The importance of fusion of software and hardware in reshaping industries, enhancing efficiency, and connecting businesses to their customers is more pronounced than ever
A cross various industries, from automotive to retail, the transition towards digital interfacing is clear and impactful. This shift is reshaping the very essence of how companies operate, blending the roles of traditional industries with those of software developers. The advent of 5G technology is propelling this change even further, ushering in not just enhanced connectivity but also the creation of new, sophisticated capabilities.
Imagine a scenario where your vehicle not only alerts you about low fuel but also guides you to the nearest petrol station and handles the transaction seamlessly. Such advanced levels of integration, which seemed like a distant dream, are rapidly becoming part of our everyday reality.
These developments, however, bring their own set of challenges. Businesses must adapt swiftly to meet the evolving expectations of customers, often competing with agile startups. Additionally, they face the complexity of complying with stringent regulatory standards, particularly in data privacy and security. To remain competitive and responsive, many are turning to cloud-native solutions and innovative deployment strategies.
The future of business is now inextricably linked to software development, with the ability to innovate, adapt, and integrate cutting-edge technology into user-friendly applications becoming a cornerstone of success. The journey towards this tech-driven future is as challenging as it is exciting, marking a fundamental change in the way businesses interact with their consumers.
| Centralisation vs decentralisation |
| Centralised approach. In a centralised setup, the entire function is consolidated, but this can pose maintenance challenges over time. Decentralised approach. Decentralisation, as exemplified in microservice architecture, offers better control over performance. Technologies like site proxy enable service isolation, simplifying maintenance and upgrades without impacting other services. Cloud-native perspective. In the cloud-native landscape, deployment tends to be decentralised, distributed across microservices for improved efficiency. |
The ‘Bobby Car’ project epitomises the transformative power of software in various industries, breaking through traditional barriers and setting new benchmarks for integrating technology into diverse business models. With a focus on real-time data processing and developmental efficiency, it has significantly impacted the automotive industry, symbolising the confluence of digital and mechanical engineering through advanced technologies and efficient development processes.
Originating from a collaborative effort to redefine industry-specific applications, Bobby Car has evolved into a flexible, infrastructure-agnostic solution, demonstrating the essence of innovation in the digital era. Concurrently, the journey of software development typically begins with navigating the vast array of open source projects, akin to traversing a dense forest like the CNCF landscape with its myriad of overlapping products. This path presents developers with critical decisions about starting points, project selection, integration, and long-term maintenance, each demanding substantial investment in engineering resources and time, and underscoring the need for ongoing support and assurance of application lifecycle sustainability.
Embracing software-defined innovation in technology projects
At the heart of the Bobby Car initiative was the desire to transition from a hardware-centric worldview to one that is software-defined. This shift required reimagining everything from the operating system to the deployment of containers and microservices in various applications. The project demonstrated how to accelerate deployment cycles by leveraging cloud-native technology principles, thus bringing a new level of agility and adaptability to traditionally rigid industries.
One of the significant challenges addressed by Bobby Car was establishing a robust base that adhered to functional safety standards, beginning with the operating system. Extending this approach through the entire value chain, the project facilitated the development and testing of new features, ensuring seamless integration without disrupting existing systems. This methodology was crucial, especially for connected vehicle platforms and IoT architectures, where reliability and safety are paramount.
A key aspect of the Bobby Car project was its emphasis on learning from past experiences and best practices. This knowledge was crucial in developing a strategy that was not only innovative but also practical and sustainable. Continuous integration and deployment became fundamental, as was the ability to conduct virtual testing and create digital twins to enhance efficiency and provide improved solutions to customers.
A pivotal element of the Bobby Car initiative was also its integration with a broader ecosystem, encompassing everything from payment systems to 5G technology and the manufacturing sector. This comprehensive approach ensured that applications developed under the Bobby Car project could seamlessly interact with various components of the industry, enhancing the user experience and operational efficiency.
| Maximising AI for driver attention and vehicle safety |
| Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionising vehicle safety by improving driver attention and reaction to road conditions. It offers nuanced insights into driver behaviour, enhancing overall road safety. Understanding driver reactions. AI decodes drivers’ responses to various road situations, including emotional states and adherence to traffic rules. Addressing unexpected obstacles. AI distinguishes between momentary distractions and emergencies, refining its approach to driver attention. Real-time collision detection. AI predicts potential collisions by analysing data continuously, enhancing proactive safety measures. Key factors in risk assessment. AI assesses variables like vehicle speed, obstacle proximity, and driver alertness for accurate risk evaluation. Versatile adaptation. AI adapts across scenarios, from lane-keeping assistance to using drones for traffic condition monitoring. The implementation of AI in vehicular systems marks a significant stride in automotive technology, drastically improving safety and driver awareness. Through real-time analysis and adaptive responses, AI is setting new benchmarks in vehicle safety, making driving a more secure and responsive experience. |
Key components and applications
Bobby Car consists of two primary components: the “vehicles waiter” and the “geography console.” The vehicles waiter is an intricate system providing detailed insights into various metrics such as delivery data, temperature, speed, RPM, and more, leveraging data from the OBD port of vehicles. This feature is crucial for real-time data analysis and decision-making.
