Top 10 Applications and Use of AI in Embedded Systems

Written By The IoT Academy
Published on May 24th, 2024

Today, AI is being mixed with small computers called embedded systems, changing lots of industries. These systems do specific jobs within bigger systems and are getting smarter with AI. This mix also helps devices make smart choices quickly, like self-driving cars and smart home gadgets, making life safer and easier. As well as AI in embedded systems is important for many areas like cars and healthcare. This blog looks at how AI on embedded systems is helping, what challenges there are, and what is coming next.

Table of Contents

What are Embedded Systems?

Embedded systems are small computers designed to do specific tasks within bigger systems. Unlike regular computers, they are made for particular jobs and often need to work in real time. They include parts like microcontrollers, sensors, and software. You can find embedded systems in many devices, such as home appliances, gadgets, industrial machines, and cars. They are known for being efficient, reliable, and capable of handling complex tasks with limited resources. Embedded systems are everywhere in modern technology, nowadays AI and embedded systems are giving smart control to everything from simple timers to advanced self-driving cars.

The Role of AI in Embedded Systems

AI improves embedded systems by adding smart decision-making. It helps these systems process data, learn from it, and make choices on their own. This is important for things like self-driving cars, smart home gadgets, and factory robots. AI makes these devices more accurate and functional by analyzing sensor data in real time. Combining embedded systems and AI creates smarter devices that can respond quickly and predict problems before they happen. Although there are challenges like limited power and processing capacity, AI is key to making embedded systems more innovative, efficient, and useful in many fields.

Top 10 Applications of AI in Embedded Systems

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become increasingly integrated into embedded systems, enhancing their capabilities and enabling a wide range of applications across various industries. Here are the top 10 AI for embedded systems applications:

1. Autonomous Vehicles

Self-driving cars are a clear example of AI in embedded systems. These cars use sensors, cameras, and processors to drive and make decisions in real-time. As well as AI processes the data from these sensors to see objects. Predict movements, and decide how to drive safely and efficiently.

2. Smart Home Devices

Smart home devices like thermostats, lights, and security cameras use AI to make life easier and safer. For example, smart thermostats learn your temperature preferences and adjust automatically. Smart security cameras use facial recognition to spot and alert you about potential intruders.

3. Healthcare Devices

In healthcare, AI-powered embedded systems are improving patient care and diagnostics. Wearable devices with AI monitor vital signs, detect problems, and give real-time health information. AI in medical imaging devices helps find diseases early by analyzing scans more accurately than human doctors.

4. Industrial Automation

AI in embedded systems is vital for industrial automation. Robots with AI can do complex tasks like quality control, and predictive maintenance. As well as assembly line work with high precision. They also learn from data to improve processes and reduce downtime, boosting productivity.

5. Agricultural Technology

AI-powered embedded systems have revolutionized farming by enabling farmers to cultivate higher-quality crops with minimal resources. Through the use of drones and ground sensors equipped with AI technology. Farmers can also monitor soil conditions, weather patterns, and crop growth, providing valuable insights. This data is then utilized by smart irrigation systems to efficiently water crops, reducing waste and ultimately improving crop yields.

6. Retail and Supply Chain Management

AI in embedded systems is changing how stores and supply chains work. Smart shelves with AI keep track of what’s in stock, and checkout machines use AI to make paying easy. AI also helps manage things like shipping and predicting what people will buy, making everything run smoother.

7. Energy Management

AI systems are helping homes and businesses use energy more efficiently. They assist smart grids in balancing energy usage. As well as reducing waste, and cutting costs. At home, these systems ensure electricity is used effectively based on consumption, and they also optimize the use of renewable energy sources.

8. Consumer Electronics

In gadgets like phones, TVs, and game systems, AI makes things better for users. It gives personalized suggestions, understands voice commands, and makes graphics look better. Also with AI, these gadgets learn what users like, making them easier and more fun to use.

9. Aerospace and Defense

AI in embedded systems is very important for making progress in aerospace and defense. Drones and planes that fly on their need AI to figure out where to go and spot targets. As well as with AI, they can quickly make decisions based on lots of data from sensors. And cameras, making missions more successful.

10. Environmental Monitoring

Artificial Intelligence and Embedded Systems are really important for watching the environment and protecting it. Sensors and drones with AI check the air and water, keep an eye on animals, and spot changes in nature. They also give scientists and leaders useful information to fix environmental problems and save plants and animals.

Challenges and Opportunities of AI in Embedded Systems

The integration of artificial intelligence in embedded systems presents both challenges and opportunities. Key challenges include:

AI needs a lot of computer power and energy, which can be hard for embedded systems to handle.
Embedded systems deal with private data, so keeping it safe from hackers is super important.
Making sure different embedded devices and AI systems can talk to each other easily is key to making them work well together.

Despite these challenges, the potential benefits are immense. AI in embedded systems can lead to:

Making things smarter and able to do hard jobs alone.
Doing things better and saving resources in different areas like making things or farming.
Coming up with cool new stuff we couldn’t think of before.

Emerging Trends of AI in Embedded Systems

Emerging trends in AI within embedded systems are shaping the future of technology across various industries. Here are some notable trends:

Edge AI: Edge AI means doing computer stuff right on the device instead of sending it to the cloud. This makes things faster, keeps your data private, and uses less internet.
AIoT (AI and IoT): When AI and the Internet of Things (IoT) come together, devices get smarter and work together better, making things easier and faster.
TinyML: Tiny Machine Learning (TinyML) helps put smart learning on devices with limited resources. So, this makes AI work on more things like gadgets and machines.

Some Embedded AI Examples

Some notable examples of embedded AI include:

Thermostats learn and change the temperature by themselves.
Drones that watch farms and nature alone.
Devices you wear that check your health and spot problems in real time.
Robots in factories check quality and fix things before they break.
Cameras that see faces and tell you if someone is trying to get into your home.

Also Read: Top 10 Most Demanding AI Tools for Data Analytics [2024]

Conclusion

AI is making embedded systems smarter, like in self-driving cars and smart home devices, changing many industries. Also, AI in embedded systems is creating new opportunities and making devices more efficient. As technology improves, AI and embedded systems will keep working together. Leading to a future with lots of smart and self-controlled devices everywhere. So, businesses and people who understand and use these technologies can stay ahead. Welcoming a future full of smart embedded systems.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Will ChatGPT Replace Embedded Programmers?

Ans. Tools like ChatGPT can help embedded programmers by doing boring tasks and suggesting better code as well as giving advice when things go wrong. But they probably won’t take over from humans completely. Making embedded systems needs special knowledge and creativity that AI can’t do yet.

Q. Will AI Replace Embedded Developers?

Ans. AI helps embedded developers by making testing, fixing problems, and making things better easier. But it probably won’t take their jobs. Making embedded systems needs special knowledge about how hardware and software work together, and AI can’t do that completely. Humans are still needed to make sure things work right.

About The Author:

The IoT Academy

The IoT Academy as a reputed ed-tech training institute is imparting online / Offline training in emerging technologies such as Data Science, Machine Learning, IoT, Deep Learning, and more. We believe in making revolutionary attempt in changing the course of making online education accessible and dynamic.