNOs face are understandable, as Gasston cited that there was two to three million modules in 2010 and in 2023 alone, 600 million modules were shipped globally.
The same point could arguably be made for Chris Jones, Director of Applications at Crypto Quantique, who spoke about preparing for the upcoming Cyber Resilience Act, legal framework which requires manufacturers of hardware and software products to follow stringent cybersecurity standards. “It’s important to understand that this is a problem,” Jones stressed.
The CRA, which was approved by the EU parliament in March 2024, is due to come into force in January 2025 and will be enforced. Key points that Jones made in his talk included that a product needs to be compliant for 5 years when out in the market, which requires continuous monitoring, and documentation will need to be kept up to date for 10 years once a product is decommissioned.
IoT Insider Editor Caitlin Gittins took the time to speak to industry experts following talks and product launches, which will debut later as part of this four-part series.
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