Embedded Systems and Future

Introduction

Embedded systems have come a long way since their inception. Today, some toilets and toasters can tweet about what they’re upto. From smart clothing to smart banking, embedded systems have accentuated technology’s growth by manifold

With growth and advancements in the field of electronics, wireless communications, networking, cognitive and affective computing and robotics, devices around you communicate in more ways than you ever imagined. Those times are not very distant when every object around us will have a small processor/sensor embedded within itself, invisible to us but still communicating with all other The future of embedded systems lies in the advancement of technologies that enable faster communications, heavy data storage capacities and highly interwoven connections among the devices. Before diving into the enormous number of applications of embedded systems, let’s discuss the seven buzzwords that will define the future of embedded systems.

Ubiquitous computing

Ubiquitous Computing is a branch of computing that focuses on interconnected and communicating devices carefully integrated into the objects we interact with in our daily lives. These objects can be anything right from your clothes to your toasters and coffee mugs. Smart phones and tablets are currently the obvious targets for applications aiming at ubiquitous computing, but in the future, don’t be surprised if your game console talks to your smart phone’s calendar about how “busy” you are today. The term Ubiquitous Computing (Ubicomp), also known as Pervasive Computing, was coined around 1988 by Mark Weiser when he was heading the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC).

Sentient Computing is another form of ubiquitous computing which involves using various kinds of sensors to sense the environment and react accordingly. All over the world, research institutions and universities are working on Ubicomp’s possibilities, bringing us more and more applications of everyday devices communicating with each other. With advancement in cloud computing, applications of ubiquitous computing got a real boost. Apple’s iCloud is a very basic implementation of ubiquitous computing which integrates all your Apple devices seamlessly and maintains unified data among all those devices.

Intelligent devices

Intelligent devices are devices that have the ability to think, or simply put are “things that think”. These devices use a combination of technology, algorithms and embedded hardware to replicate what was once thought to be an activity exclusive to living beings with brains. Today, there are machines that can do your thinking for you. MIT Media Lab is working on this “Things that think” idea and aims at creating environments that enable this way of thinking.

Whether it’s a simple device such as iLumi (an intelligent light bulb that can be operated via an Android app to create different lighting environments) or a device as complex as PETMAN (an anthropomorphic robot that can detect any chemical leaks in its costume – useful for testing chemical protection clothing), intelligent devices will soon be everywhere. This ultra-high level of intelligence in machines poses concerns of security and privacy.

Internet of Things

The Internet of Things is a technology revolution that began just a few years ago. It’s gradually sneaking into our lives and will soon be a reality. Introduced by Kevin Ashton from Procter & Gamble in 1989, Internet of Things or IoT is a concept that involves connecting the internet to physical devices such as home appliances and manufacturing machines. With cloud computing and increasing access to fast speed internet everywhere around the world, the Internet of Things will soon be more than just a concept. IOT is no more a discussion with platforms such as Cosm that allow data and devices to be connected in all new ways and OSes such as Contiki that are dedicated to developing apps that realise the concept.

Your smart phone communicates with your chair about your sitting posture, with satellite receivers to know the right temperature and your cooking gas to know whether the dish you left to simmer on it is burning; in case of a fire hazard, it will communicate with the respective fire control agency in your zone. Businesses have realised the importance of IoT and there are consultancy firms already that specialise in helping you apply IoT at your organization.

Cyber physical systems

Cyber physical systems form an important part of Internet of Things. These systems are backed by powerful computation and fast communication and aim at integrating the physical and cyber world into one. Cyber physical systems can be used for precision-based tasks such as in the implementation of robotic arms, exploration-based tasks in areas inaccessible to humans, creating and deploying energy efficient systems as well as for easing daily life activities.

These systems have also found application in exploring outer space. Mars exploration rover, Curiosity employs an intelligent cyber physical system to automatically navigate the surface of Mars and changes its location according to lighting and weather conditions. Cyber physical systems are challenging to implement as they involve a combination of advanced hardware and software needs. These systems come across issues relating to privacy, security and flexibility due to their high level of complexity.

Context-aware devices

Context awareness, in terms of computing, was introduced by Bill Schilit in 1994. Anind Dey from Carnegie Mellon University defines context as any information related to the situation of an object at an instant of time. Context awareness is an added layer of intelligence to ubiquitous computing and aims at making devices more aware of their surrounding environments.