SAMSUNG DEVELOPS A NEW REAL-TIME OPERATING SYSTEM

Samsung is creating a new advanced operating system for the Internet of Things (IoT), hoping to cut a bigger market niche for itself in the millions of smart home appliances, industrial equipment, and wearable devices that are booming in an online market.

The operating system, which will be available as open source but hasn’t yet been named, will help almost all devices to execute small tasks quickly without direct human intervention. For instance, the program could command a door lock to open or shut and the lights to come on or off as a person approaches their home.

It is lately reported that more details are due to be disclosed next month during a grand technical session at a Samsung Developer Conference in San Francisco. The session agenda said that Samsung will announce a new, open-source Internet of Things real-time operating system, a wide range of features while maintaining an efficient and a lightweight footprint.

A real-time Operating System processes data promptly, with virtually no delay. Intel’s VxWorks, which has been used in the Mars Rover, is a fantastic example. Samsung is developing the OS open source to increase its chances of adoption and says it will help interoperability between IoT devices.

It aims at avoiding the fragmentation of OS landscape in mobile devices, specifically for Android, which has raised issues with chip compatibility, device interoperability, and deployment of software updates.

This OS could most likely turn out to be a pared-down version of Tizen, which is being used by Samsung in TVs and smartwatches. Samsung developers have a great plan to install homes with Internet-connected appliances like ovens, refrigerators, bulbs, and washing machines which could all use the new OS.

Samsung is also offering Artik boards for developing smart devices. The OS could help developers to access Samsung’s SAMI cloud platform for security, analytics, and other services. For instance, a cloud service platform could decide whether to put an air conditioner on or off based on data taken from a smart meter. It can also analyze health data based on information collected over time.
The OS also need to be exactly compatible with IoT platforms like ARM’s mbed or Google’s Brillo. Brillo is actually supported on developer platform like Intel’s Edison.

Samsung developers have begun shipping its first Artik developer board, anticipating it will find a place in drones, robots, wearables and a wide range of connected devices in the IoT.

The Artik 5, which resembles the Raspberry Pi 2, is an uncased computer with all the elements compressed into a small circuit board. It is the first ever board to be shipped out of the three Artik development boards rolled out last May. The two which have not yet been available are the minuscule Artik 1 for wearables, and the Artik 10, which may be the guts of robots, PCs, or even portable servers.

The Artik 5 has a massive dual-core Cortex-A7 ARM processor, which is used in smartphones and wearable devices. It has a 4GB of storage, 720p graphics processor, and 512MB of RAM.

The high connectivity features set the Artik 5 ahead of its rivals like Raspberry Pi. In addition to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, it allows Google’s Thread, connectivity which links up IoT devices.

It is indicated that the board will come pre-loaded with Linux-based Fedora OS. However, it’s not clear yet if Artik supports Google’s Brillo platform, an IoT development platform for connected home devices. Intel’s Edison developer platform board already supports Brillo.

Samsung developer is also offering software tools, services, and security features through its SAMI cloud platform.

Another thrilling use of Artik could be for fitness and health. Data collected from a wearable device can be sent for measuring and analysis to Samsung’s Simband cloud-based Health Analytics Service. Samsung developer has also tied the Artik boards to driver assistance, cloud-based security services, and service robots.

The Artik boards are part of aggressive efforts by Samsung to market more components and services for IoT devices.
The Artik 5 has some interesting features. It is actually 25 by 29 millimeters. It has GPIO, USB, I2C, SPI ports UART, which are crucial for supporting peripheral components like cameras. Samsung intent to make Artik boards more compatible with Arduino,