INTRODUCTIONComputers have evolved from few, huge mainframes shared by manypeople, and mini computers that were smaller but still shared to today’sPCs—millions in number, miniscule in size compared to themainframes, and used by only one person at a time. The next generationcould be invisible, with billions being around and each of us using morethan one at a time. Welcome to the world of embedded systems, ofcomputers that will not look like computers and won’t function likeanything we’re familiar withWHAT IS AN EMBEDDED SYSTEM?As the name signifies, an embedded system is ‘embedded’ or built intosomething else, which is a non-computing device, say a car, TV, or toy.Unlike a PC, an embedded computer in a non-computing device willhave a very specific function, say control a car, or display Web pages ona TV screen. So, it need not have all the functionality and hence all thecomponents that a PC has. Similarly, the operating system andapplications need not perform all the tasks that their counterparts fromthe PC sphere are expected to.In short, we can define an embedded system as a computing device,built into a device that is not a computer, and meant for doing specificcomputing tasks. These computing tasks could range from acquiring ortransferring data about the work done by the mother device todisplaying information or controlling the mother device. Embeddedsystems could thus enable us to build intelligent machines.Embedded systems is not a new and exotic topic that is still confined toresearch theses. There are many live examples of embedded systemsaround us. MP3 players (computing capability built into a musicsystem), PDAs (computing in what essentially is an organizer), car-control systems, and intelligent toys are but a few examples of suchsystems already in place.A typical embedded system consists of hardware (typically VLSI orvery large-scale integrated circuits) specifically built for the purpose, anembedded operating system, and the specific application orapplicatiospecification is considered to be an extension of the ISA busspecification. The PC /104 standard has since been extended to PC/104-plus to include the PCI bus. So, today you have PC-based embeddedsystems that have the ISA bus, the PCI bus, or both.
Unlike with regular PCs, in the world of the embedded PC, 386s, 486sand Pentiums are still good enough. Besides these, there are a numberof CPUs meant specifically for embedded applications, like theStrongArm and the MIPS.With embedded PCs you can even go beyond the single-functiondefinition of an embedded system, and could build an entire PC intoanother machine; a PC inside a refrigerator, or a PC inside a car, forinstance.HARDWARE FOR EMBEDDED DEVICESUniversal Micro system is a general-purpose hardware that can beprogrammed and used to develop applications for differentembedded devicesMany modern appliances like MP3 players, ‘intelligent’ refrigerators,and watches use embedded systems. However, a common obstacle fordevelopers has been the need to develop different sets of hardware andsoftware, for different devices. An ‘intelligent’ washing machine uses ahardware chip different from that used by an ‘intelligent’ wristwatch. Inaddition, the software running on the hardware chip is different. Thisoften results in increased costs and time taken for development. (Formore on embedded systems see PCQuest May2001,page38.)The Universal Micro System (UMS) from Cradle Technologies is asolution for this problem. UMS is a general-purpose chip built around asimple instruction set. It can be used to develop applications forembedded devices because all the functionality required for a specificdevice can be modeled in the software.UMS HARDWAREAny software application expects four basic requirements from theunderlying hardware: input unit, processing unit, memory unit, andoutput unit. Since the major functionality provided in UMS is throughsoftware, the processor and memory units must be very fast and theinput-output units must be programmable and versatile.
UMS uses a large number of high speed, low power and small RISC-based processors (about 75) on a single chip. Each processor also calleda PE (processing Element) coupled with two Digital Signal Processorscalled DSE (Digital Signal Engines) form an MSP (Multi StreamProcessor), which processes voluminous chunks (stream) of data.The UMS is structured into a number of Quads. A Quad, as shown inthe diagram to the left, consists of four MSPs, program or instructioncache, data cache and a programmable DMA (Direct Memory Access)unit. There is also a high throughput (about 4 GB/sec) global businterface, which interconnects all of them in a Quad. The use of DSEsensures smooth digital processing, while the powerful PEs carry out thearithmetic and logical functions on the processed data. Finally, theresult of the processing is transferred from the local data cache of aQuad to an external SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random AccessMemory) module via the DMA unit. The UMS chip does have anonboard DRAM controller to interface with external SDRAM modules.Feeding each Quad with independent chunks of data can make optimaluse of the raw processing speed of the UMS chip. It is claimed that UMShas a raw speed of over 15 GFLOPS (Giga Floating Point Operations persecond) while consuming just 1.5 watts of power.The Input/Output unit of UMS is programmable. You can program it tosupport processing unit dependant data transfers, or do a DMA datatransfer where data transfers can take place without the intervention ofthe processing unit. In fact, the programmable I/O is claimed to be soversatile that it can be used to model PCI, SCSI, FireWire, or DSL
interfaces using software. In other words, the I/O hardware isextensively programmable through software.SOFTWARE ON UMSThe software design has eliminated the need for customized hardware.It has been left to the developer to utilize the power of the numerousprocessors by using efficient software algorithms. Optimally, eachQuad must be fed with independent data blocks (called dataparallelism). This is the responsibility of the software developer. WhatCradle has provided are some tools to speed up this development: a Ccompiler, an assembler and a cross assembler, linker, debuggers, andmost important, a software simulator of the hardware chip. A customC-API (Application Programming Interface), comprising of UMSspecific library functions, is also provided. These include libraries forTCP/IP, OpenGL 3D, PCI, FireWire, MPEG and DV encoding anddecoding.
