IoT
When you are a 3D printing hobbyist like me, every morning is like Christmas: you set your printer before hitting the pillows and then go downstairs the next morning to discover what amazing things have appeared. At the moment, in my house it’s usually articulated dragons that come right off the…
BlogAre you working on a project involving connected devices and the Internet of Things, aka IoT? The number of fielded devices varies wildly among projects, so a particular project could encompass anything from a handful to millions of devices. Connected devices can be things like smart TVs, smart…
BlogDuring its lifetime, a connected device will need to be provisioned, deployed, maintained and eventually, decommissioned. Choosing the right solution with the right architecture is important to safeguard the long-term management viability of your fleet of connected devices. But there’s an issue:…
BlogIn the last blog in our IoT device fleet management series, we explored device cybersecurity and introduced the concept of device provisioning. In this installment, we look at provisioning in more detail. Every cloud provider, from Amazon Web Services (AWS) to Microsoft Azure to Google Cloud…
BlogThe damage a hacker could achieve through compromising a connected home security system, a vehicle, printer, or even a medical device is immense. IoT devices can act as a “back door” to the network that hosts them, enabling a multitude of attacks. The stakes are high and protecting an always-on IoT…
BlogBusinesses are increasingly relying on IoT devices to help expand and streamline operations, optimize processes and better engage customers. The trend is so significant that the value of the IoT market is predicted to exceed $1300 billion by 2026. But relying on IoT devices also means…
BlogThe Internet of Things (IoT) continues to gain traction in the technology world. From its humble beginnings in 1999 at MIT, the concept of adding a digital “footprint” to devices that have previously been non-digital has grown by leaps and bounds. The value of the IoT market is predicted to exceed…
BlogContinuing our series on IoT device fleet management, let’s talk about requirements around over-the-air (OTA) updates. Distributed IoT device requirements are crucial for the dispersed systems that need to support remote connectivity, data transfer, and firmware or software version update. …
BlogLet’s talk about the importance of fleet management. First, a few definitions. IoT: Internet of Things. Physical objects that are able to connect over the internet. These objects must be equipped with sensors, processing capability and software. Fleet: a collection of fielded IoT devices. Device…
BlogA successful IoT solution will typically provide the capacity to remotely obtain and update its own software, for instance a new UI feature, a background task or an operating system update. But, to allow for these types of updates, adequate capabilities must first be put in place during the…
BlogFlutter is an open source cross-platform application framework created by Google used to create applications for mobile, desktop and web from a single code base. It sounds like a very interesting proposition: write once, run everywhere. The question though is how Flutter behaves when we need…
BlogConcluding our series on microcontrollers (MCU), I want to turn your attention to NXP hardware as NXP’s I.Mx RT series of MCUs are a popular hardware for low-cost embedded GUI projects. With The Qt Company, a major player in GUI frameworks, demos are not bundled. For this reason, I’ve created…
BlogChoosing the right GUI framework for your microcontroller (MCU) target can be a make it or break it decision for achieving your product goals. Your GUI framework needs to be able to produce a great-looking UI. But, it can’t take all the resources needed for the product to be functional. We’ve put…
BlogPython is one of the most popular and fastest growing programming languages. It is the recommended language on the Raspberry Pi platform (where Pi is a reference to Python Interpreter) and is increasingly used on desktop applications. The Qt Framework, for example, has an officially…
BlogMicrocontrollers are transforming consumer goods, industrial automation, infrastructure and more — essentially reshaping how we interact with the world around us. Exciting stuff! Let me share with you some of the capabilities of Qt for MCUs, as well as offer an at-a-Glance reference. It’s a…
BlogIn this post I'll discuss the new offering from the Raspberry Pi Foundation, the Raspberry Pi Pico. It is an interesting product that combines two technologies of great interest: the Raspberry Pi and microcontrollers. What is a Microcontroller? A selection of microcontrollers ICS is currently…
BlogIf you want to design and develop a device that includes a next-gen microcontroller (MCU), there are four key areas around which you’ll have to make important decisions: Hardware development Display Software development environment RTOS At ICS, almost 25% of every project we…
BlogMicrocontrollers, often referred to as MCUs, are transforming our lives. Perhaps you haven't noticed since the mobile revolution initiated with the introduction of the iPhone in 2007 gets all the attention. And rightly so. By putting a supercomputer in everyone's pocket, Apple without question…
BlogI recently attended the User Experience Professional Association (UXPA) 2019 International Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona where I presented a talk entitled Designing for the IoT and the Rise of Natural Interaction. While there I attended other design professionals’ sessions and networked…
BlogWith the expansive Equifax breach still making news, the focus on cybersecurity is again intense. At ICS, security is always top of mind as we aim to build — and help others build — connected devices that integrate substantial security features. In my last blog I framed the issue and offered a…
BlogNearly half of all companies in the US using an Internet of Things (IoT) network have been the victims of at least one security breach. Forty-eight percent. That’s according to a recent survey of 400 IT decision-makers across 19 industries conducted by strategy consulting group Altman Vilandrie…
BlogThank you, your submission has been received. You will receive an email confirmation.
