Embedded Systems were initially used for large, safety-critical and business-critical applications such as rocket & satellite control, energy production control, telephone switches, flight control; They now include a very large proportion of the advanced products designed in the world, spanning transport (avionics, space, automotive, trains), electrical and electronic appliances (cameras, toys, televisions, home appliances / domotics, audio systems, and cellular phones), process control (energy production and distribution, factory automation and optimization), telecommunications (satellites, mobile phones and telecom networks), energy (production, distribution, optimized use), security (e-commerce, smart cards), and health (hospital equipment, mobile monitoring), etc.

Over 95% of all electronic chips produced today are for Embedded Systems.

The extensive and increasing use of embedded systems and their integration in everyday products marks a significant evolution in information science and technology. We expect that within a short timeframe embedded systems will be a part of nearly all equipment designed or manufactured in Europe, the USA, and Asia.

There is now a strategic shift in emphasis for embedded systems designers: from simply achieving feasibility, to achieving optimality. Optimal design of embedded systems means targeting a given market segment at the lowest cost and delivery time possible. Optimality implies seamless integration with the physical and electronic environment while respecting real-world constraints such as hard deadlines, reliability, availability, robustness, power consumption, and cost. In our view, optimality can only be achieved through the emergence of embedded systems as a discipline in its own right.

Embedded systems are of strategic importance in modern economies. They are used in mass-market products and services, where value is created by supplying either functionality or quality. Europe currently has a strong position in sectors where embedded technologies play a central role. It has a lead in civil avionics where fly-bywire technology provides an overwhelming competitive advantage in the cost of operating aircraft. Embedded systems also play a key role in the space sector, specifically for launch vehicles and satellites. In the automotive industry, manufacturers and their suppliers gain a technological advantage in engine control, active safety features and emerging technologies such as brake-by-wire and drive-by-wire. Modern railway signalling relies on embedded systems, and allows faster, safer, and heavier traffic. Embedded applications will be extensively used to make energy distribution more flexible, especially in view of the coming market liberalization. Embedded technologies are strategic for the telecommunications sector.

Embedded Systems are generally constrained by limited resources:

Processor speed Power consumption Memory

Real-time constraints Network bandwidth Human supervision

Cost

Embedded Systems: a few products

Anti-lock brakes Auto-focus cameras Automatic teller machines Automatic toll systems Automatic transmission Automotive systems Avionic systems Battery chargers Camcorders Cell phones Cell-phone base stations Cordless phones Cruise control Curbside check-in systems Deep-space probes Digital cameras Disk drives Dvd players Electronic card readers Electronic instruments Electronic toys/games Distribution of Energy Factory control/automation Fax machines

Fingerprint identifiers GPS receivers Home security systems HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) systems Hybrid vehicles Inertial guidance systems Life-support systems Medical instruments Microwave ovens Missiles Mobile phones Modems Motor controllers Mp3 players MPEG decoders Network cards Network switches/routers On-board navigation Pagers Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) Photocopiers Point-of-sale systems Portable video games

Printers Satellites Scanners Smart ovens/dishwashers Speech recognizers Speed radars Stereo systems Teleconferencing systems Televisions Temperature controllers Trains: Automatic Train Protection (ATP) Automatic Train Control (ATC) Beacons Passenger Information System Public Address System Theft tracking systems TV set-top boxes UAVs VCR’s, Video game consoles Video phones Washers and dryers