From embedded chips to the internet of things
The roughly 300 employees in CT’s Software, Security & Systems (SSS) Cluster who are part of this effort support Siemens’ Sectors with new methods and technologies, as well as with development advice. Their main focus is on product lifecycle planning and security.
The Internet is primarily used to exchange data between computers. These networks are hardly linked to the physical world at all, though. That could change soon, because now many everyday objects are equipped with microchips that control, for example, washing machines and subsystems of cars or machines in manufacturing plants. And in the future many of these objects will communicate with one another and share information. A washing machine, for instance, could monitor the market for electricity and wait until the price is attractive before turning itself on. And in logistics it would be a great advantage to have packages that “know” their own location, in real time.
The digital and physical worlds are connected in this “Internet of things.” Software has a major role to play here. It controls not only the systems – whether power plants, industrial facilities, or medical equipment; it also supports the entire value chain of products: from design to production planning and the user interface for operation, all the way to subsequent maintenance services.
One of the most important challenges for CT researchers is to perfect the interplay between software and mechanical and electronics systems. Efficient development without media gaps and the reliability, security, and quality of the software become the decisive factors in terms of competitiveness.
More secure data transfers
The Internet of things includes the integration of data from public transit systems, power plants, and decentralized energy supply systems. The electric vehicles of the future, for example, could communicate with their owners by means of Outlook calendars and know how far they will have to be driven, and to what destination – before a trip even begins. Such requirements could be communicated in advance to battery charging stations, which would then be able to “ask” power producers within a certain radius: Who can supply energy, how much can they supply, and when can they supply it? This would help prevent grid overloads, for example, and ensure that electricity is available at affordable prices. A key to this is networked communication, which above all must ensure data protection - the data must be encrypted to prevent unauthorized persons from using or manipulating the information.
Another challenge is to use IT systems to optimally coordinate available resources, for example computers, materials, and personnel. Today’s IT landscape is made up of an extremely diverse mix of applications, platforms, and many databases. Working in parallel are not only various coexisting systems with different life cycles and product versions but also client-server applications and Web-based technologies that are often incompatible with one another and offer redundant functions.
An IT environment in which the components of all applications interact seamlessly would be ideal. This can be achieved by creating uniform interfaces between components based on open standards. This would reduce costs and boost quality and flexibility, despite constantly increasing user requirements. To create such an environment, what is needed above all is an open, service-oriented architecture (SoA).
One strategic focal point of the SSS cluster is therefore the integration of internal and external requirements in application programs used for business processes and production.
Holonic integration
One strategic focal point of the SSS cluster is therefore the integration of internal and external requirements in application programs used for business processes and production. On the basis of the service-oriented architecture, it is now possible for subsystems to be merged into one big system that offers a much higher range of performance.
This concept, which researchers call “holonic integration,” would make it possible to contain IT costs and achieve greater flexibility. A high degree of consistency in communication and the integration of services and synergy effects between applications would also become possible. The basis for this would be provided by autonomous, independently operating units – including robots and software agents – instead of hierarchically organized systems.
Researchers are therefore studying how holonic integration could be applied to embedded systems, without any sacrifices in terms of reliability or real-time availability. To meet this challenge, the EU has launched the NESSI (Networked European Software and Services Initiative) research program. CT is taking part in NESSI, concentrating on topics including 3-D worlds, cloud computing, and SoA4PLM (SoA for Product Lifecycle Management).
Simple and intuitive operation
User-friendly interfaces are yet another key to the success of all kinds of products and system solutions. Integrated in the Siemens sectors’ marketing and development processes, Corporate Technology experts analyze the needs of end users, design interaction concepts, and create the visual design for applications in products as different from one another as locomotive cabs, washing machines, medical equipment, control systems for power plants, and automation systems.
In the design of user interfaces, researchers focus on task/workflow orientation. Here, the trend is the “art of doing without.” The modeling of work processes – which extends up to the user’s individual tasks – reduces the interface down to the essentials and thus makes it much more user-friendly.
When it comes to handling needs related to different markets and changing conditions, such user interfaces are a better choice than an approach that calls for including as many functions as possible. What’s more, Siemens experts create software functions as prototypes and test them for usability.
One successful example of an optimal user interface is that provided by syngo.via, the Healthcare Sector’s new platform for all medical imaging processes. syngo.via drastically reduces processing times by preparing images for physicians in a manner that is tailored to each individual task and providing the appropriate tools in an optimized monitor display arrangement. The consistent focus on doctors’ work processes and intelligent data preparation with a uniform interface impressed the members of the if Design Award jury, who honored the user interface with the if Design Award in September 2010.
| PLM Technology Center |
| Product development often involves virtually creating solutions on computers, with the help of digital tools and with input contributed by suppliers and customers. This results in a tremendous variety of interacting processes, including innovation management, the management of requirements, design, simulation, production, testing, maintenance, and recycling where necessary. The solutions that are developed here fall under the category of product lifecycle management (PLM). CT put a PLM Technology Center into operation in Munich, Germany, in 2008, followed by two more centers in 2009 – in Princeton, N.J., and in Beijing, China. The centers combine the PLM knowhow of various CT teams – the spectrum ranges from software architecture to virtual design and from factory optimization to visualization technologies and optimized user interfaces. In addition, best practice solutions and future trends are identified. These can include anything from special remote maintenance services to a seamless digital development process or an optimized solution for integrating virtual products in the real world. Consumption of resources and energy can also be optimized as a result – making it possible for the products to meet sustainability-related requirements. |