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DARPA Unveils an Android-Based Ground Sensor Device
DeviceGuru writes "DARPA announced a sensor reference system device based on a new Android-based sensor processing core called the ADAPTable Sensor System (a.k.a. ADAPT). The initial ADAPT reference device, called UGS (unattended ground sensor), is designed as the basis for a series of lower-cost, more upgradable sensor devices for military applications. The ADAPT program is part of larger effort by the U.S. military to reduce the costs and speed production schedules for military equipment, using an ODM process similar to that of the commercial smartphone industry. Potential applications for the technology include swarms of hive-mind UAVs or robots, or perimeter security sensors hidden at a deployed airfield or underground, all networked together and capable of transmitting video."
They want a mainstream, widely used platform for the developer, tool, and libraray support. They don't want to use C/C++ as their primary language (but have the option of using it when necessary). For R&D, an embedded UI is useful. For audio and video applications, they need an ARM chip anyway (as opposed to a smaller, cheaper embedded chip). And Android is actually optimized for long battery life, audio, video, and sensing (since that's what phones do). Realistically, what other choices are there?
You might programming to the metal would be better for military, but they are targeting upgradability. They want to be able to load same "apps" on different platforms without recompilation.
Who logs in to gdm? Not I, said the duck.
Linked articles not very informative...one of the many SoCs available, I suppose. A little more info here, but not much.
http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Releases/2013/05/29.aspx
Not sure why they need the Android layer; what does that bring above the many distros already available? (Thinking of things like Pi, Arduino...)
What next, DARPA play store?
BTW, for those of you wondering, ODM=Original Design Manufacturers...