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Development for IOT *

Learn how to develop for IOT

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Alpha Go && Alpha Go Zero

Reading time 3 min
Views 1.5K

Today I would like to discuss the games Chess and Go, the world's champions, algorithms and Al.

In 1997, a computer program developed by IBM Deep Blue defeated the world Chess champion Garry Kasparov. Go remained the last board game in which humans were still better than machines.

Why is that?

Chess is primarily distinguished from Go by the number of variations for each move. Chess, the game is more predictable with more structured rules: we have value for each figure (e.g bishop = 3 pawns, rook = 5 pawns -> rook > bishop), some kind of openings and strategies. Go, in turn, has incredibly simple rules, which creates the complexity of the game for the machine. Go is one of the oldest board games. Until recently, it was assumed that a machine was not capable of playing on an equal footing with a professional player due to the high level of abstraction and the inability to sort through all possible scenarios - exactly as many valid combinations in a game on a standard 19×19 go-ban are 10180 (greater than the number of atoms in the visible universe).

However, almost 20 years later, in 2015, there was a breakthrough. Google's Deep Mind company enhanced AlphaGo, which was the last step for the computer to defeat the world champions in board games. The AlphaGo program defeated the European champion and then, in March 2016 demonstrated a high level of play by defeating Lee Sedol, one of the strongest go players in the world, with a score of 4:1 in favour of the machine. A year later, Google introduced to the world a new version of AlphaGo - AlphaGoZero.

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Total votes 2: ↑2 and ↓0 +2
Comments 1

Making an Encoder Cable for Servosila Brushless Motor Controller. Testing in Direct Drive mode

Reading time 2 min
Views 858

In this video, we are making a cable for connecting a quadrature encoder to a Servosila brushless motor controller, and and then running a servo motor in Direct Drive mode. To make the cable we are using a cable assembly kit that can be purchased from the internet store. Alternatively, the components for the cable can be bought in other places. The part numbers are given in the controller's datasheet.

The cable assembly kit consists of a connector and a set of wires with pre-crimped socket blades. If you have a crimper tool, you can also attach the socket blades to wires by yourself.

Lets open a datasheet document that comes with the brushless motor controller. Note that each connector has its first pin clearly marked with a "1" sign. Conventionally, the numbering of pins is done in such a way that there are rows of odd-numbered and even-numbered pins.

The quadrature encoder's electrical interface has 5 wires in total. Positions of the pins of each of the wires are given in the table. The socket blades need to be pushed into the connector until you feel a "click". The blades lock into the connector's sockets. Optionally, primarily for cosmetic reasons, you may want to add a heat-shrink tubing to your cable.

The brushless motor controllers come in two distinct forms, a circular and a rectangular one. Both models are identical in terms of capabilities, features, firmware, and external electrical connectors.

The connector has a locking mechanism that keeps it in place. I soldered a mating connector to the other side of the cable - a connector that my brushless motor needs. Note that your motor will likely require a different connector, or no connector at all. It is always a good idea to test an end-to-end integrity of the cable and its connectors. Lets buzz the wires using a multimeter. The cable is ready.

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Total votes 5: ↑3 and ↓2 +1
Comments 0

Controlling Brushless Motors from Windows

Reading time 4 min
Views 1.4K

In this video, we will look at how to connect brushless motors to a Windows computer via USB. We are going to connect a network of Servosila brushless motor controllers to the computer. The other option is CANbus interface, but we will look at CANbus in a dedicated video. A regular USB cable is used. Note that the USB cable is not used to power the controller and its motor.

The first brushless motor controller in network appears to Windows as a Virtual COM port. Once connected via USB, it can be found in a general list of devices in the Window's "Settings" window. Up to 16 controllers can be connected this way via a single USB cable to the same control computer or a PLC. If one of the interconnected brushless motor controllers is connected to a computer via USB, then that particular controller becomes a USB-to-CANbus gateway for the rest of the network.

If your computer happens to have more that one serial port, you may wish to check a COM port's number assigned by Windows to the controller. Then, you pick this COM port in a drop down menu in the Servoscope software, and click Connect. If the COM port is not listed in the drop-down menu, click the Refresh button. If everything is good, the controller appears in a list of devices. Double-click to open up a control and configuration window.

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Total votes 5: ↑3 and ↓2 +1
Comments 0

Controlling Brushless Motors using Raspberry PI

Reading time 5 min
Views 3.1K

In this video tutorial, we will control a pair of brushless motors from a Raspberry PI computer. We will use one of the computer's USB ports to connect a network of brushless motor controllers. We will power the computer, the controllers, and the brushless motors using a single battery, similar to a autonomous vehicle design.