Basic pageHere at ICS we’re excited about how the Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the lives of people every day — a topic we’ve been covering from all angles. For instance, my colleague Jeff Tranter described how IoT fits into the Qt ecosystem while Dorothy Shamonsky has written about the design…
BlogFor connected IoT devices — including smart home and medical devices — to be truly transformative they need to deliver a well-designed and intuitive user experience. Running. It’s my thing. My favorite form of exercise. A way to clear my head. Usually, running loves me as much as I love it. But…
BlogAs 2016 draws to a close, I'd like to take a look back at some of the significant events of the past year that are relevant to the Qt framework and the ecosystem around it. Qt Releases Starting in 2016, Qt 4 was officially at end-of-life status and no longer supported. The last release was Qt 4.8…
BlogIn part one of this blog series, I gave an overview and described the hardware setup for an IoT example application that uses a Qt-based desktop program and an Arduino with XBee wireless modules. In part two, we'll cover the software configuration and programming. Configuring and Programming…
BlogIn this two-part series, we'll look at an interesting Internet of Things (IoT) application that uses an Arduino controller and two XBee wireless modules in conjunction with a Qt-based application. Part 1 provides an overview, demonstrates communication between two applications…
BlogThis year’s Qt World Summit has come and gone, and a good time was had by all. I had the opportunity to give a well-attended talk on user experience (UX) design tips for software developers. It was great to see that so many developers are interested in how users view software, and aren’t focused…
BlogIoT webinar PDF Slides
Basic pageView the Slides - PDF
Basic pageIntel Developer Forum August 16 - 18, 2016 Moscone Center San Francisco, California Booth 427 ICS is exhibiting at IDF16, where over 6,000 attendees are eager to get hands-on with what’s next in technology! Intel plans to continue focus on key areas around Data Center Software &…
Basic pageThe Raspberry Pi (1) is one of the more popular low-cost computers on the market. It has an ARM CPU, hardware video acceleration, RAM, SD card mass storage, and almost everything that a regular desktop computer has to offer at a fraction of the size and cost. It also has a set of GPIO (General…
BlogThis is the second and final installment of my blog series on Qt and the Internet of Things, based on a presentation (1) I gave at the Qt World Summit 2015 entitled The Internet of Things: What Is It and Why Should I Care? In the first blog post I discussed what IoT was, covered some terminology…
BlogQtSerialBus is a new Qt module, introduced as a technical preview in Qt 5.6.0. It supports two serial interface protocols that are commonly used on embedded systems: CAN bus and Modbus. In this blog post we'll take a brief look at this new module and what it provides. What is CAN bus? CAN bus (1…
BlogGartner, Inc. forecast last year that 4.9 billion connected devices would be in use in 2015, up 30 percent from 2014, and the number will reach 25 billion by 2020. They describe the Internet of Things (IoT) as "a powerful force for business transformation, and its disruptive impact will be felt…
BlogAt the expense of some minor spoilers for a seven-year-old movie, the post-credit cut scene in Iron Man (2008) showed Tony Stark walking into his dark home and calling for his virtual butler J.A.R.V.I.S. to turn on the lights. Fast-forwarding to 2015, we can now do that, more or less, courtesy…
BlogDoes the Distinction Matter to User Experience Designers? Qualcomm and Cisco have been pushing the term, Internet of Everything (IoE) while most others are using the term Internet of Things (IoT). As could be expected, confusion about the difference between the two has ensued. Is there a…
BlogThe user experiences (UXs) of Internet-enabled devices that are part of the Internet of Things (IoT) are expected to require little or no learning for users to be effectively proficient with them. As these devices proliferate, it’s inconceivable that users will have any patience to figure out…
BlogThe Internet of Things (IoT) will be an opportunity for new kinds of user experiences (UXs) to proliferate - smart, ambient, minimal and wearable. These new interactive experiences will need to be very appealing and easy to use. In other words, these new devices and systems must possess a very…
BlogThe emergence of the Internet of things (IoT) is reshaping our relationship with computing technology, including the interface paradigms that we use to interact with digital technology. Touch has replaced mechanical pointers such as the mouse on some classes of devices, notably mobile. Speech…
BlogIntegrated Computer Solutions (ICS) is known for its expertise in user interface design and software implementation for embedded, mobile, desktop and interactive kiosk systems. Our work is visible in everything from smartphones to vending machines and medical equipment to vehicles of all sizes.…
BlogIf you are not yet honing your design skills for the Internet of Things (IoT), I’m about to light your fire. I don’t generally buy into technology hype. As designers, we tend to remain calmly skeptical about incitements coming from our business and marketing departments. However, the predicted…
BlogICS Using MRAA Whitepaper PDF
Basic pageUsers find it frustrating and reluctantly accept the fact that connection to the Internet sometimes has glitches. Wait times are the norm. Users are accustomed to the cursor loading slowly, popping up periodically and at times needing to try a second or third time in order to connect to an online…
BlogDigital signage (DS) is one of the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) technologies that are invading our lives, for better or worse. I recently attended the Digital Signage Expo 2015, ₁ where I had the opportunity to lead a round table discussion on “Content Strategies for Interactive Retail Kiosks…
BlogWhen designing a user experience, we usually assume we are engaging a user’s center of attention, albeit short. We design an experience that will be a user’s primary focus or foreground activity for the duration of their engagement with a device, whether it be on a desktop, laptop, phone or tablet…
BlogSo often, the Internet of Things (IoT) is discussed in terms of the technology that enables it, particularly focusing on cool, smart gadgets that will propagate in our lives. There is inevitably mention of in-vehicle entertainment and navigation, smart home appliances, wearables and robots. At…
BlogAs the Internet of Things (IoT) proliferates, some user experience (UX) designers will migrate to working on unique one-off computer appliances rather than platform specific apps. On IoT projects there are likely to be more context of use issues to consider because: Devices can exist in a…
Blog