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Zombie approach to software design or 10 best tools

Barney Hanlon

Barney Hanlon

Of all the open source analogies we’ve come across, zombies has to be one of the most unusual.

One member of the undead infects another, who goes on to bite another. The zombie infestation spreads rapidly. Meanwhile their human counterparts can’t replicate as quickly.

Their birth and development is slow and their progress sluggish. Paired against each other, the zombie future is inevitable.

Zombies are the equivalent of open source software. Open source software development can identify, debug and grow at a much faster and nimble rate than the progress of humans (proprietary software) which are limited by time and resource.

Instead, open source allows developers to dive straight into a codebase to fix bugs and propagate the improved software.

The benefit of the zombie-approach to software development is that everything it builds is open to constant improvement and the sheer volume of its adoption provides safety in numbers (most of the time at least).

Think your developer toolbox is full? Think again.

Open source tools and software are built by a community trying to solve the same problems you are, and by feeding back into the zombie frenzy, software iterations become stronger and more beneficial as the community grows.

We’ve rounded up some recommendations from our engineers on the tools and software they couldn’t design, build, implement and support without. From mobile to design, the zombie approach is helping these go from strength to strength.

Mobile

Twitter Bootstrap – If you want a really quick way to spin up a nice basic interface for hardware hacking, then Twitter Bootstrap is the way to go. It’s responsive (works on mobile, tablet and desktop) and allows you to rapidly prototype interfaces using your web browser.

Cordova Project – If you are looking for a way to access native APIs relating to a mobile device, (for example, its camera or one of its sensors) then the Apache Cordova project is one for you. It is a powerful and evolving toolkit that allows you to really mobile-enable your hardware projects.

Android – The Google-created operating system, Android, is actually built on open source. It’s not just mobile, though; it’s already being used in televisions, cameras, kiosks and even in factories to monitor equipment.

If you really need to give your hardware a brain and build apps on it, then Android has a powerful set of features that you can customise and use to create something formidable.

Design

Inkscape – For colouring, illustrating or icons, Inkscape is your holy grail. Particularly renowned for its illustration features, Inkscape has become a staple for professional designers worldwide. To convert shapes into objects, direct edit on SVGs and edit clones on canvas, check out Inkscape. Oh and it converts Bitmap to Vector automatically.

GIMP – As a free, open source alternative to Adobe’s Photoshop, GIMP has been given a rough ride in its time for poor UX and for not quite being on a par with its licensed counterpart. GIMP has now been overhauled with a varied and powerful set of features that gives Adobe a run for its money.

Firebug - If you’re looking for a website inspector tool for Firefox, Firebug should be your first port of call. If you can’t figure out why page load time is so high and your performance is slipping, Firebug is a handy tool that lets you edit and debug CSS, HTML and JavaScript in realtime.

Content

Drupal – Drupal does many things, but at its heart is content. It runs millions of sites including whitehouse.gov. At a content level, it has tonnes of built in features for SEO and its default installation comes with a high level of security and file maintenance tools.

Varnish Cache – Searching for a web accelerator for a dynamic site with a shedload of content? Varnish is a good place to start to help speed up your website. If it’s good enough for Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, it’s probably good enough for you.

Continuous Integration

Jenkins - Although you don’t need a specific tool for Continuous Integration, it’s pretty darn handy. Written in Java, Jenkins is a fork from Oracle’s Hudson. After a tumultuous inception, Jenkins has established a firm foothold in the automated testing space.

Infrastructure

Nagios – If you’re looking for open source options on the infrastructure side of things, Nagios is worth looking into. It’s fast becoming a standard for system and infrastructure monitoring. It’s robust, reliable and runs on many operating systems.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of the tools and software our engineers use every day, but that’s also part of the appeal of the zombie approach to software development. By the time you’ve got to grips with the first round of tools, there’s a whole new wave waiting to make their move.

Writer is Barney Hanlon, technical team lead at Inviqa, with over seventeen years experience in software development.

 

NI replaces benchtops with software defined test

National InstrumentsNational Instruments has continued with its plans to replace bench top test instruments with software defined, PC-based instruments.

The firm has combined a mixed-signal oscilloscope, function generator, digital multimeter, programmable DC power supply and digital I/O in one PC-based test instrument.

Called VirtualBench, the instrument provides the signal acquisition and generation functions and is driven by software applications running on a PC or iPad.  

“We are building on what NI does best, which is our software-based approach to test and measurement,” said Chad Chesney, director of data acquisition marketing at NI.

For development engineers another attraction is the coupling with LabVIEW system design software.

3D printer will be big consumer product, says analyst

Juniper ResearchThe combined market value from consumer 3D Printer hardware sales and material spend is forecast to be worth $1bn by 2018, says analyst Juniper Research.

In the short term the market looks less interesting, but longer term growth could be strong.

Today, 3D printer shipments are at relatively low levels for mainly industrial and professional use, representing a limited opportunity in the medium term. This year the market worth only $75m.

According to Juniper, suppliers such as 3D Systems and Stratasys have confirmed a stronger demand for professional 3D printers and materials compared to a softer consumer demand.

It is hoped that the entry of consumer brands such as HP and Epson into the professional market, will help create a volume market in 3D printers.

“While there has been an increase in awareness of 3D printing it is still, and will continue to be, a niche consumer technology,”  said Nitin Bhas, author of the report titled Consumer 3D Printing & Scanning: Service Models, Devices & Opportunities 2014-2018.

