313597 v.1 Computer Systems Engineering Major

Introduction

Computers to most means laptops, desktop machines and the like. However, the largest number of computer systems by far are embedded systems where the computer acts to control another or provide it with sophisticated functionality. Once confined to areas such as microwave ovens and other consumer appliances, industrial machine and process control, instruments and so forth, now embedded systems are rapidly moving into other areas. Most modern automobiles for example, now include over 200 embedded systems for engine management, automatic braking and similar functions. There is also what is being referred to as the “Internet of things”; devices that in some way link to the Internet. This includes mobile phones, notebook computers and the like from a previous era, but is rapidly expanding to include radically new systems. Hence embedded engineering has become one of the fastest expanding professions in the world with strong demand in almost al the industrially advanced nations.