In this blog post, we’ll explore how the integration of embedded systems and AI is revolutionizing smart devices and home appliances, and how it will transform our daily lives and industrial environments.
A mobile phone, as the name implies, is a phone that can be carried around. However, beyond its original purpose of making phone calls, people use mobile phones to take photos, watch TV via DMB, read online news, and enjoy social media. As such, today’s mobile phones have evolved beyond simple communication devices to become multifunctional multimedia devices. By offering a wide range of features beyond mere communication, they play a vital role in our daily lives. We now live in an era where checking emails or making mobile payments via a cell phone is no longer unfamiliar to anyone.
It is common for electronic devices to come equipped with numerous additional features beyond their core functions. Even before the advent of the smartphone era, various electronic devices—such as PMPs (Portable Media Players) for video playback and MP3 players for music—supported many additional features in addition to their original purposes. The number of features supported became a measure of a device’s quality. Furthermore, this diversity of functions provided users with a richer experience and made modern life more convenient.
Since the development of smartphones, the competition for functional diversity has expanded across various fields under the banner of “smart.” This trend has extended from everyday and office electronics—such as smart cameras that allow users to post photos directly to social media and smart printers that use near-field communication to print photos from mobile devices—to home appliances. This expansion goes beyond simple functional integration, driving innovation in the user experience. For example, smart home appliances go beyond simply saving electricity to provide users with personalized services. Refrigerators analyze users’ consumption patterns to recommend groceries to buy, while washing machines automatically recognize the type of laundry to set the optimal wash cycle—evolving to offer users greater convenience.
As home appliances with “smart” features—such as refrigerators that adjust their internal environment based on contents, washing machines that regulate water, detergent, and spin speed according to laundry type, and air conditioners that automatically respond to indoor temperature and humidity—are increasingly developed, the concept of the “smart home” has established itself as a core keyword in the current and future electronics industry. The most important technology behind the “smart home” concept, which seeks ever-greater functionality, is the “embedded system.”
An embedded system refers to a computer system “embedded” within a product to perform specific functions. A common example found in everyday life is the robot vacuum cleaner. It is the embedded system that enables the robot vacuum cleaner’s “function to detect obstacles and automatically change direction.” Such systems do not merely perform functions; they are continuously evolving to improve the user experience. One of the key advantages of embedded systems is that each function is designed independently, meaning they do not interfere with other embedded systems performing different functions. This means that even when multiple functions are used simultaneously, each function can operate stably. For example, even if there is an issue with the LTE network on a smartphone, it does not affect the ability to watch TV using DMB. While there are many similarities to applications used on PCs, an embedded system is conceptualized as “a part of the device” that encompasses both the software that commands and controls the operation of functions and the hardware and mechanical components necessary to execute those functions.
This concept is clearly illustrated by the “auto-rotate” feature, one of the representative functions of smartphones. The embedded system that performs this function includes software programmed to control screen rotation, as well as hardware—specifically the “gyroscope sensor”—that detects whether the device is rotating, along with its angle and orientation. In other words, because hardware must be considered when designing embedded systems, software development was initially constrained by factors such as hardware power consumption and cost. Furthermore, to reduce unit costs, designs were significantly slower and more simplified compared to personal computers (PCs), resulting in many functional shortcomings.
However, embedded systems have continued to evolve, encompassing personal, office, and industrial electronic devices. As hardware power consumption and manufacturing costs have significantly decreased, many of the obstacles posed by hardware in embedded system design have been eliminated. Furthermore, embedded systems are becoming increasingly important across various industries. For example, in the automotive industry, embedded systems play a pivotal role in implementing autonomous driving technology. Various sensors and control devices in a vehicle work together to process data in real time, thereby facilitating safe driving. These advancements in embedded systems provide drivers with a safer and more convenient driving experience and can further contribute to reducing traffic accidents.
To improve productivity, efforts have been focused on developing commercialized hardware and integrated design tools that most engineers can use easily, resulting in numerous electronic devices being equipped with innovative features. Embedded systems have established themselves as core technologies even in environments beyond human control, such as satellites. However, the primary reason we should pay close attention to embedded systems is that they are currently the most critical component in achieving the ultimate goal of technology development: enhancing convenience.
There was once a buzzword: the “ubiquitous” era. Ubiquitous, meaning the ability to freely connect to a network anytime, anywhere, and in any situation, was a term that symbolized the future. The advancement of embedded systems not only turns the imagined ubiquitous era into reality but also makes the “smart home” era—where every situation is self-controlled—a reality. We can look forward to the future that embedded systems will bring.
Furthermore, the advancement of embedded systems, combined with artificial intelligence (AI), promises even greater innovation. As AI and embedded systems integrate, home appliances will evolve beyond simple automation to learn user patterns and provide personalized services. For example, smart refrigerators will analyze users’ eating habits to suggest health-conscious meal plans and will be equipped with the ability to automatically order necessary ingredients. In this way, the combination of embedded systems and AI will make our lives smarter and provide a new level of convenience.
As such, embedded systems have established themselves as an indispensable technology in our daily lives and will continue to evolve, opening up new possibilities.
