Klepsydra goes Open Source

Posted by Isabel del Castillo | August 27, 2019

Klepsydra – a new generation of edge computing software goes Open Source

Digitalization has completely transformed our lives in recent years by changing our ways of working, thinking and living. During this time, we have seen a progressive automation of everyday tasks with some people fearing that robots are going to take over the world. At Klepsydra, we hold a more optimistic view – we believe that digitalization has come to set us free and to increase our quality of life.

The impact of the digital age has only just begun and we are already preparing for a future in which there will be autonomous cars, trips to other planets, space labs, autonomously monitored borders, smart appliances, you name it… We do not know yet how long it will take but we have no doubt that it will eventually happen.

Klepsydra has arrived just in time – a new generation of edge computing software that will allow us to realize our dreams. And it is not about science fiction, it is about science fact – something that is available now and that some of the smartest companies are already taking advantage of.

A new solution to an old problem

We are seeing over and over that the new exciting robotics and space projects make use of software technologies from 20 years ago. Because of this, there is lots of failure due to bugs, delivery delays, unpredictable loss of data, etc. In today’s industry, robotics sensors, space on-board systems and autonomous cars electronics are real works of art. Logically, embedded software engineering would go hand in hand with hardware engineering, however, the reality is far from the case.

Many companies encounter technical problems that they do not know how to solve and they get stuck, paralyzed at a point of discussion and indecision because they do not know how to move forward. Many of the current failures in space missions are due to software.

These problems also occur in other sectors. For example, how could autonomous cars move forward if there up to a 30% risk of loss of information in their data processing system? With only a few accidents, the reputation of a company would be destroyed and therefore they wouldn’t take such a big risk. But what if there were an embedded system software with which the data loss is 0? No risk and 100% accurate information available in real time? That is Klepsydra and the good news is that it exists today.

Tomorrow’s technology today

At Klepsydra, quality software is already a reality with our high-performance data processing software engine. While many companies are getting by without this tool, if they want to move forward sustainably, there is no option but to increase the quality of their software.

The fundamental concept that lies behind our software was born in the world of investment banks, when they wanted to automate and increase the purchase / sale of financial products on the world’s stock exchanges. For this task, by offering top salaries, they attracted the most brilliant minds to make their systems in order to give them competitive advantage. In this context, the loss of information or the execution time would have meant a loss of millions. Needless to say, they were not willing to take such risks.

At Klepsydra, we have been inspired by this very same technology and we have made a miniature from it so that it can be used in embedded systems for industry, robots, CubeSats, rovers… ensuring precision, reliability and lower resource consumption. We believe that in the not too distant future, all these devices will carry Klepsydra in their systems. At Klepsydra we know that simplicity does not have to be at odds with sophistication. Klepsydra absorbs the difficulty of development. Our aim is that our users enjoy using the most advanced technologies in an easy manner, so they can develop challenging and complex embedded systems projects. Moreover, it is only with a tool that developers can trust that it is possible to go further.

Klepsydra is now Open Source

Klepsydra is the solution. And we would like to prove it to you. That is why we have decided to make our product Open Source.

Our vision is for Klepsydra to become a fundamental part of any innovation project involving embedded systems: IoT, Robotics, Space, Automotive, etc. We would like to reach out to companies and help the brave ones carrying out advanced projects and businesses who have to meet the demanding added costs of market-ready and industry-standard software and not simply prototype or academic quality software.

So, how does this open source model work? There are now two versions of Klepsydra with their corresponding specifications adapted for each type of client:

Klepsydra Professional

This is our commercial version. The product has the following features:

  • Advance performance enhancements.
  • More add-ons: FPGA connector, MATLAB integration.
  • Performance monitoring tool.

Klepsydra professional is offered for a subscription-fee based on the number of developer computers and run-time embedded system deployments. As part of the package, the following support elements are included:

  • Support matrix. List of supported platforms consisting of three factors: processor, compiler and operating system.
  • Benchmark reports. We publish reports regularly of benchmark tests for the supported platforms.
  • Certified version of the software for Space and Automotive.

Klepsydra Community

This is the open source version, which is available in Github at https://github.com/klepsydra-technologies. The main features included in this version of the software are:

  • High performance core data processing engine, this consists of our Event Loop and Sensor Multiplexer.
  • Add-ons for UAV and robotics: ZMQ, DDS, CAN and ROS connector, OpenCV add-on, sensors and geometry add-ons and more.
  • Code generation tool.
  • The Klepsydra Tutorial. A step-by-step tutorial that covers in detail the core use of Klepsydra.

The software is available in two formats:

  • Full source codebase. With this option, the developer has to download all core repositories, plus any add-ons of his/her wish and build the software locally.
  • Binary distributions. Prebuilt versions of the software will be available for the most common technology stacks (Ubuntu 16/18, ARM64/32, x86, GCC, etc.) The full list of available distributions can be found here: URL.

Klepsydra Community is licensed under LGPLv3, which allows its use without guarantees or support. It can be used without limitations for non-commercial applications, but also for commercial ones under the specific conditions specified in the license.

Find out for yourself how Klepsydra can transform your business

The software is available for a 30-days trial period. As both versions share the same public interface (API), the transition from Community to Professional is very smooth, with the user simply needing to replace the code and/or distribution files.

We are convinced that every developer working on complex embedded software in the above-mentioned fields will find our product transformative to their endeavors and super easy to use.

To understand the impact Klepsydra can have on your business, don’t just take our word for it, we’ll be happy to put you in touch with a range of our clients who can share their experiences with you.

Klepsydra – tomorrow’s technology today.