Highlights From Embedded Systems Conference

Tetravus writes "The Embedded Systems Conference at Moscone Center in San Francisco is winding down. The finalists for this year's Best of Show include a Trek Style communicator that uses 802.11b, a home healthcare robot, and some crazy giant household remote."

Comments

Segway vs. VCB, Round 1

[Theodore Logan]

The Segway was, according to tech gurus and investors worth billions of dollars, going to be one of the greatest inventions ever, on pair with the wheel and the fire. Eventually we would design cities to fit the needs of the Segway, and not the other way round, we were told.

This was two years ago. Now that it's finally here it can't even claim the Best of Show prize at the Embedded Systems Conference, an honor that instead goes to some unheard of gizmo called the Vocera Communications badge, which appears to be nothing more than a wearable intercom telephone with built in voice recognition.

Makes you wonder...

Re:Segway vs. VCB, Round 1

[mahler3]

It was much longer than two years after automobiles became widely available before U.S. cities began to be designed around them, as opposed to streetcars, rail, and pedestrians. It finally took a joint venture between GM, Mack Truck, Standard Oil, and others, who systematically bought up the privately owned transit companies, ripped up their tracks, and replaced their routes with buses. The first waves of automobile buyers (driving on government-funded roads, of course) had drained enough previous ridership revenue from the transit companies that it wasn't too expensive to buy them out.

Cities might eventually be designed to support the Segway, or something like it, but it won't happen just because it's a neat technology. Short of a prolonged public crisis, such as a severe oil shortage, it'll take someone with deep pockets, good political connections, and a solid profit motive to make it happen.

This is just a thought, but the Segway pushers in the U.S. might want to ally themselves with bicyclists in advocating expanded lanes for all vehicles in the ~15 mph speed range. (Yes, I know that many cyclists ride faster than 15 mph. So include a passing lane. :-)

Doesn't anybody notice?

[The Kryptonian]

The Vocera product is a Star Trek communicator! They even call their custom wireless TCP/IP protocol "Turbo Treck".

This proves my thesis that the kids who grew up watching Star Trek twenty years ago are out there by the thousands trying to build it today.

(Whadya know, a relevant post for once..)

Walkie-Talkie?

[GigsVT]

Why waste 802.11b spectrum on voice communications? There are already many chunks of spectrum available for voice communications, but very little available for unlicensed digital use.

Microsoft's entry actually sounds cool

[anonymous loser]

The Exertris Interactive Bike combines the fun and addictive quality of computer games with the health benefits of exercise. Using a concept called pedal-to-play, the player/biker is required to use their pedaling energy to power elements inside the game; all games are based on this premise. The bike's interactive gaming system is built on Microsoft Windows XP Embedded -- an operating system that delivers the power of Windows in componentized form and a toolset enabling rapid development of reliable devices.

You know, I've been wishing for something like this for a long time. I get bored out of my mind on traditional aerobic exercise equipment, and especially on days with crappy weather, I have no choice for getting a good aerobic workout indoors (except the obvious, uh...alternative, which is difficult when my fiance is several thousand miles away). For the same reason I enjoy playing DDR and Konami's excellent Mocap Boxing game. I play DDR at home as a workout alternative to treadmills, but Mocap Boxing is too expensive to do every day, but I still go play 5-6 games every once in a while. That game makes my arms really tired, but it's a great workout and really fun.

Re:Microsoft's entry actually sounds cool

[Caoch93]

You know, I've been wishing for something like this for a long time. I get bored out of my mind on traditional aerobic exercise equipment, and especially on days with crappy weather, I have no choice for getting a good aerobic workout indoors (except the obvious, uh...alternative, which is difficult when my fiance is several thousand miles away). For the same reason I enjoy playing DDR [konami.co.jp] and Konami's excellent Mocap Boxing [konami.co.uk] game. I play DDR at home as a workout alternative to treadmills, but Mocap Boxing is too expensive to do every day, but I still go play 5-6 games every once in a while. That game makes my arms really tired, but it's a great workout and really fun.

Heh...I just made a post like this in a different thread. Konami has made attempts at the video game/exercise crossover, but not with DDR. They've done traditional "treadmill games" as have been available for quite some time. I honestly think DDR is a very serious cultural entry in video games, bringing in the competetive spirit of fighting games, dance culture, and a kickass workout. I bike and lift weights, too, but the DDR is a more intense workout and is the only workout that I enjoy and will virtually never slack off on.

BTW, if Mocap Boxing makes your arms tired, you need to punch less with your arms. I find I have much better endurance at it when I don't just jab (which uses mostly arms) but add in hooks, crosses, and uppercuts, which use your back muscles more extensively. My arms are much less tired then, my shoulders and back get a workout, and because I use the larger muscle groups there, the workout is more cardiovascular.

Anyway, I gotta say- Konami's on their game (no pun intended) with their non-standard interface stuff. It's a pity they haven't capitalized on it as far as they could.

Re:Microsoft stole my idea...

[Anonymous Coward]

The alternative is to use an exercise bike to power an oldish laptop and play emulated games on it while listening to mp3's. I know I do.

Re:Video game exercise bike

[Caoch93]

Konami has had something like that out for a while, and this goes back even further to when NordicTrack offered an interface from your NordicTrack to your computer to play a game by skiing on the thing and playing with controllers on the handles.

The problem I've seen in the past is that, in order to encourage pedalling/skiing/etc, the game invariably is a game where you make a character go faster or slower based on your exercise pattern. You know something? If I'm running in a hamster wheel, I don't want to see how my work is aiding a fictional character who is likewise running. I'm trying to ignore the drudgery of my workout, not be reminded of it! I'd rather watch the TV in the gym or read. At least then my mind is elsewhere.

Honestly, I'm amazed Konami hasn't leveraged its Dance Dance Revolution product line for gym use. Dance Dance Revolution is, thus far, the only video game I play where I get a workout and enjoy doing it. I could imagine that Konami could sell conversion kits for the aerobics rooms in gyms that would allow people to have an experience similar to DDR. There's such a strong culture built around that game series that I would think it'd be ripe for spinoffs in markets other than the pure video game market.