So the development tools shouldn’t take long getting used to, as no newprogramming language or paradigm has been introduced. But whatabout the most crucial system software for any hardware in this world—the operating system. UMS can use any RTOS (Real Time OperatingSystem) like QNX or a micro kernel based Linux. Red Hat, the popularLinux distribution, is porting its version of embedded Linux on UMSalong with the development tools. Already a software MPEG2 decoderhas been developed for UMS, while the hardware chip itself is underexperimental stages.Initially UMS will not be targeted towards small devices like mobilephones or wrist watches. Instead, it will be used in devices like homerouters and multimedia gadgets as ready-to-use software libraries arealready there for these. But the possibility of it being used in smalldevices cannot be ruled out.APPLICATIONS OF EMBEDDED SYSTEMSEmbedded systems are finding their way into robotic toys andelectronic pets, intelligent cars, and remote-controllable homeappliancesELECTRONICPETSGone are thedays when youhad dumbstuffed toyswith no motion,or feelings toplay with.
Thanks to the wonders of modern electronics, toys are getting a newlife. They have been given feelings that get affected based on how youbehave with them. All the major toy makers across the world have beencoming out with advanced interactive toys that can become yourfriends for life. These toys are electromechanical in nature, have sensorsto listen, see, talk, and feel your touch. They have complex circuitry,and some use micro-controller chips to control everything. They havememory to store the code that drives the micro-controller, which in turnoperates the remaining parts. In other words, toys are amongst the mostpopular examples of embedded systems. In this article, we’ll see someof the most playful pets in the market, and try to understand whatmakes them intelligent.The rapid development of intelligent toys has been fueled by the fiercecompetition amongst leading toy manufacturers. Every toy maker triesto introduce some hot selling toy to gain an edge over competition. Sowe’ve seen the intelligence level rising in the toys.TEDDY RUXPINOne of the earliest intelligent toys was a teddy bear known as TEDDYRUXPIN. It had in built cassette player which when played moved itslips according to the song and music being played. The story tellingteddy bear was a hit among young children. Later on TEDDYRUXPIN’S partner was introduced and both of them narrated a story.This was however not so intelligent as both them moved their lipsaccording to the pre recorded stories.THE FURBIESPet it’s back and it will wag it’s tail in a lovingly manner, tickle it’stummy and it will laugh and pass comments. These are the few things aFURBY is capable of doing. It was manufactured by TIGERELECTRONICS somewhere around 1998. It has no resemblance to any living creature. It’s life cyclestarts from a baby and it grows up into an adult. It reacts differently todifferent situations. Initially it speaks it’s own language called‘FURBISH’. Later on it speaks english as we interact with it. It’s beautylies in the fact that no two furbies are alike. It has built in vocabulary of 160 words with which it canform 1000 phrases. That’s why it reacts differently to different
situations. It has five sensors and a built in microphone which isresponsible for it’s varying responses to different sounds. It also has alight sensor to detect changes in light. The best part is an IR port which it uses to interact withother furbies.AIBO THE SMART DOG Aibo the smart dog was created by SONY CORPORATION. AIBO can display six emotions viz. happiness, anger, sadness, surprise, fear and dislike. AI stands for artificial intelligence and BO stands for robot. Aibo when translated in ‘partner ‘ or ‘pal’ in Japanese. It has various sensors to detect various emotions. It can recognize 50 words. It learns and matures by interactingwith people. It has STATE OF THE ART VOICE RECOGNITIONSYSTEM that understands what you say. It has four sensors of touch,hear, see and balance. It has 18 joints which can produce 250 different motions. So it sit,stand, walk, dance and play with a ball. All its actions are recorded onan 8 MB memory stick.DRIVE JAMES BOND’S CAR
Cars manufactured today come with at least one embedded computer,which is in charge of monitoring engine emissions and adjusting theengine to keep emissions as low as possible. Abroad, additionalcomputers already manage the air-bag system, cruise-control system,anti-lock brakes, and motorized seats that remember the seat andmirror setting for multiple drivers.Embedded systems in cars, also known as telematic systems, are nowbeing used to provide navigational (getting directions to yourdestination), security (notifying the police in case of an emergency),communication (making calls through hands-free voice-activatedphones or getting personalized information from the Internet), andentertainment (streaming music) services.REMOTE CONTROL YOUR HOMEHome appliances, from refrigerators and air-conditioners to televisionsand microwave ovens, are going the embedded way. This means thatyou’ll soon be able to control the temperature of your air-conditionerover the Internet, check e-mail on your refrigerator, make yourmicrowave download recipes from the Internet, or surf the Web onyour television. Several home-appliance players have already enteredthe embedded arena and more are expected to follow. Here’s a look atsome products that have made an appearance • LG Electronics’ Digital DIOS refrigerator can be used for surfing the Internet, checking e-mail, making video phone calls, and watching TV. It has a 15.1” TFT-LCD touch screen and its own port to connect to the Internet. • Samsung’s digital network refrigerator also lets you surf the Internet and check mail using a pop-up keyboard window, make video or regular telephone calls, do instant messaging with your family members, and watch TV or films on video tape or DVD. • LG’s washing machine has a communication cable that you can link to a PC with an Internet connection. You can then connect to the washing machine’s website, download washing programs
