Get Ready for a Wealth of Embedded Design Hardware and Software Options for 2018 (.PDF Download)

There has never been a more exciting, confusing, and challenging time to develop embedded products. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a given, but tools ranging from machine learning (ML), persistent storage (PS), and mesh networking are changing how developers look at a problem. Approaches that were impractical a few years ago are becoming readily available. That is not to say that these paths are not fraught with peril for the uneducated. Likewise, adopting the latest hardware and software should not mean ignoring other issues like privacy and security. Insecure systems can render the best-intentioned device or service untenable.

Changing User Interfaces

Science and engineering fact continues to chase science fiction. Conversing with computers is no longer the exclusive domain of movies like “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

A number of unrelated technologies have come together to make this possible including the internet, the IoT, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning, plus improvements in audio processing, MEMS microphones, and so on. The result is Amazon Alexa and its competitors like Google Home, Apple HomePod, and even Microsoft’s Cortana.