Handheld devices for industrial and medical applications

Touch screens have revolutionised the human-machine interface on mobile handheld devices. There is scarcely a smartphone, and certainly no tablet PC, e-book reader or mobile gaming console that manages without them. But even in industrial contexts it is hard to imagine life without them. Specialised navigation systems, medical devices and monitoring systems are now just as likely to contain touch-sensitive screens.

The 3D effect does not just afford us a new multimedia experience in the field of consumer products; it also results in improved processes when used in industrial applications. So, for instance, it allows better monitoring and adjustment of industrial installations which are inaccessible on account of high temperatures or toxic substances. Dual screens, displaying different contents on two screen halves, extend the range of possible applications. So, whatever their location, service specialists can modify machine settings on the display and observe changes on the machine installation at one and the same time.

Another major wave of innovation on handheld applications will be triggered by LTE, the new mobile network standard. This successor to the UMTS standard is currently in its test phase but promises transmission capacities of up to 20 Mbps. In addition, it will allow rapid upload of videos while travelling, and there will be no problem in using video communication. This paves the way for other new applications, such as in the field of medicine. At the scene of an accident, for instance, doctors can send short videos of the patient direct to the hospital, so that preparations can be made for the subsequent measures required even before the patient arrives.

The new multimedia opportunities, such as video transmission and 3D, impose extremely high requirements on the technical components of handheld devices. There is a need for high memory capacity, rapid processing performance and precise signal processing, at the same time as minimum space requirements and low energy consumption. To top it all, the pressure on manufacturers of mobile devices is increasing, as they are being hit with ever shorter product cycles and the need to reduce costs. These challenges can only be met using embedded systems containing the main basic multimedia-related functions already pre-configured for use in a common environment. Today already, 50 per cent of product costs in consumer equipment electronics go on modules containing embedded systems. After machine construction and the automotive industry, the telecommunications and electrical industry is the third largest customer of embedded systems in the world.

Embedded developments like Arrow’s Beagle xM Bundle are making a significant contribution to confirming this position and paving the way for new multimedia applications. Along with other features, the solution is based on ARM technology and the Microsoft Windows Embedded Compact7 operating system, this too being optimised for portable multimedia devices.