Embedded systems
Embedded systems – the basics
As a company, we have specialized in embedded systems for many years. Today we would like to introduce you to this technology and explain the basics.
Embedded systems are small to medium-sized computer systems that are characterized by their integration into a larger technical context. To this end, they are developed and implemented tailored to their task. In general, embedded systems consist of software and a microcontroller or computer on which it is executed. The complexity of an embedded system can range from simple temperature monitoring of individual components to the control of user interfaces and entire products.
Embedded systems are designed to have exactly the hardware and software required to perform the planned task quickly and reliably. This targeted development makes them efficient systems, as care can be taken during the development of a product to avoid wasting unnecessary resources.
The story
One of the first embedded systems to be developed was the navigation system for the Minuteman missiles. The first test launch of such a rocket took place in 1959. Two years later, the development of another pioneering embedded system began in the form of the “Apollo Guidance Computer”. As the name suggests, this was the navigation system for NASA’s Apollo missions. It was designed to collect and summarize all available flight data from the rocket in real time and then automatically correct the flight path if deviations were detected. In the following years, the prices for all the components required to develop an embedded system fell sharply, making them attractive for more and more products on the broad market. Today, embedded systems have become an integral part of many everyday products.
Interested? Then take a look at the documentation on the “Apollo Guidance Computer”:
What are embedded systems used for?
Today, almost all electronically operated devices contain embedded systems. Of course, they are still used in their original field of application, aerospace. However, they have now also found their way into industrial production lines, where they are of great relevance for smooth operation. But they are now also widely used in everyday life. A modern smartphone today has many individual embedded systems. In addition to the actual CPU, a good example of this is the cell phone camera or Wifi and Bluetooth interfaces. Even appliances such as coffee machines or intelligent kettles now rely on embedded systems to control work processes depending on the selected program or to switch off the heating function when the temperature is reached.
Advantages and disadvantages
The biggest advantage of using embedded systems is that they usually represent the most efficient solution to an existing problem due to their task-specific development. These systems are also highly flexible, meaning that the functionality of products can be changed and improved almost at will by updating the software at a later date, provided that the installed hardware allows this. While the ever cheaper components required for such a system are lowering the hurdle to using embedded systems sensibly, this also has disadvantages. In particular, products that are strongly designed to be produced as cost-effectively as possible bring with them security vulnerabilities due to quickly written software and a lack of updates. This means that while embedded systems make many products more convenient to use, they also bring more low-quality products onto the market. Of course, this is not a general problem for all embedded systems and for us this is of course a motivation not only to write the software, but also to maintain and improve it throughout the life cycle of the product.
The future of embedded systems
Current studies predict that the market for embedded systems will grow by almost 60% over the next 10 years*. As developers of such systems, we have been noticing for some time that with the increasing technologization of everyday life, embedded systems are being used in more and more contexts. Communication between several systems is becoming increasingly important. We will be writing more about this in an article on the “Internet of Things”, which will be published here next week.
* Market analysis of embedded systems by Precedence Research