Enabling Tomorrow's Discoveries

Client:

Oxford Instruments

Project:

Saturn Platform Development

Goal:

Create a unified technology platform to support multiple product lines and enable rapid future development.

Results

Established standardised build processes

Created maintainable, scalable systems

Enabled rapid platform updates

Reduced development time from years to weeks

Provided future-proof architecture

Challenge

Develop a flexible, maintainable platform supporting various scientific instruments while allowing Oxford Instruments’ Windows-based development team to efficiently create applications.

Our Solution

Together we developed the Saturn platform providing:

Custom Linux-based operating system

Comprehensive board support packages

Integrated development environment

Application development framework

Continuous integration build server

Automated testing capabilities

Streamlined deployment processes

Mono framework integration for C# development

A key innovation in the Saturn platform was Rufilla’s early adoption and implementation of Yocto technology. In 2012, when most embedded Linux solutions were custom-built for each application, Rufilla recognised Yocto’s potential to become the industry standard. Despite Yocto being in its early stages and relatively unproven, Rufilla’s technical foresight led to its implementation as the foundation of the Saturn platform.

User Benefits

Rapid development capability reducing dev time from years to weeks

Reduced development costs

Reduced learning curve

Improved code maintainability

Streamlined deployment

Enhanced debugging capabilities

Future-proof architecture

Better version control

Simplified product updates

Enhanced security

Technical Solution

Rufilla’s innovative design approach included:

Core System Architecture

Custom Linux-based operating system

Modular architecture

Cross-platform compatibility

Mono integration for C# development

Secure update mechanism

Development Infrastructure

Comprehensive development framework

Automated build system

Continuous integration pipeline

Robust testing framework

Advanced debugging tools

What does this mean for you?

While these solutions were developed for smart energy applications, the underlying technologies and approaches can be adapted to solve similar challenges across various industries. Here's how this technology could transform your sector: