The concept that I personally find interesting is one of the most crucial, that being the concept of reliability within embedded systems. The sheer importance reliability holds is as reliability is used to ensure that the embedded system or any product produced in general is correctly, consistently and safely used over a long period and duration of time under various and sometimes dangerous conditions. Guaranteeing reliability not only helps keep your and others' peace of mind but it also helps to make sure your product doesn't accidentally malfunction, which in certain cases can lead to dangerous situations resulting in fatal injuries. Below, I'll be discussing a few key points of reliability and how they relate to automobiles.
In automotive embedded systems, reliability ensures that critical functions such as engine control, braking, and airbag deployment operate consistently and predictably. Drivers rely on these systems to function correctly under various driving conditions to ensure vehicle safety and performance. The reliability of automobile engines differ extremely depending on certain factors. Namely, these factors are related to the vehicle's age, how often it's repaired along with whether it's had early failure or not (Wang et al., 2018)
Many embedded systems in cars are safety-critical, meaning that failures could result in accidents or injuries. For example, the anti-lock braking system (ABS) system rely on reliable embedded systems to prevent skidding and maintain vehicle stability during braking and cornering manoeuvres. ABS has statistically been proven to reduce the amount of car crashes. Notably, there has been significant reduction in crashes involving pedestrians, cyclists and animals along with collisions involving turning vehicles (Anti-Lock Braking Systems in Cars (ABS), n.d.)
Cars are expected to provide reliable performance over their lifespan, which may span many years and thousands of miles of driving. Embedded systems must be designed to withstand the rigors of daily use and remain reliable over time, without succumbing to wear and tear or degradation.