Samsung - To release new IoT OS

[Teken]

Samsung is working on delivering a new operating system for the upcoming revolution in Internet of Things, and it plans to make it open-source.

The company is interested in the IoT future as it plans to provide a large number of smart home appliances, industrial equipment and wearables that could benefit from interconnectivity.

The upcoming OS did not receive a name yet, but we do know that it should assist devices into executing simple tasks instantly, with zero human intervention. To exemplify, the system could instruct your lights to go on before you step into your apartment.

We look forward to hearing more about the development in April, when the Samsung Developer Conference takes place in San Francisco.

"Our new, open-source IoT real-time operating system (RTOS), has a wide scope of features while maintaining a lightweight and efficient footprint," Samsung says.

The biggest advantage of the real time OS is that it executes commands instantly, with no delay whatsoever. The Mars Rover, for instance, runs on VxWorks, a real time OS crafted by Intel.

Opting to deliver the OS as open-source should allow Samsung to increase its footprint in the market, and is key towards generating high levels of interoperability between gadgets connected through IoT.

Samsung learned a lot from its experience with OS fragmentation in mobile devices (read: Android).

The OEM already uses the Tizen OS in smartwatches and smart TVs, and the company could borrow some ideas from it for its future deployment. The company already announced a smart refrigerator at the CES 2016, and it comes with a freezing price tag of $5,000. But the company also has the potential to deliver IoT affordable devices powered by the new OS, such as washing machines, bulbs and ovens.

The OS is rumored to let developers use Samsung's SAMI cloud platform for analytics or security services. This would be useful in the summer, when an air conditioning device could start automatically as it gets temperature data fed to it from a smart meter.

In 2014, Samsung purchased SmartThings, a smart home company. Last year, the firm rolled out a smart home kit that might be the first step towards IoT devices integration throughout the home. With the future open-source real time OS, Samsung could set itself as flag bearer for the IoT home appliances.

 

In the news this week, Samsung is working on a future IoT real time OS intended to be embedded into all manner of electronics and appliances. In another related thread I discussed how it would make sense for these manufactures to offer a easy method to integrate their wares to the masses.

 

Samsung has already indicated above this real time OS would be open source to the public and community.

 

On the surface this seems like a good thing to the general public but I am hesitant in their concept. As they have been very much like Google and others to come out with a flash in the pan idea and quickly back track and abandon said ideas / platforms.

 

Samsung is really great at copying ideas from others such as Apple - Which you if you do a quick Google you can see the dozens of law suites between the two. History has also proven the company has the ability to manufacture almost anything with very high quality.

 

But doesn't have an ingenious bone in their body when it comes right down to it.

 

Given the above and past history I don't for see very many companies running to back and use said real time OS.

 

In the ideal world, people would, and the whole home automation industry could finally move forward to the 21st century. But sadly the market will remain fragmented due to competing goals, existing investment, and because nobody has the common sense to rally around the common good.

 

Lets see how this plays out in the next three years . . .

 

I will throw out my guess that it doesn't make it past two years and then will be abandoned like everything else they have done in the past.

[Scottmichaelj]

Well for them to call it IoT and make it open source, and being as big as they are, I hope they can become a start of something bigger as I hope/posted in my other thread.

[kohai]

I'm this will cloudify everything.  I'm sure that's a real word too.

[Scyto]

I wonder what they mean by OS - something for running on the device or the way to tie them all together. For me it is a race between big guys like Azure / Google and projects like Octoblu that are the ones to watch, I am unclear that Samsung has ever managed anything like a broad OSS platform...

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[jerlands]

This is probably spun off from the Linux Foundation's Zephyr project.

 

 

Jon...

[paulbates]

Good catch Teken. Samsung seems to be heading towards an integrated platform with (yet another) hub:

http://developer.samsung.com/artik

 

Historically they've been strong in embedded systems but not the full OS level...example: Tizen.  With high aspirations for the phone market, its still been an embedded OS and only found on their TVs and watches. However, in Samsung's defense, they've stayed the course with Tizen and its still around and viable.  Its inevitable that appliances, kitchen and otherwise, are headed down the iot path and Samsung seems to have a roadmap for that.

 

The one thing Samsung does have going for them is a broad reach as a HW mfg and integrator. They're well plugged into standards groups and big enough to invest in it for a while without immediate returns.

 

The question to ask is, what iot products would they make that we would buy? House hold appliances with iot? Another hub, that leverages their TV (ala ATV)  with integrated cloud solutions? It certainly will show up in their TVs.  I could see buying a washer/dryer with tizen on board, and then an available hub(or TV) could be purchased separately. It definitely would have mobile apps / app capability. Local lan connectivity? Hard to say.. there is local lan capability in Tizen based TVs today.

 

Paul

 

 

 

[mwester]

<opinion> There's such potential, but it's lost in the current hype.</opinion>

 

Smart TVs are one thing, and I'll grant that the current "sex and sizzle" hype around the "IoT" is a pretty good match for such a device -- it's all about entertainment.

