Trek Aerospace used Debian Linux and open-source flight control software to build an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL). The Oviwun weighs about six pounds, fits in a backpack, and includes a GPS system that enables autonomous flight and position control. (more…)

Macraigor has added support for several ARM and PowerPC-based embedded processors to its inexpensive hardware-assisted debugging tools. When used with Macraigor's “OCDemon” hardware, the tools now supports Luminary Micro SoCs based on ARM Cortex-M3 cores, Freescale MPC83xx PowerQUICC II, AMD Geode GX/LX, and Marvel… (more…)

MontaVista is touting a partnership with IPSec specialist SafeNet, at the Embedded Systems Conference this week in San Jose, Calif. MontaVista says SafeNet's “QuickSec” toolkits, combined with MontaVista Linux, can help infrastructure and mobile device vendors create products that support MOBIKE (mobile Internet Key Exchange) and other modern IPSec protocols. (more…)

VirtualLogix has introduced a graphical configuration, tuning, and development toolsuite for its platform virtualization products. “VLX Developer” helps embedded system designers configure, build, and optimize virtualized platforms so that multiple operating systems and associated… (more…)

Wind River has updated its tools for on-chip, hardware-assisted debugging of embedded processor-based systems. Workbench 2.6.1 “On-chip Debugging Edition” boasts enhanced support for multi-core processors, compatibility with the latest Linux kernels, and several additional tools said to simplify the debugging process, among other new features, according to the company. (more…)

IBM has published the following new technical articles, tutorials, and downloads on its DeveloperWorks and AlphaWorks websites. They cover a range of interesting (though not necessarily embedded) technical topics, primarily related to Linux and open source system development. (more…)

Embedded Linux development services provider TimeSys is among seven companies chosen for a new Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) attraction designed to showcase innovative startups. The “Disruption Zone” honors startups that significantly “speed electronics design and development, and improve digital signal and memory performance,” CMP said. (more…)

A Belgian firm is shipping a wireless robot shaped like Tux, the Linux mascot. The KYSOH (Keep Your Sense of Humor) “Tux Droid” itself does not run Linux, however, leading some early observers to question whether the gadget exploits the Tux form factor unfairly. (more…)

Gumstix has launched the third generation of its gumstick-shaped SBC (single-board computer) line. The tiny, Linux-friendly, PXA270-powered “Verdex” SBC offers 50 percent more processor speed and twice the memory of earlier models, and features an enhanced expansion bus, according to the company. (more…)

Protech Systems is shipping a rugged, fanless industrial PC with support for 16 channels of video capture. The EPC-8612F supports Linux, and targets surveillance, manufacturing automation, and other applications requiring real-time video image capture. (more…)

3GVision is bringing the U.S. a 2D barcode protocol that has achieved widespread use in Japan as an instant link to online data. The company's i-nigma 2D barcode scanning system works on camera-equipped devices running Linux/Java, Windows Mobile, BREW, or Symbian. (more…)

Kontron has added dual core processing to its line of DIN rail-mountable industrial PCs. The fanless ThinkIO-Duo interfaces directly to modular DIN rail I/O components from Wago, and is available with Linux support. (more…)

Swell Software is shipping a new “Pro” version of its “PEG” graphical user interface (GUI) development kit. PEG Pro adds support for greater color depths and multiple layers, enabling use in sophisticated GUIs for automotive, consumer electronics, and medical imaging devices, the company said. (more…)

Over at Linux-Watch, Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols has collected reactions to the latest draft of GPLv3 from a dozen lawyers, hackers, observers, bloggers, pundits, and kindred journalists. (more…)

German embedded Linux specialist Sysgo reports that its POSIX PSE51 compliant real-time microkernel now supports AMCC's PowerPC 440-series processors, which target networking, storage, and pervasive computing devices. The PikeOS microkernel's 440-series support means that Sysgo's paravirtualized, real-time-enabled “industrial Linux” distribution now supports AMCC's entire 400-series PowerPC… (more…)