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Tuesday, June 20 • 9:00am - 3:00pm
Full Day Pre-Con Workshop: Modernizing Embedded Software

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How modern embedded systems are designed and built has evolved dramatically over the last decade as devices have become connected to the internet. In this symposium, we will explore modern embedded software development processes and techniques that will help attendees design and build embedded systems faster and more robustly.
Attendees will learn how to:
  • Improve their software development processes
  • Leverage the open-source Zephyr RTOS
  • Monitor and debug production embedded systems remotely
  • Use machine learning to accelerate software development
  • Learn the advantages and disadvantages of using the Rust programming language

Agenda

9:00am-9:30am 
Modern Embedded Software Development Strategies and Processes
There are many factors that contribute to successfully designing and developing an embedded system and many that can lead to disaster. In this session, we will explore modern embedded software development strategies and processes that can be used by both small and big development teams to successfully develop modern embedded software systems. Attendees will walk away with an understanding of how to balance their development processes and leverage modern techniques such as simulation, unit tests, configuration management, and CI/CD.
Topics covered in this session include:
  • Embedded software design philosophies
  • Example optimized embedded software development processes
  • How to perform a design cycle tune-up (self-test)
  • Modern build systems using Docker
  • Embedded CI/CD pipeline development
  • Best Practices
Speaker: Jacob Beningo, President, Beningo Embedded Group

9:30am-10:15am
Designing Secure Embedded Devices for an Interconnected World

The increased prevalence of embedded devices in our connected world has made securing them even more critical. These devices can be found in a wide range of applications, including smart homes, wearable devices, industrial control systems, medical devices, automotive systems, and even critical infrastructure such as power grids and transportation networks, which has made them attractive targets for cyber attacks. In this presentation, we will discuss the importance of incorporating security from the design phase of embedded device development. Attendees will learn how to implement security by design principles, including threat modeling, secure boot mechanisms, secure communication protocols, and firmware updates. Real-world examples of attacks on embedded devices will be analyzed, demonstrating the potential consequences and highlighting preventive measures. By the end of the presentation, participants will have a clear understanding of the significance of embedding security from the design phase and how to implement best practices, enabling them to develop secure embedded devices that can withstand these threats.
Speaker: Shawn Prestridge, US Field Applications Engineer Team Leader, IAR Systems

10:25-11:10am
Sensing on a Mars Analogue Astronaut Mission
An analogue astronaut mission relies on sensors to provide faster insights and additional information. This is required when operating in an extreme environment with less resources for human performance and safety, along with their respective science experiments. In May 2023, the Transatlantic Mars Crew 261 embarked on a 2 week mission at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, USA. This talk will cover the electronics involved with: Atmosphinder wind-propelled robot to investigate analogous features on Mars, extra-vehicular activities (EVAs), and more. By the end of this talk, you will have a better understanding of the role sensors will play for a crewed mission to Mars, and how some of these are already in reach for experiments today.
Speaker: Erin Kennedy, Founder, Robot Missions

11:15am-12:00pm
The Best Defense is Offensive Programming

The reality is that the firmware we develop inevitably contains bugs. While we must be prepared to address and acknowledge failures when they occur, defensive programming practices may cause more problems than they solve if not executed correctly. Enter offensive programming: a complementary set of practices that aims to expose bugs in firmware as soon as possible. Instead of defensively guarding against errors, this approach employs liberal asserting and proper fault handling to immediately surface them. Join us for this talk as we explore offensive programming techniques, the prerequisites needed to successfully implement them in your firmware, and how they can help you quickly and effortlessly detect and resolve those pesky 1 in 1,000 hour bugs - all while maintaining your sanity.
Speaker: Tyler Hoffman, Co-Founder, MemFault 

12:00pm-12:50am Lunch 

1:00pm-1:50pm
Where's the killer app for TinyML?

There's been a lot of excitement around the idea of running machine learning on cheap, low-cost, and low-power embedded systems, but it's been four years since the term was first popularized and there aren't many success stories that have made it to production. In this talk, Pete will discuss some applications which have been successful, and what we can all do to achieve the promise the technology offers.
Speaker: Pete Warden, CEO, Useful Sensors

2:00pm-2:50pm 
A Hands-On Introduction to The Zephyr Project RTOS

A Realtime Operating System (RTOS) is a staple of most embedded systems. The Zephyr Project RTOS, known as "Zephyr," has increased in popularity recently. Zephyr borrows some aspects from Linux that may stump experienced embedded software developers. In this workshop, Mohammed will describe the features of Zephyr that make it appealing over a traditional RTOS and the data structures relevant for embedded software developers. He will also provide hands-on demos illustrating the implementation of commonly embedded software paradigms in Zephyr.
Speaker: Mohammed Billoo ,CEO, MAB Labs Embedded Solutions


Speakers
avatar for Jacob Beningo

Jacob Beningo

President, Beningo Embedded Group
After spending over ten years designing embedded systems for automotive, defense and space industries, Jacob founded Beningo Embedded Group in 2009. Jacob has worked with clients in more than a dozen countries todramatically transform their businesses by improving product quality... Read More →
avatar for Tyler Hoffman

Tyler Hoffman

Co-Founder, MemFault
Embedded engineer with 7 years of industry experience and a passion for developer tools. Worked at Pebble and Fitbit helping them ship and maintain millions of wearable devices running RTOS-level firmware. Now a co-founder at Memfault, which is building monitoring tools for the IoT... Read More →
avatar for Mohammed Billoo

Mohammed Billoo

CEO, MAB Labs Embedded Solutions
Mohammed Billoo is the CEO of MAB Labs Embedded Solutions. He specializes in designing, implementing, and testing embedded software, ranging from small microcontroller-based systems to larger embedded Linux systems. His work spans numerous verticals, from scientific instruments to... Read More →
avatar for Pete Warden

Pete Warden

CEO, Useful Sensors
Pete is the CEO of Useful Sensors, a startup building AI interfaces for everyday objects in a privacy secure way using TinyML. He was previously the founder and tech lead of the TensorFlow Lite Micro embedded ML library, sold his previous company to Google in 2014, and is the author... Read More →
avatar for Erin Kennedy

Erin Kennedy

Founder, Robot Missions
Erin Kennedy is an eccentric robotics inventor and analogue astronaut. She is the founder of Robot Missions, which develops low-cost robots to address environmental challenges. Erin specializes in electronics design and embedded systems. She completed studies at the International... Read More →
avatar for Shawn Prestridge

Shawn Prestridge

Field Applications Engineer Manager, IAR Systems
Shawn Prestridge has served as IAR System's Senior Field Applications Engineer since 2008 and as the US FAE Manager since 2018. Shawn has worked in the software industry since 1993 and prior to joining IAR Systems he held the position of Embedded Hardware/Software Engineer with Texas... Read More →


Tuesday June 20, 2023 9:00am - 3:00pm PDT
Grand Ballroom H
  Workshops