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What Debug and Medicine have in Common

in a complex system, there are always effects that you won’t be able to anticipate, but you can still plan for them.

———————– By Albrecht Mayer, OCP-IP Debug Working Group

Healthy people don’t need a doctor. But there’s an old physician’s joke stating that there are no healthy people—just those who haven’t yet been examined. Viewing debug from the critical business perspective, one must ask: How much examination time and critical resources should be spent searching for critical problems early on in the design process?

 The human body has tremendous complexity. Similarly, today’s embedded systems have reached a complexity level that’s far beyond simple proof of correctness by any mathematical or formal method. It’s also clear that there are great similarities between medicine and debug. This article takes a closer look at both the similarities and differences between medicine and debug. it also examines the “best practices” leveraged in medicine that could be adopted into the debugging of systems.

 first, consider the case in which being one mile away from a cliff’s edge is quite safe. however, being one step away from that same edge can be very dangerous. in fact, it could soon cause an ambulance to be sent on its way. The same can be said in debugging systems. How far away from the edge of disaster are you in debugging your system?

 Medicine comes into play only after we fall off the cliff. The same is often true for debug. in this example, it’s obvious that there’s a danger zone close to the cliff. Similarly, the solution to the problem is very obvious: Don’t go near the cliff. in other examples (such as debugging systems), the root cause of failure and preventative measures that should have been taken aren’t always as obvious.

When the problems are obscure, identifying them can take time. because debugging is in the critical path, there isn’t always time for a deeper look. however, all forward-thinking companies will spend at least some effort (no matter how small) recording bugs. This allows for classification and statistics to identify hot spots and troubling issues. it makes sense to spend effort taking these preventative measures early in the process.

Discovering deadly risks and diseases by statistics alone may not be the best or safest option. for safety—particularly in critical embedded systems—all bugs need to be found before a product is deployed in the field. in the previous cliff example, the risk is visible for all except the blind. in the area of embedded systems, the fraction of blind chips (those chips with no adequate on-chip observation capabilities) is a significantly higher percentage than that of the physically blind in the human population.

 Even if a chip contains observation capability, however, somebody has to take the time to look at and analyze the data. The problem is that risks are usually not as obvious as they are in the cliff example. again, as systems are so complex, there are many spots that need to be reviewed—in fact, too many for all of them to be reviewed. to get a better idea of how to address this problem systemically, we can look at how similarly complex problems are addressed in medicine.

 in a physical exam, for instance, many different blood tests are taken and the results are measured. This is a highly automated process. for each of the results, a range is given. The doctor only needs to look at the values that are out of the “normal” range. for some values, there may not even be an absolute range. The value of the information sometimes lies in the trend of the number over time.

 we can take a similar approach for embedded systems with standardized measurement values. These value statistics could be instance (i.e., average, maximum, and minimum) of general system properties, such as cache misses, hits, bus conflicts, interrupt latencies, CPU idle time, task deadline distances, etc. These general values can be measured without any knowledge of the specific system. The same can be done for system-specific critical parameters.

 like measuring the electrocardiogram (ECG) under stress, this standardized value measurement can be done (say) with an additional artificial task or interrupt load. The stress can then be increased until we find the first functional issue. If this additional stress-load is very small, you’ll know that you’re close to the cliff.

Medicine treats both very obvious problems, such as a broken leg, and obscure diseases that are little known. in the past, debugging was very simple (like fixing a broken leg) compared to the challenges faced today. Then, simply finding the line of C or assembler code and banging your head against the monitor would fix it. This class of bug still exists. in addition, there are now many issues that can’t be detected by simply single-stepping over some suspect code.

 There’s a new class of system bug or issue, which is more closely linked to data values and execution delays than to program flow. A troubling property of such a system issue is that there’s frequently no digital rule for right or wrong data, as there is for a classical bug. sometimes, the observation of such an issue will even challenge the specification of the system. of such issues, the first type is the possibility that the algorithm is correct, but calculation deadlines sometimes can’t be met (due to different kinds of complex overload situations of critical system resources). in a second type, the algorithm itself results in a wrong control output for certain input-value scenarios.