suitable to the different types of clothes you want to wash, and store them in the washing machine. • The microwave oven has a built-in modem that it uses to access websites on cooking. It also goes a step ahead and automatically downloads information like cooking time and microwave level for different recipes.These products are a harbinger to what lies ahead. So, you can lookforward to a future where you can work in office and wash clothes athome simultaneously, or let your microwave do the cooking while yousurf the Internet on your television.DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES IN EMBEDDEDSYSTEMS A look at Inferno and Chai, two popular development environmentsthat are used to develop applications for hardware used in embeddedsystemsA lot of development is happening on embedded systems with manydevelopment platforms, environments, and operating systems beingcreated to help with this process. We present two popular initiatives.INFERNO Inferno was developed by Computing Science Research Center of BellLabs. Its core feature is a virtual machine called Dis which makes itportable across various platforms, including Intel x86, Sun Sparc, MIPS,and PowerPC. So it can be used across all the major OSs like Windows(NT and 95), and many flavors of Unix including Linux. Inferno runs asa service under these OSs. It also has its own microkernel, so it can bedeployed on embedded devices without a native operating systemunderneath.CHAIThis development environment (runtime and compile time) providestools to develop applications for embedded devices. It is based on Javatechnology and consists of the following components: • ChaiVM: The Chai virtual machine • ChaiAWT: Graphics library for coding GUI components
• ChaiServer: For intercommunication and remote configuration of Chai applications • ChaiAppliance Plug and Play: an open-standard technology for automatic and transparent connectivity between embedded devices • Chai/E-speak: Libraries which enables Chai applications to act as e-services • Chai/OpenView: Enables management of Chai application by HP’s OpenView Network Node Manager. • ChaiFarer: A web browser for embedded devices.racle 8i lite: Database for embedded devicesEMBEDDED REAL TIME OPERATING SYSTEMSThe term embedded means combined. An embedded hardware devicecontains a single chip that contains both hardware and softwarecomponents of a computer such as memory and base operatingsystems. Embedded software can be used for a variety of purposesranging from powering handheld PCs to large scale factory automation.To run these software we need operating systems. Embedded operatingsystems are used in PDAs, high end cellular phones,MP3 players andpalmtop computers. Embedded Operating Systems come in threeflavors: WINDOWS, LINUX and others. There are a few dozens ofembedded operating systems but we explore a few.WINDOWS CE 3.0There are no fewer than four versions of WINDOWS CE 3.0 designedfor various types of hardware. Windows CE includes 32 bit windowstechnology and networking support amongst other features familiar tonormal windows user. A number of development tools are available forthis platform. Database support is available throtabase support isavailable throCE Edition.WINDOWS NT EMBEDDEDWindows NT Embedded is a little different from Windows CE Edition.It is developed on windows technology and it excels in networking andcommunications. It’s price to most of the hardware manufacturers ishigher as compared to other operating systems and so it is less popularas compared to other operating systems such as Windows CE Edition.
EMBEDDED LINUXLinux powerful and full featured operating system and it’s embeddedversion is no exception. Embedded linux is free just like it’s PCcounterpart. It’s source code is freely available and the user can modifythe core according to his convenience without going through longprocedures of licensing and paying for the operating system. In fact,many have predicted that the future of linux is in EMBEDDEDWORLD. CONCLUSIONWe are on the threshold of the next wave of rapid growth in hightechnology. During the 1970’s we witnessed the proliferation ofsemiconductors that enabled the digital generation. In the 1980’s camethe decade of DRAM’s as semiconductor vendors perfected theirmanufacturing technologies to allow a dramatic increase in memorycapacity. The 1990’s will be remembered as the decade ofmicroprocessors as even the casual customer is aware of the megahertzand the motherboard. And now as we have entered the newmillennium EMBEDDED SYSTEMS has become the technology offocus with consensus expectations of exponential growth.