 

But let's talk about all the other things companies like Samsung (and their competitors like LG) make, such as appliances.  At CES, they've been taking the same "sex and sizzle" thing that applies to a smart TV, and trying it on a refrigerator -- so we see a fridge with an LDC panel on it, that sends your phone a text message when you're out of milk or something like that.  Sheesh, that's not going to stand the test of time -- first of all, there's little point in it once the novelty wears off, and secondly, the hardware and OS are expensive!

 

I have a refrigerator -- it has a serial port for technician diagnostics.  Now THAT is an application for the "IoT" market.  Alas, it's not sexy.  Where's the sizzle in a text message that tells you that the increasing compressor cycle time indicates the fins need cleaning?  Or that the ice maker is jammed - again?  I also have a stove that, to my surprise, has an NFC interface to a smart phone, that allows the user to download diagnostics from the microprocessor as well as calibrate the thermostats.  Again, a perfect application for the real "IoT" market - but again, not sexy.

 

So, if this new technology from Samsung is all about making "small IoT" an everyday thing, I'm all for it.  If it's just another way to try to reduce the cost of putting useless "smart" features like LCD panels onto fridges, then it'll fail.

[Teken]

Once again both of you hit the nail on the head with respect to the limitations and possible weakness in the IoT concept for mass electronics. Like Madcodger I saw the smart fridge that has several cameras and a see through door which is supposed to allow you to reorder the supplies that are low.

 

This fridge costs more than $5000.00 and lets speak plainly here it won't sell tens of thousands at that price. Its like the many fad products that literally came and went poof like the 3D TV and now the epic fail curved TV's.

 

The next big fad which was shown several years ago was the vertical TV WTF?!?!?

 

This is my biggest problem with these companies is that some go so over the top while others offer next to nothing and decide to stick a label and call it good and say its *Smart* blah blah.

 

Just these two examples is why the market is so unphased and has a meh attitude toward the advancement of HA or the tech. For me I truly understand both sides because like many here have seen, used, and purchased such wares that had little to over the top electronics in the hardware.

 

The major weakness I have identified in these products in no specific order are these:

 

1. Extremely high costs which isn't reflective of whats inside of the device. Companies simply see a money tree and believe its the next big thing that will turn a profit. GM et all don't sell more Corvettes vs Chevettes which at the time were the meat and potato for them.

 

This is exactly the same thing they need to offer lower costs hardware where its attainable for all and not try to scam the public and the dumb into buying into these fad products.

 

2. These devices are not made very robust and prone to breaking down and can you imagine you had to tell someone your fridge needed to be rebooted or got a virus ?!?! People are probably laughing as they read this line of text but as sure as sh^t some aszz hat will come out with a appliance that relies its entire operations on a computer to turn on-off.

 

This single idea in every way is a epic fail but rest assured some moron will decide from the top to go this route. Listen, its a freaking stove, fridge, washer, dryer, it shouldn't be tied to a computer to operate! it should only have a computer to provide more data or methods to interact with said appliance.

 

3. Balance: As stated above many times the features or the abilities these appliances offer seem to be limited to over the top. In my mind no matter the costs every device should offer the most basic information which in my mind is basic 101.

 

Its only because engineers and the sales marketing people don't seem to get along that things come out half cludged or hobbled never mind CEO's that have no freaking clue about talking to the engineers about what actually can be done. Then you have the opposite where the engineers are too stupid to talk like humans and make any sense.

 

I've worked with the whole gamete of engineers where they couldn't have a 10 second normal conversation because they have zero social skills to form a idea besides *hey I can make XYX obtain 99999999999999999.99% reactive efficiency using a hyperloop phase changing mechanical actuator?!?!?

 

Bottom line: Offer the basics of letting a person know the line voltage seen at the appliance, let me know how many times the fridge cycled from normal to defrost and for how long in each cycle. Tell me how much energy it consumed today vs yesterday and let me know what the current running total is for the appliance with costs which I can enter. Let it tell me how it compares to the energy star placard on the side of the fridge. Let me know exactly what the fridge / freezer is set to and if its in the safe range etc.

 

Tell me if any of the vents are blocked due to food pressed too close to the ports etc. Now we got the basics maybe, just maybe you can start adding in the super gay features like a camera into the fridge or a stupid window?!?!

 

No, kidding that's so gay it makes me barf in my mouth . . .

 

The next step is to offer more interaction like possible alert notification via sms, email, push notifications about the door left open, a cycle still running, failing compressor, leak in refrigerant etc. Now the advanced features for the tech or for those keen in wanting to know is how the system is operating with in its stated specs like duty cycle, how many lbs of coolant, etc

 

All of these features which I just stated are not in any way sexy but are indeed useful and offer not only critical insight about how to keep the appliance working properly but offers a safe operating range for food storage.

 

You won't find one appliance that does these simple things because these companies are too stupid and it takes some random internet dude to call it out WTF?!?!