Embedded systems are not just about processors and software. Recent advances in the more prosaic technologies of fuel cells and OLEDs have the potential to affect our system designs just as much as the newest hot CPU.

Power is always a problem, or even a series of problems. Too much of it creates excess heat, and not enough creates battery-driven devices that run down too fast. This is why fuel cells are so important for portable devices. The first generations will be fussy, but this is the best hope right now for a power source that is dense and controllable enough for widespread use.

Meanwhile, LEDs in one form or another are showing up all over the place. More and more of them are staring us in the face as we commute to work in the morning in the form of stop and turn lights on cars and in traffic lights. There has been significant talk about using them in room lighting as well. The OLED displays described in the article quoted above will more than likely drive the next generation of display devices for any number of embedded systems.

These are the advances that really drive our designs.

Larry Mittag