The first motor is an outrunner type, a kind of what you would use for a vehicle propulsion. The bigger motor comes with a quadrature encoder which means it can be used as a powerful servo.

I made a cable to power my set up. On one end, the cable has a socket for plugging the battery. The cable splits into a two parallel parts to power the controllers, and the Raspberry PI. The bottom part of the cable further splits to power a pair of brushless motor controllers.
By the way, the controllers need 7 to 60 Volts DC. I put proper connectors at the ends of the cable, so that I could just plug it into the controllers.

Servosila brushless motor controllers come in rectangular or circular form factors. The controllers have USB and CANbus ports for connecting to control computers such as Raspberry PI.

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Total votes 6: ↑5 and ↓1 +4
Comments 0

Espressif IoT Development Framework: 71 Shots in the Foot

Reading time 28 min
Views 1K

0790_Espressif_IoT_Development_Framework/image1.png
One of our readers recommended paying heed to the Espressif IoT Development Framework. He found an error in the project code and asked if the PVS-Studio static analyzer could find it. The analyzer can't detect this specific error so far, but it managed to spot many others. Based on this story and the errors found, we decided to write a classic article about checking an open source project. Enjoy exploring what IoT devices can do to shoot you in the foot.

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Total votes 1: ↑1 and ↓0 +1
Comments 0

Top 10 IoT Healthcare Solution Providers You Can Trust in 2020

Reading time 7 min
Views 4.8K
The role of IoT in the healthcare industry has been transformed by top IoT healthcare solution providers. IoT healthcare companies have created a path for new innovation, smarter systems and digital healthcare solutions.

As stated by the Market Insights Reports,The global IoT in healthcare market was valued at $55.5 billion in 2019.The report also suggested that the market would grow at a CAGR of over 25% during the forecast period of 2019 to 2026. Moreover, with the current global pandemic of COVID-19, top healthcare IoT companies are vying opportunities to further this growth and invent newer IoT healthcare solutions.

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In this article, we take a look at the top 10 IoT healthcare solution providers. These top healthcare IoT companies endorse smart healthcare solutions such as remote patient monitoring systems, IoT healthcare apps and other digital healthcare solutions. These inventions attain an exceptional opportunity to improve the quality of treatments, which eventually will improve the health of the patients.

So, here are the new-age innovators of the healthcare industry – The Top 10 IoT Healthcare Companies:


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Rating 0
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About embedded again: searching for bugs in the Embox project

Reading time 11 min
Views 520

Рисунок 2


Embox is a cross-platform, multi-tasking real-time operating system for embedded systems. It is designed to work with limited computing resources and allows you to run Linux-based applications on microcontrollers without using Linux itself. Certainly, the same as other applications, Embox couldn't escape from bugs. This article is devoted to the analysis of errors found in the code of the Embox project.
Total votes 3: ↑3 and ↓0 +3
Comments 0

What would be the future of Android in 2020?

Reading time 4 min
Views 8.3K
Android has always been on the top of the hustle when you think about mobile application development. Android’s smartphone OS Market Share now hovers around 85%. Furthermore, volumes are expected to grow at a five-year CAGR of 2.4%, with shipments approaching 1.41 billion in 2022.

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Source: Google Images

But before you took the plunge in exploring and riding on the waves of changes or hire an android app developer to develop an app, it is important to understand the trends and its implications on the android application development ecosystem.
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Rating 0
Comments 2

How 5G's Acceleration will move through the Mobile App Development Space?

Reading time 6 min
Views 1.2K
5G ( Fifth Generation Wireless Cellular Network) is not just a possibility anymore. The forthcoming of 2020 has unfold avenues for 5G browser capabilities in smartphones.

With the recent 5G rollout, it has been predicted that over 1.4 billion devices will be running on the 5G network by 2025 — accounting for 15% of the global total.

image
Source: Google Images
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Total votes 10: ↑8 and ↓2 +6
Comments 0

Augmented Reality: A perfect vehicle for 21st-century education

Reading time 4 min
Views 1.3K
With the advancements in technology, new ways are being explored and introduced to make teaching and learning more productive. This has taken the e-learning industry to new heights. It has been expected that the global e-learning market revenue will reach $300 billion by 2025.
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Total votes 1: ↑0 and ↓1 -1
Comments 0

Lab tour: Functional Materials and Devices of Optoelectronics at ITMO University

Reading time 3 min
Views 1.3K
Today we’re taking a look at the Functional Materials and Devices of Optoelectronics Lab at ITMO University, the equipment it houses, and the projects underway at the facility. It is an international research facility located in the center of St. Petersburg. The staff is primarily occupied with the search for innovative materials (semiconductors, metals, and nanostructured oxides), and the manufacturing of next-gen micro- and optoelectronic gadgets. Here we take a look at the high-tech equipment it utilizes.

