TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Every year, Embedded World draws thousands of professionals from the embedded systems industry. It’s the premier venue to showcase the latest achievements, exchange experiences, and set future trends. As embedded systems specialists, we couldn’t miss out on this event. What caught our attention this year, and what insights have we gained? Let’s kick it off with the exhibition hall.
A standout trend at Embedded World was the remarkable progress in AI-based solutions, especially for image detection. Exhibitors from various industries showcased similar setups: a camera, an array of additional objects, and a screen displaying the AI’s results—whether detection, classification or even tracking selected objects in motion. The applications for these algorithms are expanding, with use cases in the automotive, industrial, medical, and security sectors. While similar solutions have been available for several years, Embedded World highlighted a competitive race among manufacturers to enhance these technologies continually. The goal is to achieve not only greater accuracy, allowing near-flawless detection of even the tiniest details but also improved efficiency. Although running complex algorithms on specialized, multi-core AI platforms is no longer a novelty, real-time analysis of images from two cameras simultaneously on a small Raspberry Pi has left us utterly flabbergasted.
As we navigated through hundreds of booths, the vibrant, illuminated displays of various types caught our eye. One might wonder what new advancements can be showcased in this field—after all, most of us carry smartphones with ultra-bright HDR displays, featuring resolutions up to 4K, made from OLED technology. Did we see more advanced screens at the fair? Brighter, with even higher resolutions? Surprisingly, no. Instead, we observed many simple, small screens primarily intended for industrial use. Here, manufacturers increasingly use OLED technology, focusing on reducing power consumption and improving efficiency. The most captivating display for us was one that remained entirely unlit. It was an E-ink display but in a new, colorful version. A large-format e-paper screen capable of displaying up to 16 million colors, resembling a high-quality printed poster, was, to our mind, the standout display innovation at this year’s fair.
The rapid advancement of software for the automotive industry is a topic we’ve covered extensively on our blog. However, in our report from Embedded World, it’s worth highlighting once again. The automotive sector was a dominant force at this year’s event. Hardware platforms with impressive specifications, equipped with dedicated peripherals for secure communication and AI support, enable the creation of even more advanced systems to enhance driver safety and comfort. Pedestrian detection, collision risk assessment, and autonomous driving features were among the showcased solutions.
Embedded World is not just an exhibition of technological innovations. But perhaps above all, a great chance to expand knowledge through numerous lectures discussing hardware and software trends tailored for embedded systems.
This area garnered the most focus. During the sessions, participants had the opportunity to explore effective strategies for secure software updates and protection, alongside tools that provide extensive support throughout this process. There was also considerable emphasis on multi-stage authentication, where a basic password alone is insufficient. In the software security realm, testing emerged as a pivotal subject, resonating deeply with us. Of particular interest, were the discussions on Test-Driven Development methodology.
A notable highlight for participants was the lectures’ series on utilizing Bluetooth Low Energy. The aforementioned technology is not only intended for communication but also for indoor positioning of objects. Similar to GPS, this approach leverages directional antenna arrays and radio signal processing algorithms instead of satellites, offering a novel application of this well-established technology. Attendees had the opportunity to explore solutions from leading firms, grasp the workings of such systems, and gain inspiration to delve deeper into this field.
Zephyr, a tool facilitating comprehensive embedded systems development, is already quite familiar to us. During the presentation, we got to validate our prior experiences: its remarkable speed in creating ready-made solutions for various hardware platforms, including RTOS, TCPIP communication, and utilizing diverse hardware peripherals, makes it a tool worthy of interest and increasingly gaining popularity among users.
This year’s edition of Embedded World has shown the course in which the embedded world is heading. Key takeaways? We see significant advancements in embedded software within automotive sectors, with artificial intelligence applications on the rise. And on top of all that, software resilience against unauthorized use is definitely improving due to enhanced security measures.
