Embedded Systems: Computers Everywhere!

We've entered a time in human history where human and computer have merged and the microprocessor has become as common as the wheel. No other time in Earth's existence has this happened. While much of this may be common knowledge now, we must never lose site of the fact that it is a truly phenomenal modern age.

For better or for worse, computers are one of man's greatest achievements. They are the one tool that most people cannot avoid during the span of a lifetime. I could probably go my whole life without using a hammer, a telescope or a sewing machine-- but not the computer.

Information systems are everywhere you turn and go well beyond the scope of PC's, tablets and smartphones -- the things most people think of when the word "computer" is mentioned.

 

Think about when you pull up to a traffic light. It's not some kind of voodoo magic that makes the lights turn at just the right time in fractions of a second. Inside the metal casing of the lights are embedded systems or simply embedded computers.

Many things inside the common household have computer chips that you might not think about are the television, oven, cameras, thermostat, washers and dryers. Anything that uses electricity could be home to a microprocessor of some kind.

These systems are designed to perform very specific tasks, be rugged, long lasting and efficient. In other words, they are never supposed to fail and in some cases should be able to repair themselves. If these systems don't function properly, it could spell disaster for potentially thousands of people depending on the scale of the system.

The programs that run on these systems are technically called firmware and are designed to never be changed or altered. It is quite rare for an average person to ever have to deal with these programs as they are hidden within the system doing behind-the-scenes tasks. Although the firmware will always be apart of a particular system, there are ways in which they can be updated if need be. If you've ever played around with the BIOS on your PC then you might be a little familiar with how these systems work.

 

Computers are everywhere whether we like it or not. They help us tremendously. They can make us terribly frustrated (hopefully not) and they are a fact of life in the modern world. Even when you go out in the wilderness to try and get away from the technology, I bet you at least have your phone with you and you probably drove a vehicle of some kind to get there.

I love technology but am vastly aware of the implications if these systems are not utilized properly. At the end of the day and if the system fails...It's ultimately the human who is responsible, as these machines can only do what they are told.

Look around and list how many things in your immediate line of sight that might contain an embedded system. I'll bet it's not less than three.