The geography console, on the other hand, is implemented as a series of Kubernetes clusters. This setup enables the deployment of CRD objects, facilitating the ability to introduce isolated objects within the software stack. This aspect is particularly beneficial for conducting over-the-air (OTA) updates, allowing for modifications without disrupting other parts of the system.
One of the most significant advantages of Bobby Car is its data handling capability. The project utilises a DevSecOps pipeline, ensuring that data application and deployment are both efficient and secure. This pipeline is adaptable to the existing systems within an organisation, making Bobby Car a versatile tool for various business needs.
A notable application of Bobby Car is its air interface, equipped with a feature known as ‘Dark Spot.’ This involves a unique interaction with unit drivers, adding another layer of complexity and utility to the project. Furthermore, the geography console of Bobby Car not only handles deployment zones but also incorporates location-based services, utilising latitude and longitude for precise coordination.
Bridging software and hardware in connected cars
Bobby Car stands out for its ability to seamlessly interact with IoT devices and hardware. This project, completed in collaboration with various organisations, including BMW and ECS, has pioneered a pattern for creating connected cars. The essence of Bobby Car is in its integration of software with the physical components of a car, embodying the intersection of digital and mechanical engineering.
The Bobby Car project is centred around three essential elements. First, it incorporates sensors that act as the project’s eyes and ears, gathering environmental data. Next is the software interaction aspect, where Bobby Car’s software is specifically designed to efficiently interact with these sensors, ensuring effective data processing and utilisation. Finally, the project is grounded in its robust infrastructure, which forms the backbone by supporting and running both the software and the sensors seamlessly.
Key technologies powering Bobby Car
Bobby Car utilises several core technologies to enhance its functionality:
OpenShift platform
The platform is pivotal to the project, allowing the software to efficiently scale from managing a few IoT devices or cars to potentially thousands or millions. It guarantees uniform performance across diverse deployment environments, including on-premises and cloud settings, thereby ensuring a smooth transition across these platforms. This consistency and scalability are fundamental to the project’s success across different scenarios.
Motor vehicle simulator and MQTT protocol
These are used for real-time data transmission. The MQTT protocol, in particular, is crucial for its reliability even in unstable network conditions, making it ideal for IoT devices that require consistent connectivity.
BAFTA messaging protocol
This complements MQTT by providing a robust messaging infrastructure capable of handling large volumes of data from thousands of IoT devices.
Data storage and integration
Using technologies like Kafka, the project can store large amounts of data for extended periods, integrating with multiple technologies for comprehensive data management.
Camel case integration layer
This layer plays a pivotal role in integrating messaging protocols with the software, ensuring seamless communication and data flow.
The Bobby Car project, with its innovative use of technology and software, is a beacon in the automotive industry, demonstrating how connected and software-defined vehicles can significantly enhance operational efficiency and user experience in smart cities, smart factories, and beyond.
Efficient real-time data processing and development framework
An essential aspect of Bobby Car’s approach is the real-time management and processing of data. The system operates within the OpenShift platform, where events are stored in memory for quick access and faster processing. This setup allows for efficient data handling, essential for applications like connected cars, where GPS coordinates, metrics, and zone changes are continuously sent to the cloud. The cloud processes this data, and the results are displayed on a dashboard, providing real-time insights necessary for decision-making or AI integration.
Bobby Car has implemented a unique software development framework called ‘Tablespaces.’ This approach allows developers to work without installing dependencies on their devices. They use a browser-based integrated development environment (IDE), facilitating seamless development and centralised, secure storage of code. This method streamlines the development process, allowing for efficient compilation and testing directly within the browser.
Bobby Car’s development model is twofold. The first part focuses on AI and ML, crucial for leveraging the vast data from IoT devices. This pipeline involves preparing the data, developing models on top of it, and deploying these models on the unified OpenShift platform. The second part concerns application development, where developers create or modify code, pass it through a CI/CD pipeline for validation, and then deploy it on a platform compatible with various cloud environments.
The system’s UIs and dashboards enable comprehensive monitoring and management of data and applications. The real-time dashboards are crucial for observing model outputs and their applications. Furthermore, the data is stored in a time-series database, making it easier to retrieve specific data points for automated actions using AI and ML.
Bobby Car’s pipeline undergoes multiple unit and quality checks, ensuring that the final software is robust and reliable. The pipeline’s efficiency is evident in its operational state, allowing for a seamless transition from development to deployment.
The evolution and integration of software technologies across various industries, as exemplified by the Bobby Car project, mark a significant shift in the business landscape. The transformation driven by digital interfacing and the incorporation of cutting-edge technologies like 5G, AI, and IoT is not merely a trend but a fundamental change in how businesses operate and interact with their customers.
The Bobby Car project, in particular, stands as a testament to the potential of software-defined innovation in bridging the gap between digital and mechanical engineering. It showcases the importance of agility, adaptability, and continuous learning in developing applications that meet modern safety standards, efficiency needs, and customer expectations.
As industries move forward in this software-centric era, the lessons learned from such innovative projects will be crucial in shaping a future where technology enhances every aspect of business operation, from customer interaction to product development and service delivery. The journey ahead, filled with challenges and opportunities, is poised to redefine industry norms and set new standards for excellence in a digitally interconnected world.
This article is based on a tech talk given by Vinay Rajagopal, ISV Technology Lead, RedHat, at EFY Expo 2023 in Pune. It has been transcribed and curated by Nidhi Agarwal, Technology Journalist at EFY
