Embedded System
Hard Drive Recovery - Embedded System
An embedded system is a special-purpose computer system that can perform one or a few dedicated functions. It usually comes embedded as part of a complete device. Some of the embedded systems are mass produced, and they are used in several common electronic devices in use today.
Devices controlled by embedded systems range from portable devices such as digital watches and MP4 players to large installations like factory controllers or the systems controlling nuclear power plants. Depending on the functionality, the complexity of the system varies- from a single microcontroller chip to a highly complicated system with multiple units, peripherals and networks mounted inside a large chassis or enclosure.
Applications
Embedded systems are widely used in telecommunications industry. Devices ranging from the telephone switches to mobile phones have one or the other forms of embedded systems employed in it. In networking, they are used in routers and network bridges that route the data.
A wide range of consumer electronics products use embedded systems. They include personal digital assistants (PDAs), DVD players, MP3 players, digital cameras, game consoles, GPS receivers, and many more. Within the household, they find applications in microwave ovens, washing machines, HVAC systems, dishwashers, etc. Home automation systems that use wired- and wireless-networking to control lights, temperature, security, audio/visual, and surveillance use embedded devices for sensing and controlling.
Medical equipments used for vital signs monitoring and various medical imaging for non-invasive internal inspections use embedded systems. In aviation industry, they are used in inertial guidance systems and GPS receivers. They are also used in a variety of automobile applications.
In addition to all these, a new form of miniature wireless devices called motes is quickly gaining popularity in wireless sensor networking market.