 From a debug perspective, there needs to be a diagram created over time with the relevant data for both types. for the first type, these are the load situations of the critical resource in relation to the control algorithm. for the second type, the observation of the control algorithm—with all relevant input, intermediate, and output signals—is sufficient. Such a diagram is then analyzed by a human expert or system-specific tool.

 The main requirement for the chip is the capability of observing the data values (signals) consistently and in parallel. Program flow trace is of much less importance.

The human body is a hard, real-time system. Post-mortem debug is not desirable! Single stepping also is not an option. By analogy, for embedded systems, the absolute minimum requirement is a non-intrusive read/(write) capability for memories and registers during run-time. for many systems, however, this isn’t enough. different kinds of trace capabilities are therefore mandatory during the development phase.

Patients no longer require large cuts and unsightly scars when endoscopic surgery is an available option. This analogy can be equated to the trend of fewer pins being available that can be observed or used for tool interfaces on chips. Wide trace interfaces are being abandoned for either on-chip trace or high-speed-serial-link (HSSL) interfaces. having five JTAG pins can no longer be taken for granted. for instance, Infineon’s Device Access Port (DAP) two-pin interface has a 5-MByte/s net data rate in its current generation. This will be improved to 15/30 MBytes/s in the next generation with two/three pins. Such a high bandwidth in combination with low latency enables very powerful debug, measurement, calibration, and rapid-prototyping tools.

Nobody plans to fall off a cliff. But when or if it happens, it pays to have insurance and a doctor or hospital nearby. This is similar to the silicon area spent for on-chip debug support (OCDS). It’s good to know that you’ll have it when it’s needed. all semiconductor customers share the cost for such overhead and its development. And it’s well worth the investment.

It’s good to know that a hospital has a good reputation, which is well-proven over years, and that it’s able to handle critical cases. Such establishments have a great deal of real-world experience. They have become experts at their job by treating many critical patients. Good hospitals are usually expensive. But they also have the best equipment available, which allows for the most detailed imaging of the body.

 By analogy, the microcontrollers being used in the automotive industry will soon have comparably powerful inspection capabilities. Recalls due to quality or safety issues are the worst nightmare for any car manufacturer and its suppliers. As a leading supplier in the automotive space, Infineon set the bar with its Multi-Core Debug Solution (MCDS). available for 10 years now, the latest version provides cycle-accurate parallel trace of cores, buses, and even signals. it also has been adopted in the OCP-IP Debug standard.

 MCDS has the capability to gather all kinds of data—from a very detailed hardware level up to data measurement or statistical traces. it also provides very powerful state machines for triggering. It’s possible, for example, to trigger on something that isn’t happening within a particular time-window, but after a predetermined sequence of other events. not all projects will need all of these features. But it’s good to know that they’re proven and available on demand when you need them most.

 The best strategy for staying healthy requires that you make an investment BEFORE you’re sick. Similarly, structured system development—with a divide-and-conquer approach and serious testing on both the module and system level—are great investments to make before a debug disaster strikes.

 in a complex system, there are always effects that you won’t be able to anticipate. at this point, a debug methodology already needs to be in place—in the optimum case, with consistent interfaces from the electronic system level (ESL) to the end product. for real-time systems, adequate debug features for a chip (like non-intrusive observation) are mandatory.

 in addition, both industry and academia need to work on the discussed “blood-test” approach with standardized measurement values and associated good/bad ranges for typical systems. being able to identify system weaknesses with a highly automated approach is a mandatory pre-requisite to ensure that we’re spending precious engineering resources at the right place.

 in the future, perhaps debug discipline needs to be split in different fields and specific areas of expertise (as in internal medicine, dentistry, psychology, etc.). however, this may not occur until your household robot has health insurance too.

