ESC Boston 2003: 120 exhibitors, 70 sessions, 3,000 visitors

Boston, MA— At its second show this year, Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) Boston 2003 drew approximately 3,000 visitors to its 120 exhibitors and more than 70 conference sessions on Sept. 15-18 at the Hynes Convention Center, according to show organizer CMP Media LLC. In general ESCs are educational forums for engineers and engineering managers developing processor-based systems.

ESC Boston allowed attendees to experience new embedded hardware and software technologies, as well as explore solutions critical to embedded design challenges. Exhibitors at ESC Boston included Green Hills Software, Mentor Graphics, Motorola, Tektronix and Xilinx.

Meanwhile, ESC Boston’s conference sessions explored numerous design topics, including wireless, serial communications, Linux/open source, real-time development and software design. The sessions focused on delivering technical insight necessary to make embedded system designs better, faster, and more reliable. The classes and tutorials provided practical answers, and taught skills and techniques that can be implemented immediately.

‘Developing low-cost,‘smart’ products, continues to be a major challenge for embedded systems developers,’ says Lindsey Vereen, ESC’s conference director. ‘ESC Boston delivered a robust training program that offered practical information about methodologies that engineers can use to solve real-life designchallenges.’

Wendy Vittori, Motorola Computer Group’s VP and GM, adds that, ‘Motorola Computer Group is focusing on new market opportunities as we continue to provide our customers with complete solutions built to industry standards. At this year’s ESC, we highlighted our standards-based technologies that allow customers to enhance their products, and get them to market quickly and cost effectively. This event provides an excellent opportunity for us to meet new and existing customers in person, strengthen relationships, and educate attendees on our latest product developments with product demos and technical workshops on the exhibit floor.’

Embedded in Action demo Beside the exhibits and classes, visitors also attended ESC Boston’s Embedded in Action event, which featured demonstrations of end-user and consumer products powered by innovative embedded technology. Product demonstrations were presented by:

Applied Data Systems, which showed its UniComp’s CS 1500 small portable point of sale (POS) device featuring a large display for extended graphic capabilities. CS 1500 uses the firm’s low power-consuming ADS BitsyX.

InHand Electronics Inc., which exhibited Raytheon’s Defense Advanced GPS Receiver (DAGR). This is a handheld, precision positioning device for soldiers. DAGR is powered by InHand’s Fingertip, a credit-card-sized, low-power, single-board computer, based on Intel’s StrongARM/XScale CPU and Microsoft’s Windows CE operating system.

LynuxWorks, which demonstrated its Improved Data Modem (IDM) that allows all aspects of a battlefield, including aviation units, ground forces and shipborne systems, to communicate digitally in real-time. IDM was used in the Apache Longbow, Chinook, Kiowa Warrior, and Blackhawk Army helicopters during the recent war in Iraq. LynuxWorks’ LynxOS real-time operating system (RTOS) provides IDM’s required hard real-time capability, as well as its full POSIX conformance, assuring complete code portability between systems.

Xilinx Inc., which exhibited ELAN, a personal, microcomputer-controlled alcohol breath tester that measures a person’s blood alcohol level. ELAN uses Xilinx CoolRunner-II CPLD technology to measure the concentration of alcohol. Xilinx also showed its WAVES solution, which it reports is the first to merge a proprietary video protocol (PVP) encoded platform with analog technology. It also includes a new interactive viewing terminal (IVT) to help develop Kangaroo.tv, which is reportedly the world’s first wireless, audiovisual entertainment system. Using Xilinx’s low cost Spartan Series chips, this user-friendly handheld device offers access to a broad range of event-specific audio and video material. Finally, Xilinx demonstrated its Interativa 68-billion color LED display system, which uses Xilinx’s Spartan Series and Virtex-II platform FPGAs, and features the MicroBlaze 32-bit soft processor core. Interativa LED display is capable of rendering more than 68 billion different shades of color.

Control Engineering Daily News DeskJim Montague, news editorjmontague@reedbusiness.com

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