Embedded systems are pervasive: From medical devices to vehicles, from mobile phones to factory systems, almost all electronic devices we use today are controlled by embedded computers.
ESE conducts research in a broad range of topics central for design of modern embedded systems, including real-time systems, fault-tolerant and safety-critical systems, hardware/software codesign, concurrent and parallel programming, heterogeneous distributed multi-core architectures and execution platforms, as well as a range of models, methods and tools for the analysis, design and verification of such systems.
An Embedded Systems discipline builds upon other disciplines like computer science, software and systems engineering, control theory, and electrical engineering. A particular focus of ESE is to use these competences for the design of embedded systems where close interaction between hardware and software components are necessary and where issues such as cost, timeliness, dependability, energy consumption, re-configurability and adaptability are often competing requirements. As part of the research, ESE has addressed application areas such as multimedia, wireless sensor networks, space systems, automotive and biotech.
Embedded everywhere
The advances in Embedded Systems technologies and their large-scale deployment, not only in industries and services but in all areas of human activity, will create a major evolution of our society in which all systems, machines, and objects will become digital, communicating, self-managed resources. Intelligent support for people will be embedded in everyday objects, such as clothes, vehicles, buildings, roads and smart materials.
Embedded Systems will increase our quality of life, alleviating the pressure on our environment by reducing pollution and increasing energy savings. This "embedded everywhere" revolution is enabled by device miniaturization, where more and more functionality is available for less and less cost; by cheap and pervasive networking technologies; and by digital convergence between formerly distinct technology families and industrial sectors.
At the same time, product time-to-market and cost pressure call for computing platforms that are easier to program, deploy and reuse, where several embedded functions or sub-systems can be deployed simultaneously with optimized robustness, dependability and resource management, especially power consumption. The design complexity formed by this combination of parameters is one of the major challenges in the Embedded Systems world.
Embedded Systems Opportunities
Embedded Systems is a fast-growing area with an expected global volume. Europe has a strong position in Embedded Systems and it is a strategic research and development area for Europe with large dedicated funding within Horizon 2020 and ECSEL.
Furthermore, the field of Embedded Systems is an important growth-area for Danish production-industry, including consumer electronics, agriculture, transportation and healthcare.
With the increasing focus on environmental issues and demands for dramatically lowering the CO2 emission, Embedded Systems will play an important role by enabling products, electrical as well as mechanical, to become energy-aware, i.e. allowing products to adapt their energy resources to the changing demands during run-time.