Embedded systems now include a very large proportion of the advanced
products designed in the world, spanning transport (avionics, space,
automotive, trains), electrical and electronic appliances (cameras,
toys, televisions, home appliances, audio systems, and cellular phones),
process control (energy production and distribution, factory automation
and optimization), telecommunications (satellites, mobile phones and
telecom networks), and security (e-commerce, smart cards), etc. The
extensive and increasing use of embedded systems and their integration
in everyday products marks a significant evolution in information
science and technology. We expect that within a short timeframe embedded
systems will be a part of nearly all equipment designed or manufactured
in Europe, the USA, and Asia. There is now a strategic shift in emphasis
for embedded systems designers: from simply achieving feasibility, to
achieving optimality. Optimal design of embedded systems means targeting
a given market segment at the lowest cost and delivery time possible.
Optimality implies seamless integration with the physical and electronic
environment while respecting real-world constraints such as hard
deadlines, reliability, availability, robustness, power consumption, and
cost. In our view, optimality can only be achieved through the emergence
of embedded systems as a discipline in its own right.