———————–

Albrecht Mayer is Senior Principal Engineer for Emulation Systems and Tooling at Infineon. within the microcontroller business unit he is responsible for on-chip debug architectures and C-modeling methodology. He has published many papers and holds more than 20 patents in these areas. He represents Infineon on the OCP-IP (ocpip.org) Debug Working Group activities. Dr. Mayer received his Diploma and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from the Technical University of Munich.

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GREENBELT, Md., Aug. 1 (UPI) — Infrared vision technologies being incorporated in NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope are already proving useful to human eye health.

“The Webb telescope program has enabled a number of improvements in measurement technology for astronomy, mirror fabrication and measurement of human eyes, diagnosis of ocular diseases and potentially improved surgery,” said Dr. Dan Neal, research fellow at Abbott Medical Optics inc. in Albuquerque.

The Webb telescope will be the most scientifically powerful telescope the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has ever built — 100 times more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope. The Webb telescope will find the first galaxies that formed in the early universe, connecting the big bang to the Milky Way Galaxy.

“The advanced wavefront sensing technology developed for testing the Webb telescope’s 18 primary mirrors led to the new applications in other areas,” said Tony Hull of L3 Integrated Optical Systems Division-Tinsley Facility in Richmond, Calif., where the Webb’s mirrors were recently polished to accuracies of less than one-millionth of an inch.

“Wavefront sensing” is used to measure shape of the mirrors during fabrication and control the optics once the telescope is in orbit.

Ophthalmologists routinely use wavefront technology to measure aberrations of the eye. those measurements help with diagnosis, research, characterization and planning treatment of eye health issues.

“The technology also provides more accurate eye measurements for people about to undergo Laser Refractive Surgery,” Neal said. “To date 10 million-12 million eyes have been treated with Lasik procedures in the U.S. alone. as technology improves, so does the quality of these procedures.”

A new “scanning and stitching” technology developed for the Webb telescope led to a number of innovative instrument concepts for more accurate measurement for contact lenses and intra-ocular lenses. Another benefit to eye health is that this technique can help “map” the topography of the eye more accurately.

Four patents have been issued as result of innovations driven by the Webb telescope program and “these tools are now used to align and build the next generation of measuring devices for human eyes,” Neal said.

i have been missing out on work due to absences.

can you help me answer these questions, so i can study them over the weekend for my chapter test next week?

1.Which of the following is not included in physical science?
physics, chemistry, astronomy, or zoology?

2.what science deals most with energy and forces?
biology, physics, botany, or agriculture?

3. Using superconductors to build computers is an example of :
technology, applied biology, pure science, or an experiment?

4. A balance is a scientific tool used to measure :
temperature, time, volume, or mass?

5. Which of the following units is an SI base unit?
liter, cubit meter, kilogram, or centimeter?

6.The comoposition of the mixture of gases that makes up our air is best represented on what kind of graph?
pie chart, bar graph, line graph, or variable graph?

7.in a controlled experiment,
the outcome is controlled, one variable is fixed while all others are changed, one variable is fixed while all others are changed, one variable is changed while all others remained fixed, or results are obtained by computer models.

8. Physical science was once defined as the science of the nonliving world. Why is it no longer sufficient?

9. explain why the observation that the sun sets in the west could be called a scientific law.

10.explain why the rotation of earth could be considered a scientific theory.

11.The volume of a bottle has been measured to be 465 mL. use the terms significant figures and precision to explain what you know and do not know about the measured volume. how does the accuracy of the measurement affect the value?

12. explain why mass and weight are not the same. how would the units in which they are measured differ?

13. you have decided to test the effects of five different garden fertilizers by applying some of each to five separate rows of radishes. what is the independent variable? what factors should you control? how will you measure the results?

If you could help me answer these to help me study for my test, much will be very appreciated. thanks a lot] =]

I don't think I can really add more detail to that. but please nothing rude.

