Embedded System

An embedded system is some combination of computer hardware and software, either fixed in capability or programmable, that is designed for a specific function or for specific functions within a larger system.

"Embedded systems are designed to do some specific task, rather than be a general-purpose computer for multiple tasks. Some also have real-time performance constraints that must be met, for reasons such as safety and usability; others may have low or no performance requirements, allowing the system hardware to be simplified to reduce costs."[4]

"Embedded systems are commonly found in consumer, cooking, industrial, automotive, medical, commercial and military applications. Telecommunications systems employ numerous embedded systems from telephone switches for the network to cell phones at the end user. Computer networking uses dedicated routers and network bridges to route data."[4]

Issues to look at in embedded systems

• • • Reliability - Reliability is the probability of success or the probability that the system will perform its intended function under specified design limits

    • Integrity - (In relation to data) Data integrity is the assurance of the accuracy and consistency of, data over its entire life-cycle, and is a critical aspect to the design, implementation and usage of any system which stores, processes, or retrieves data.

    • Security - Computer security, also known as cyber security or IT security, is the protection of computer systems from the theft or damage to their hardware, software or information, as well as from disruption or misdirection of the services they provide.

    • Privacy - A term often used to describe an individual's anonymity and how safe they feel in a location. It may also refer to the techniques and technologies used to protect sensitive and private data, communications, and preferences.

Embedded systems to look at

• • • Automotive (Electric cars e.g. TESLA)

    • CCTV and/or digital cameras (e.g. on phones)

    • Robots (e.g. M. Zuckerberg's Jarvis)

    • Electronic Vending Machines

    • Assistive technologies in the medical field (e.g. surgical robots)

    • Inmate Tracking System

Autonomy;

• • • Agents activate alone for a task and are not invoked for a task;

    • Agents can select the task themselves (based on priorities or goal-directed search) without human intervention;

Reactive behavior;

• • • Agent senses the environment in which it is, and decides what to do reacting on its perceptions;

Concurrency/sociality;

• • • Agents can interact with other agents through communication, in different modes: coordination, cooperation, competition;

Persistence;

• • • The code describing an agent runs continuously like a process, and is not executed on demand;