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Total votes 10: ↑9 and ↓1 +8
Comments 0

App ideas to generate revenues for startups in 2019 & beyond

Reading time 4 min
Views 1.1K
Every other person is establishing a startup these days. Is it easy to make it work? Do you know what is the success rate of startups? You would be shocked to know that out of the total startups launched in the year 2014, only 56% of them could make it to the fifth year, i.e. 2018.

Every entrepreneur starts a business with a vision to take it to exceptional heights. The bitter truth is, no matter in which industry domain you are working, you cannot survive for long if you do not perform extraordinarily.
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AHURATUS Smart Home Voice Assistant

Reading time 7 min
Views 1.8K

N|Solid


N|Solid


AHURATUS Smart Home Voice Assistant


Developed by Ehsan Shaghaei
Innopolis University
AHURATUS Scientific Club.

STM32F103ZET6 UNIVERSAL BOARD


Introduction


AHURATUS Smart Home Voice Assistant is an IOT device developed in order to control other home devices by voice detection. Note: This device is made ONLY for academic purposes.


Approach


Description


"AHURATUS Smart Home Voice Assistant" uses an ARM Cortex-M3 process for running the instructions as well as several peripheral devices in order to decrease the complexity of data bus and RF-Circuit calculations.


Bill of Materials


# Component Name Role Technical Document links
1 STM32F103ZET6 Process and Control Datasheet
2 HC-05 Bluetooth Module Bluetooth Radio Connection Datasheet
3 220-5V AC-DC Adapter Powering the circuit Datasheet
4 LED or Mosfets or Relays To System Output Datasheet
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Total votes 14: ↑14 and ↓0 +14
Comments 1

Internet of Things (IoT) is going to Change the World. Future of IoT

Reading time 3 min
Views 1.7K
For the past two years, there’s been a lot of buzzing about the Internet of Things (IoT). This has to lead to the rapid selection of connected devices over industries and is determined to pass the 11 billion mark by the end of the year. Major Companies including IoT software development as their major services.

All these “things” are now creating their things, namely, lots and lots of data. This data will be at the core of commercial and industrial digital transformation (which is essentially the underlying force behind the fourth industrial revolution).

In other words, life as we know it is about to change forever! How is it going to change? Let’s take a look.

1. AI (Artifical Intelligence) can Effectively Manage Oceans of information

We can’t talk about IoT without AI as the latter has the power to make IoT a whole lot smarter and more efficient.

In fact, consultants believe that AI is the brains behind IoT systems that may facilitate build them run power tool.

For example, as more and more connected devices start communicating with each other, enterprises will need to leverage deep learning, image recognition, natural language processes, and neural-network driven decisions to help them understand each other (and us humans) better.

So far, we can say that IoT has felt like an isolated experience where it was just about simple data. Going forward, businesses will strive to achieve highly integrated experiences by using AI to better understand their employees, customers, and the general public living in smart cities.
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Total votes 10: ↑10 and ↓0 +10
Comments 6

NodeMCU simple driver model (SDM) showcase: dynamic user interface

Reading time 8 min
Views 2.4K

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NodeMCU is an interactive firmware, which allows running Lua interpreter on the ESP8266 microcontroller (ESP32 support is in development). Alongside with all the regular hardware interfaces, it has WiFi module and SPIFFS file system.


This article describes the new module for the NodeMCU — sdm. SDM stands for simple driver model and it provides device-driver model abstraction for the system. In the first part of this article we will discuss the model itself and in the second part will be a showcase of dynamically created web user interface using sdm with some commentaries.

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Total votes 18: ↑17 and ↓1 +16
Comments 0

Top 10 IoT sensors in 2019

Reading time 8 min
Views 5K
The very paradigm of automation where IoT solutions play a key role is based on a presumption that machines can act in both autonomous and intelligent manners. And what enables them doing so is a capability of handling tremendous flows of collected data.

The collectible data includes those various signals that both animate and inanimate object can send to the IoT systems. Hence, the objects should have some highly specific signal-generating devices to share information within the IoT.
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Total votes 12: ↑11 and ↓1 +10
Comments 0

Manifest of Smart Home Developer: 15 principles

Reading time 12 min
Views 4K
Today I’d like to speak about Smart homes and IoT devices. But it is no ordinary article. You won’t find description of hardware, links to manufacturers, batches of code or repositories. Today we’ll discuss something of a higher level — principles that are used to organize “smart” systems.

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Smart home is a system that can do some everyday routines instead of a person. It leads us to the first and the main principle:
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Total votes 29: ↑27 and ↓2 +25
Comments 1

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