The Egyptians used almost every body part. The length of a Pharaoh's forearm to his extended middle finger was called a rod. This was then shortened by the length of his finger then by the tip finger to the first joint. The Romans took the average size of 100 feet and then called this one foot. They called one mile the distance a person could walk in 20 minutes. They even made machines to measure this out and were the first to have mile markers on their roads. you can still find a number of these craved in stone (that is where the saying "craved in stone" comes from).

1 the average mans foot
2 the rule of thumbs, meaning the space between your thumbs if you place your middle finger tips touching eachother with your thumbs pointing perpindicular to your palms.
3 the pace, an average mans stride
Thats all i can remember at this lat an hour, I hope this helps.

Korg (70k B.C.) used a mastodon femur to measure meat strips for the tribe. it was marked for a man, woman and child's portion. Korg met an early demise from a saber-tooth on a hunt. his son Grog inherited the tool.

I can think of body parts: fingers, feet, the hand, and items like rocks and tree trunks/sticks. I would use that if I were a cave-person.

Stone Headge measured time

a piece of string or thread

Like, radars, stuff like that, and how they use them. thanks in advance!

anemometer wind speed, thermometer wet and dry measures deepest and highest temps, weathervane for wind direction, barometer measures barometric pressure
weather balloon for wind direction at different ariel levels, eyeball mk one measures the obvious, humidity meters,Today most observations are done from weather sats, computers, aircraft,& ships at sea, Nowadays radars are becoming slowly obsolete,
hope that helped

There are many fields like die making, aerospace machining, injection mold, and many more where precision is required. Precision is assuredly not an easy task, and without proper precision measuring tools, it is assuredly not possible to conduct precision. There are wide varieties of tools that are available for distinct precision purposes.

It is largely based on the requirements and the level of functions that these tools are purchased and used. with the rapid and ample advance of technology, there are many associates that are development use of distinct kinds of shaft alignments so that the efficiency of the production in these associates can be increased.

Laser Alignment-The Best

Many associates largely resort to the use of Laser shaft alignment, as well. Laser being tremendously advanced, it helps to sort out distinct problems in industries. in fact, this kind of shaft alignment is assuredly something that can wonderfully cut the cause linked with the vibration of distinct machinery.

Moreover, if alignment can be done in a proper manner, it can not only increase the efficiency, but at the same time, it can also largely cut the total loss of power. moreover, the carrying out and dependability of these machineries can also be largely improved with the help of the laser alignment.

Different estimation Tools for Precision

There are distinct Precision Measuring tools available in the market. as already indicated, these distinct tools are used for distinct purposes. some of the coarse tools that are available consist of dial indicators, precision micrometer, gage blocks, pin gage, sine bar, optic corner machines and many more.

However, irrespective of the functions, they are all designed in such a manner so that they can offer exquisite accuracy. The levels of accuracy that can be offered by these distinct estimation tools however, vary to a large extent, but most of the associates have these valuable tools for definite functioning.

Cost of the estimation Tools

The most thing is that the precision measuring tools are of wide varieties and serve wide varieties of purposes. Most of the associates have these tools for distinct purposes. However, the costs of these tools vary in accordance with the functions that they perform.

Irrespective of the changeable costs, it can largely be said that most of these tools are affordable. both large and small associates can think of investing in such tools because these tools assuredly serve wide varieties of purposes. However, it is wise to purchase these tools from reputed manufacturers.

Damage To Machinery Can Be Reduced

When a enterprise installs machinery for distinct purposes, it is natural that they need to contend these machineries. often, it becomes difficult for these population in the associates to contend these easily. in such a case alignment is of great help.

Often pro experts go for Laser shaft alignment straight through which coupling is done in order to cut any bearings or damage on the seal. Apart from that, the production timing can be reduced leading to the least loss of energy. thus, the machineries last longer and give an sufficient performance.

The huge Utility Of dissimilar Precision Measuring Tools

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, may 3rd, 2011 at 6:45 am and is filed under Measuring Articles. you can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. you can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.