Embedded systems are important in a wide range of commodities, devices, and intelligent processes, including machine learning and artificial intelligence applications. Embedded hardware and software are critical to the operation of automobiles, home appliances, medical equipment, interactive kiosks, and other common products we use, as embedded systems applications increase in today's industries and sectors.

What is an Embedded System?

Similarities exist between a general-purpose computer and an embedded system. A general-purpose computer may perform a wide range of functions, such as reading and writing documents, playing games, printing, scanning, and playing music and videos, in addition to printing and other office-related duties. However, an embedded system can only execute specialized applications.

There are many different definitions of an embedded system that have been offered by numerous subject-matter specialists.

Characteristics of Embedded Systems

• Every embedded system has a certain function. They constantly and frequently carry out the same duty throughout their career. The only actions an MP3 player can take are MP3 player actions.
• Embedded systems are created to do the work in a predefined length of time. Thus, it must operate rapidly enough. If a car's braking system works for too long, accidents could happen.
• They have a minimal to nonexistent user interface (UI). Once the program is set, a fully automatic washing machine begins working on its own and stops when the task is finished.
• Some embedded systems can recognize and react to input from the outside world. a GPS tracker and a thermometer.
• The levels of productivity that embedded systems are intended to achieve are predefined. They are fairly priced, small, and require less energy to run.
• Embedded systems cannot be updated or modified by users. Therefore, they must have high ratings for dependability and stability. They should be easy for the user to utilize for extended periods of time.
• Microcontrollers or microprocessors are used to build embedded systems.

6 Examples of Embedded Systems

• GPS Systems
• Medical Devices
• Central Heating Systems
• Transit and Fare Collection
• Automotive Systems
• Factory Robots

GPS Systems

Using satellites and receivers, the GPS navigation system synchronizes information about location, time, and velocity. The installation of a global positioning system on the receiver or device that receives the data is aided by an embedded system that is built-in.

People can easily find their current location and their planned destination thanks to integrated GPS gadgets. They are consequently swiftly gaining ground and surpassing existing automotive navigation systems in terms of usage.

Medical Devices

Medical device embedded systems have long been used in healthcare settings. A new generation of medical devices uses embedded technologies to help treat patients who need continual monitoring and care at home. These systems have sensors built in to gather patient health data, including heart rate, pulse rate, and readings from implants.

A doctor can wirelessly review the patient's data on their smartphone by uploading this information to the cloud. Medical devices have been used widely to diagnose and treat patients effectively.

Examples include defibrillators for pacemakers and ultrasound scanners.

Central Heating Systems

Central heating systems convert chemical energy into thermal energy in a furnace room, which is subsequently converted into heat and dispersed across the many rooms of a structure. These systems' embedded systems enable the thermostat controls, which are essential for temperature control.

Without temperature controls, a central heating system could make one room overheat while freezing another. If you have the right controls, you can adjust the thermostat to a comfortable setting and save a lot of energy.

Many buildings that require maintaining a set temperature for comfort and the management of temperature-sensitive products can be found with examples of embedded systems in central heating.

Transit and Fare Collection

Travelers can use the automated fare collection (AFC) system to pay their fares through ticket vending machines or online services. These systems have been modified to use magnetic stripe cards or smart cards in place of the coins and tokens they initially used. A ticket vending machine, an automatic gate machine, and a ticket checking machine make up an AFC or the essential station equipment. These components are embedded systems that ensure faster transactions, smoother operations, and more successful payment collection.

Urban transportation networks have adopted AFC with smart cards, a cost-effective technology that offers additional security and data collecting capabilities, in place of the commuter trains and municipal transit buses' continued usage of paper tickets and passes.

Automotive Systems

To increase vehicle safety, automotive embedded systems are developed and deployed. Thanks to safety features in cars, the number of road fatalities has significantly fallen in recent years. The automotive sector goes above and beyond because embedded systems are required for the addition of new technological systems and sensors to vehicles.

Active safety systems include things like adaptive speed control, auto breakdown warning, pedestrian detection, merging help, airbags, and more. These are only a few of the qualities that are believed to lower the likelihood of accidents and boost demand for embedded systems globally.

Factory Robots

Robots employed in manufacturing are designed to do precise tasks in dangerous settings. They have an integrated embedded system for tying together multiple subsystems. Actuators, sensors, and software are used by robots in everyday mechanical tasks to sense their environment and safely create the desired outcome.

Without embedded systems, robots would have to rely on external computing or control systems. This can consequently lead to an increase in the safety risks brought on by a delay or failure in the connecting link between the manufacturing robot and its external computing system. These systems, which are enabling Industry 4.0, combine AI and machine learning to make equipment smarter, safer, and more effective.

Conclusion

Embedded systems are widely utilized today. These systems are used in a variety of devices, including typical consumer electronics, avionics, and automobiles. All embedded systems interact with the physical world and frequently draw input from it in common. Due to the variety of applications for which these systems are utilized, both functional (such as the relationship between input and output) and non-functional factors typically influence their behavior (such as execution time or energy consumption). It is challenging to test and validate these systems because of this. In this chapter, we discussed a few challenges and their solutions related to testing embedded systems.