Embedded System

Embedded systems can be microprocessor or microcontroller based. In either case, there is an integrated circuit (IC) at the heart of the product that is generally designed to carry out computation for real-time operations. Microprocessors are visually indistinguishable from microcontrollers, but whereas the microprocessor only implements a central processing unit (CPU) and thus requires the addition of other components such as memory chips, microcontrollers are designed as self-contained systems. Microcontrollers include not only a CPU, but also memory and peripherals such as flash memory, RAM or serial communication ports. Because microcontrollers tend to implement full (if relatively low computer power) systems, they are frequently put to use on more complex tasks. Microcontrollers are used, for example, in the operations of vehicles, robots, medical devices and home appliances, among others. At the higher end of microcontroller capability, the term system-on-a-chip (SoC) is often used, though there's no exact delineation in terms of RAM, clock speed and so on.