A step assembly for a vehicle includes a base member and at least one movable member. Each vertex of the diagram is associated with a respective function variable. The first and second members extend along respective first and second longitudinal axes, and have respective first and second elastic layers whose thickness vary along the respective first and second longitudinal axes to define at least one convex portion curving outward and at least one concave portion curving inward with respect to each of the respective first and second longitudinal axes. The processor uses the thermal image signal to determine an optical processing region, which the processor uses to derive a compressed-image signal. In the electrochemical process of this invention, the electrode is ultrasonically washed on its surface with both acetone and distilled water before the process so as to remove impurities from the surface of the electrode. The communication between the platform specific components and platform neutral components uses thread and memory isolation similar to a client-server architecture.