RuggON VORTEX

Compact high-performance vehicle-mount PC for mobile legacy as well as emerging AI applications
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)

RuggON announced the RuggON VORTEX January 2025 as an AI-enhanced, SATCOM-ready durable, powerful vehicle-mount computer for meet the specific needs of diverse sectors, including logistics, ports, agriculture, mining, fleet management, asset management, Electronic Logging (ELD) and more. The VORTEX replaces the popular RuggVMC MT7000, retaining the compact form factor of its predecessor, but supplying state-of-the-art technology and much higher performance.

Measuring just 8.7 x 6.0 x 2.0 inches, the VORTEX vehicle-mount system provides a comprehensive, easy-to-use interface to all sorts of dispatch operations, asset and fleet management applications, diagnostic monitoring, as well as vehicle navigation, tracking metrics, and now also emerging AI-driven capabilities for real-time data processing, predictive analytics, and enhanced automation.

Equipped with fast WiFi 7, Bluetooth GNSS, and supporting satellite communication as well as 4G LTE and 5G mobile broadband, the VORTEX is completely connected both in-vehicle and as part of IoT/cloud wide area applications. This enables a vast range of productivity enhancement and value-added functionality. Also available are various integrates technologies from industry leaders, including Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), Terminal Operating Systems (TOS) and more.

In terms of wired connectivity, the VORTEX has plenty and can be configured to meet the requirements of virtually any intended deployment. There are three general interface configurations. One uses secure connectors and a minimum of ports. A second comes with generic industry standard connectors and covers as much ground as possible. A third comes with waterproof screw-on M12 connectors. The latter two also include digital I/O as well as CAN bus and J1939 protocols.

Perhaps the biggest change is on the processor side. Whereas the original MT7000 used fairly low-end Intel Atom chips, the new VORTEX provides much higher performance with a Intel "Raptor Lake" 13th generation Core i5-1335UE processor with two performance and eight efficient cores, running at turbo frequencies up to 4.5GHz.

If that's overkill for a planned application, the VORTEX can also be equipped with a dual-core Intel "Alder Lake-N" Atom x7211E, a processor that's a decade newer and also far more powerful than the low-end option in the predecessor MT7000. RAM and storage, likewise, are vastly upgraded. The VORTEX also supports a considerably wider 9~60Volt vehicle power range, but also has an internal backup battery that allows brief independent operation. Overall, we're talking a massive performance upgrade.

On the operating systems side of things, the VORTEX generally comes with Windows 11 IoT Enterprise GAC or LTSC, where GAC means General Availability Channel and refers always getting all standard updates, and LTSC means Long-Term Servicing Channel which provides provides longer support periods with fewer updates.

The VORTEX is a pure tablet/panel computer without integrated keyboard, but it does have five programmable function keys for easy one-click access to often used apps and utilities.

On the ruggedness and durability side, the VORTEX offers IP65 sealing, which means the device (except for the downward-facing I/O block) is totally dustproof, and can also handle low-pressure water jets from all directions. It has a very wide operating temperature range of -22 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit, and has been tested according to MIL-SDT-810H procedures for resistance to vibration, mechanical shock and several other criteria.

The RuggON VORTEX

Overall, the Vortex is a major update to RuggON's concept of a tough, rugged but very compact Microsoft Windows-based vehicle-mount PC that fits almost anywhere. That concept was initially implemented as the RuggON MT7000 and has now been redesigned with significantly higher performance as a state-of-the-art platform with wide application potential, including AI-driven/assisted features such as driver monitoring systems, blind spot information systems, related facial recognition technology and so forth, all designed to add layer of safety for drivers and passengers. -- C. H. Blickenstorfer, January 2025