“In order for 3D printing to successfully find a mainstream market amongst consumers, it needs to widen the applications available that integrate consumer lifestyle and drive a number of applications beyond professional printing.”

Markets in the US and Europe are ahead in terms of consumer 3D printer adoption, driven by hobbyists and early tech-adopters.

Retailers such as Staples are even testing in-store 3D printing services.

The whitepaper, ‘3D Printing ~ Cutting through the Hype’ is available to download from the Juniper website together with further details of the full report and Interactive Forecast Excel (IFxl).

Raspberry Pi gets smart in the home

enocean_stills_16_thumbRaspberry Pi is being put forward as a smart home server controlling lights and window blinds in response to variations in temperature and light.

A self-powered wireless sensor interface from EnOcean  can be used with Raspberry Pi, is available from element14, as the basis of a home automation design platform.

It can be the basis of a smart home server where the EnOcean Pi acts as a bridge (Gateway-Controller) to the self-powered switches and sensors providing data and status information.

Communications is via the EnOcean ISO/IEC 14543-3-10 low power radio protocol which can be used in 902MHz, 868MHz or 315MHz frequency bands. It has a range of up to 30 metres in buildings.

The starter kit comes with three wireless sensors; push button, a solar-powered magnet contact switch and temperature sensor. There is also a web-interface for control via tablets or smart phones.

“The EnOcean Sensor Kit combines state of the art energy harvesting with ultra-low power sensors to create a unique automation solution for use with the Raspberry Pi,” said David Shen, CTO at element14.

enocean_stills_11_thumbThe EnOcean Sensor Kit is priced at $69.99.

 

Sensor in the eye medical diagnostic tool

figure1c_v2University of Washington engineers have designed a low-power sensor that could be placed permanently in a person’s eye to track hard-to-measure changes in eye pressure.

The sensor would be embedded with an artificial lens during cataract surgery and would detect pressure changes. It was would integrate a low power radio chip to transmit measurement data.

“No one has ever put electronics inside the lens of the eye, so this is a little more radical,” said Karl Böhringer, a UW professor of electrical engineering and of bioengineering.

“We have shown this is possible in principle. If you can fit this sensor device into an intraocular lens implant during cataract surgery, it won’t require any further surgery for patients.”

There are two ways to check eye pressure, but both require a visit to the ophthalmologist.

At most, patients at risk for glaucoma may only get their pressure checked several times a year, said Tueng Shen, a collaborator and UW professor of ophthalmology.

But if ophthalmologists could insert a pressure monitoring system in the eye with an artificial lens during cataract surgery that could save patients from a second surgery and essentially make their replacement lens “smarter” and more functional.

“The implementation of the monitoring device has to be well-suited clinically and must be designed to be simple and reliable,” Shen said. “We want every surgeon who does cataract surgeries to be able to use this.”

An illustration of the final device. Source: U of Washington

An illustration of the final device. Source: U of Washington

The UW engineering team has built a prototype that uses radio frequency for wireless power and data transfer. A thin, circular antenna spans the perimeter of the device – roughly tracing a person’s iris – and harnesses enough energy from the surrounding field to power a small pressure sensor chip.

The chip communicates with a close-by receiver about any shifts in frequency, which signify a change in pressure. Actual pressure is then calculated and those changes are tracked and recorded in real-time.

The chip’s processing mechanism is actually very simple, leaving the computational heavy lifting to the nearby receiver, which could be a handheld device or possibly built into a smartphone, Böhringer said.

The current prototype is larger than it would need to be to fit into an artificial lens, but the research team is confident it can be downscaled through more engineering.

 The team is working on downscaling the prototype to be tested in an actual artificial lens. Designing a final product that’s affordable for patients is the ultimate goal, researchers said.

“I think if the cost is reasonable and if the new device offers information that’s not measureable by current technology, patients and surgeons would be really eager to adopt it,” Shen said.

The research was funded by the Coulter Foundation and the UW. Buddy Ratner, a UW professor of bioengineering and of chemical engineering, and Felix Simonovsky, a UW bioengineering research scientist, also contributed to this work.

The University of Washington researchers recently published their results in the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering and filed patents on an initial prototype of the pressure-monitoring device.

Raytheon battery monitor tested by military

RaytheonRaytheon’s battery monitoring system (BMS) will be used in military vehicles to help extend the life of batteries, reduce the number of unnecessary battery replacements.

Battery power is used to drive engines during so-called ‘Silent Watch’ periods.

The system is designed to revert to a hibernation mode when the platform is not in use to minimise the platform power drain to 30mW per battery monitoring unit.

Battery voltage measurement is now resolved to 0.25mV, with an error of ±1% over the range 0 to 16.6V.

Battery current is measured typically to ±1% or better. In addition, battery impedance measurements can now be resolved to 6.4μΩ, and battery temperature can be measured to a resolution of ±0.5oC

“When in Silent Watch, the crew needs to know battery condition with high confidence to avoid unnecessary engine running. Automatic BMS calibration and accurate current and voltage measurement are key to robust monitoring of the battery State-of-Charge and State-of-Health,” said Neil Glachan, business development executive for Raytheon’s Integrated Power Systems.

The system will monitor up to eight 12V batteries – connected in series-parallel – simultaneously and it will interface to other vehicle systems via a MilCAN or J-Std-1939 interface. The BMS will also operate reliably down to 5.5V.

“A number of prototype units are currently being evaluated by military customers,” said Glachan.