Embedded Cartography: Architecture Beats Optimization
This second article continues a two-part story inspired by a real industrial project carried out for a railway OEM. The first article described how a classical OpenStreetMap rendering architecture was successfully deployed onboard embedded rolling stock. This second part explores how rethinking the rendering pipeline itself led to significantly better performance and efficiency. The first […]
Embedded Cartography: Rising to the Challenge
This first article is inspired by a real industrial project carried out for a railway OEM. It describes the successful deployment of an OpenStreetMap rendering architecture on an embedded platform, with surprisingly good results given the modest hardware resources and the density of railway infrastructure data involved. A second article will explore how the original […]
How the CRA May Standardize Failure
The Cyber Resilience Act is supposed to improve the security of products sold in Europe. This contrarian article argues that the relationship between regulation and actual security is weaker than it appears. Compliance has a cost. It requires time, expertise, documentation, audits, and tooling. These are not marginal efforts. They shape how products are designed, […]
Rules Bind the Fool and Guide the Wise
In my professional life, I’m often described as strict. Sometimes even rigid. It’s rarely meant as a compliment. I understand why. In environments where everything moves fast, where constraints shift and problems evolve faster than they can be fully understood, anyone holding onto principles can look inflexible. As if they’re refusing to adapt. But that’s […]
The Vasa Didn’t Sink Because Engineering Failed
In 1628, the Swedish warship Vasa sank less than a mile into its maiden voyage. Engineering had identified and tested the problem. The instability had been demonstrated in plain sight, in front of those in charge. The failure came from a management system where that knowledge no longer had any leverage. The usual explanation for […]
Why x86 Is a Tomorrow Problem
There is a reason x86 platforms are so often chosen at the beginning of embedded projects. They let you move fast. A familiar environment. You can plug a monitor, a mouse, a keyboard, even a hard drive. Minimal setup. A ready-to-use distribution. The system boots quickly, code can be developed natively, and early demos are […]
Embedded AI Does Not Fail Where You Think It Does
There is no shortage of enthusiasm around AI. Models perform well on workstations. Demos look convincing. Early results are promising. And then the model is moved onto the target platform. That is where things begin to drift. Not because the model is wrong. Not because the data science is flawed. But because running a model […]
NXP NPUs: Understanding the Shift
NXP recently introduced their latest i.MX937 Application Processor with on-chip Neural Processing Unit (NPU).It’s the opportunity to sit back and reflect on NXP’s NPU journey since their visionary i.MX8M Plus. I have a soft spot for NXP processors with NPUs. Not because they are the most powerful on paper, but because they operate where embedded […]
Watchdogs: One Concept, Many Meanings
A watchdog in embedded systems is much more than a timer that occasionally forces a reset.From K9 style hardware supervision to software health checks and crash forensics, it is the silent guardian of system integrity. Ask a hardware engineer what a watchdog is and you will probably hear about a timer that resets the system […]
Kr-85: A New Metric for Embedded System Technical Debt
Some design decisions don’t fail loudly.They decay slowly. In embedded systems, some design features deserve a more precise classification. I propose we start qualifying certain embedded design features as “Kr-85.” They’re radioactive, but they don’t explode immediately.They just sit there, slowly contaminating everything ☢️ Half-life: 10 years. The term “technical debt” is too vague.It suggests […]