Video: Enabling the next generation of cool

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I like being on the QNX team because we help people do really important stuff — and really cool stuff. Here's a short video that captures a bit of both:


 

Who will clean up at this year's International Telematics Awards?

Every year, the worlds' top automakers and automotive suppliers vie for a chance to take home an International Telematics Award. Last year, for example, the Audi 3G MMI system won in the navigation product category, and the BMW ConnectedDrive system won in the telematics service category. Meanwhile, the QNX CAR Application Platform took top honors in the telematics component category.

See a pattern here? That's right, all three are based on the QNX operating system.

As with 2010, so for 2011. QNX has again been shortlisted, this time in the infotainment solution category. Meanwhile, several QNX customers — including Audi, BMW, GM, Harman/Becker, and Hyundai — have also clinched finalist spots. (To see the complete list, click here.)

As a long-time QNXer, I don't know what pleases me more:  that QNX has been singled out for an award, or that QNX has again helped multiple customers make the shortlist.

Either way, I don't envy the competition judges: They have to choose between some very cool systems.

 

QNX to provide OS for Audi's "MIB High" infotainment system

So why does all the cool stuff happen when I'm on vacation? Last Friday, while I was driving to the cottage, Elektrobit announced that QNX Software Systems has been chosen to provide the operating system and multimedia engine for MIB High, the next-generation infotainment platform for Audi vehicles.

Let's rewind for a minute. To stay relevant, automakers must create cars that integrate with the multitude of smartphones, tablets, and mobile services that have become standard equipment for day-to-day life. In fact, many consumers won't even look at a new car unless it provides such integration. Problem is, the traditional development cycles for building in-car electronic systems lag far behind those for the mobile market — years compared to months.

That's why I find the MIB High so fascinating. On the hardware level, it consists of two main modules: the Radio&Car Control Unit (RCC) and the multimedia unit (MMX). The RCC implements features that remain stable over time, such as interfaces to the automotive CAN bus. The MMX, on the other hand, implements features subject to change, such as navigation, connectivity, and multimedia. By leveraging this modular approach, the system's developers can "carry out partial re-development to react more quickly to customer requirements and changing consumer electronics, getting them into vehicles on a shorter cycle."

It's an innovative approach. More importantly, it can help the connected car stay connected. Good, that.

For more information, read the Elektrobit press release. Among other things, the release contains details on the new business model created by Audi, Elektrobit, and e.solutions, the developer of MIB High.
 

QNX updates EAL 4+ certified secure RTOS

This just in: QNX has announced an update to its QNX Neutrino RTOS Secure Kernel. The new version supports a greater variety of single-core and multi-core processors and boasts faster kernel performance in periods of heavy memory utilization. It also allows developers to take advantage of Persistent Publish/Subscribe (PPS) messaging, which I've discussed in previous posts (see here, here, and here).

Like its predecessor, the new version:

• offers certification to Common Criteria ISO/IEC 15408 Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL) 4+
• supports adaptive partitioning, an efficient form of time partitioning that prevents software processes from being starved of CPU cycles
• supports symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) on multi-core processors

Who is this product for? Primarily companies that build power plants, defense systems, subway control centers, government networks, and other mission-critical applications.

To find out more about the secure kernel, click here.
 

QNX-powered MABEL robot makes front cover of IEEE Control Systems magazine

A couple of years ago, I regaled you with the story of MABEL, a robot designed to study bipedal locomotion. Among other things, MABEL aims to achieve a better compromise in "speed, stability, agility, and energy efficiency" than other bipedal-robot designs. (I'm quoting Jessie Grizzle, a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Michigan and one of the masterminds of the MABEL project.)

To acquire data from sensors, compute control actions, and output commands to actuators, MABEL uses a realtime computing and data acquisition environment based on the QNX Neutrino RTOS. The software framework for the control system is based on RHexLib, which was originally developed for RHex, another QNX-based robot.

If you're in the mood for a deep dive on MABEL, check out the April 2011 edition of IEEE Control Systems magazine — the article runs an impressive 25 pages. If, however, you'd like something a little lighter, I suggest the three following videos:

MABEL walking on an uneven surface


MABEL walking like a human, with "heel-strike and toe-off"


MABEL, before and after correction of a hardware bug

 

Final Liftoff of Space Shuttle Endeavour

The Space Shuttle Endeavour embarked on its 25th and final voyage at 12:56 GMT this morning, with six crew members on board. As with all shuttle flights, the Endaevour is equipped with the QNX-powered LCS camera, a high-precision 3D scanner that can detect the tiniest fractures in the shuttle's heat shield, even if they're only a few millimeters in size.

I've got a couple of videos for your viewing pleasure. The first provides an overview of QNX's role in the LCS. The second provides footage of this morning's launch:





For more information on QNX and the LCS, check out the article I co-wrote with Neptec's Iain Christie.
 

RIM CTO: How RIM is steering BlackBerry toward QNX

Yesterday, ZDNet UK interviewed David Yach, RIM's software CTO, about "tablets, smartphones, and key mobile issues." I was particularly interested in David's comments on the QNX OS. Among other things, he offers an example of QNX's support for fine-grained fault isolation and recovery — the same capability that makes QNX technology popular in Internet routers and other high-availability systems. To read the interview, click here.