Moddable Talks

Bringing Node-RED to Microcontrollers

Node-RED Con 2022, Oct 17, 2022
Untether your flows from your desktop! Node-RED MCU Edition lets you run flows on inexpensive microcontrollers. Use the familiar Node-RED Editor to build and debug. Then deploy flows to IoT embedded microcontrollers popular with makers and manufacturers alike, including ESP32 and ESP8266.

Extending W3C ML Work to Embedded Systems

W3C Workshop on Web and Machine Learning, September 11, 2020
JavaScript's dominance on the web often obscures its many successes beyond the web, such as in embedded systems. New silicon for embedded systems is beginning to include hardware to accelerate ML, bringing ML to edge devices. These embedded systems are capable of running the same modern JavaScript used on the web. Would it be possible for the embedded systems to be coded in JavaScript in a way that is compatible with the ML APIs of the web?

This talk briefly presents two examples of JavaScript APIs developed for the web to support hardware features -- the W3C Sensor API and the Chrome Serial API. It describes how each has been bridged to the embedded world in a different way -- perhaps suggesting a model for how W3C ML JavaScript APIs can bridge the embedded and browser worlds as well.

Programming Microcontrollers with JavaScript

InfoQ, July 23, 2020
Since connected, embedded IoT devices are extensively used to solve real problems, software architects and developers are increasingly aware that building a proficient IoT solution involves a savvy combination of hardware, firmware, and software. In recent years, microcontrollers have become powerful enough to run JavaScript. Conversely, optimized JavaScript engines may now run on low-specs embedded devices (32 KB RAM). While natively programming a device (for instance in C) is often the most performant option, in many situations, productivity and maintainability trump speed.

Resuscitating IoT with JavaScript

OpenJS World, June 23, 2020
This talk introduces work underway to bring JavaScript to IoT at scale including virtualization with Secure ECMAScript, the XS JavaScript engine for resource constrained devices, and Ecma TC53 proposals for standard IoT APIs in JavaScript. These technologies empower web developers to breathe new life into IoT by applying their experience.

Copyleft of Things

CopyleftConf, February 3, 2020
This talk considers a future where the Internet of Things is powered by Copyleft software. It shows how that benefits the users of those products as well as the creators of those products. It highlights software work being done to help make this future a reality.

Applying SES to Things

Agoric SES Event, December 5, 2019
SES is a JavaScript runtime library for running such third-party code safely inside a featherweight compartment. SES stands for Secure ECMAScript, where ECMAScript is the standards name for JavaScript. SES addresses JavaScript’s lack of security. SES supports practicing of the Principle of Least Authority (or POLA) so that the risk from most third-party code can be substantially reduced.

Better IoT Product Development Using JavaScript on Microcontrollers

Embedded Systems Conference, August 27, 2019
In this talk, you will learn how JavaScript can help your software teams deliver modern user interfaces on very inexpensive microcontrollers. Benefits of using JavaScript for device firmware include faster development times, more maintainable applications, and a deeper developer pool. With JavaScript, developers can stop worrying about the details and focus on making great products on a great timeline.

Using JavaScript to Enable Modern User Experiences on Inexpensive HMIs

Embedded Technologies Expo & Conference, June 26, 2019
End users have been trained by smartphones to expect high-quality graphics and responsive touchscreen interfaces. Consumer electronics HMIs often fail to meet these expectations. But a new generation of more powerful, yet still inexpensive, microcontrollers has enabled a new way of building HMI software: using JavaScript. In this talk, you will learn how JavaScript can help you deliver modern user interfaces on HMIs with faster development times, more maintainable applications, and a deeper developer pool.

Real JavaScript on a $2 ESP8266?

Maker Faire Bay Area, May 20, 2018
Moddable is out to replace traditional methods of embedded programming with a more flexible and open approach. In this talk, Peter Hoddie shares information about open source tools by Moddable for developers to create IoT products using standard JavaScript on low-cost microcontrollers paired with touch screens.