The general PC was revolutionary in the 80s. Since then we managed to cram so much more power into the tiniest of spaces. The AI keeps getting better and better meaning that we can use computers to deal with very fuzzy problems. The people today are more accustomed with interacting with machines as oppose to humans. We are heading in the direction of a "smart world"... which basically means a world full of dedicated computer systems.
Glossary
Embedded | The hardware and software are integrated into a single component that is nearly impossible to take apart and put back together again. |
Dedicated | Designed to do one task as efficiently as possible. |
General | Designed to adapt to multiple users' needs and is easily configurable by connected peripherals, upgrading some components and installing various kinds of software. |
IoT | Internet of Things; digital devices that have limited connectivity features so that they can be remotely controlled. |
General Purpose Computer vs Dedicated Computer
A general purpose computer is a single device that is able to perform many different tasks whereby each task is a computer program. Real world examples include personal computers like desktops and laptops; hand held devices like smartphones and tablets.
Any Marvel fans out there? Well, just for fun, a good fantasy example of a general purpose computer is Tony Stark's JARVIS 😊.
On the other hand a dedicated computer performs a finite number of tasks designed for one particular scenario. Nowadays computational power is so compact and affordable that in reality a computer can take many forms. In fact dedicated systems are usually referred to as embedded systems (more on these further down) because a small computer is literally embedded in an object like a fridge, washing machine, ATM, car, rocket... the list goes on. To explain, Samsung have a line of smart home appliances, one of which is the Family Hub — this fridge contains a CPU, dedicated software stored in the ROM, enough RAM for its dedicated OS and workspace, limited I/O like speakers and wireless network capabilities so that data stored in the fridge can be shared on your phone!
We shall continue by looking into more real world examples of dedicated systems.
Dedicated Digital Camera
Prior to smartphones, all cameras were dedicated digital cameras. Although not so popular anymore with the majority of the population, professional photographers and hobbyists still make use of such systems to take high resolution pictures. Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras and point-and-shoot cameras are examples that fall into this category.
We have seen a continuous wave of improvement in the smartphone cameras that it is quite hard to tell the difference but dedicated digital cameras have bigger sensors hence known as a full-frame sensor and this allows for bigger pixels. These contribute to the quality of the image overall.
Features that are better implemented in a camera like a DSLR include:
Adjustable aperture settings e.g., shutter speed.
Attachable lenses to support a wider range of focal length.
Optical zoom.
Lighting control e.g., white balance or metering.
Road Traffic Control System
In very large countries like the US, police departments make use of Road Traffic Control Systems to help keep the roads safe. Such systems collect/analyse automotive activity in an area and perform tasks like control traffic flow, provide useful information about diversions or closures to drivers and alert authorities when there is data that seems out of the ordinary. Traffic management is very complex so Artificial Intelligence plays a key role in this scenario. These systems are very expensive but the benefits to the community at large are great! Road Traffic Control Systems help greatly to optimise drivers' journeys; reduce traffic accidents and decrease air pollution.
Process Control Systems
Process Control is the ability to monitor and adjust a process to give a desired output. It is used in industry to maintain quality and improve performance.
A simple example of a process that requires control is one performed by a vapour chamber. A vapour chamber is an analogue cooling system, commonly found in smartphones, to protect delicate electronics from heat.
However, we are mainly interested in processes controlled by a computer without the need of a human to operate it, a characteristic commonly found in robots. This will probably come at a disappointment 😔 but not all robots are independent agents like...
A robot can be simple and very unsuspecting, like this drip irrigation systems for outdoor plants. Locally they are commonly used to keep roundabouts well maintained. However you can definitely install a system in your own garden. Normally you would install a system of water sprinklers that come with a programmed controller device and the data can be accessed from your phone using an app. The main advantage of a digital irrigation system over an analogue one is that digital ones consume less water.
Embedded Systems
We already implied earlier that embedded systems are compact computer systems — so they consist of a computer processor, computer memory and input/output peripheral devices — with limited functionality that form part of a larger mechanical or electronic system.
Today many home appliances are embedded systems. Your microwave oven at home most probably has an interface so that you can input to its computer a few parameters to configure heating requirements. You probably first input the type of heating program e.g. grill, warm, defrost, etc... and then the duration of heating in minutes and seconds. Once you press start the electrical components in the microwave manage the rest!
Other examples include:
Dishwasher
Global Positioning System (GPS)
Videocassette Recorder (VCR)
Boat Autopilot
Common Aspects of Dedicated Computer Systems
In case you are wondering we did touch on this when learning out input and output devices. Let's refresh your memory.
But there is a little more to it. Here we list what one might argue the most important components in a dedicated system.
Sensors You might have already realised that a common characteristic of dedicated computers is the ability to collect data from the outside world constantly. This requires the use of sensors. We are surrounded by sensors - they are in in our homes, our offices and in our cars. Sensors are used to detect our presence in a room, or detect the presence of an object, record the ambient temperature, detect smoke and so on. In other words, a sensor is a device that gives off a signal to represent a particular physical property. Different sensors exist to detect different physical attributes including but not limited to: light; humidity; temperature; pressure; proximity; smoke and alcohol.
Actuators An actuator is an output device that is typically part of a process control system. It is a mechanical device or motor which carries out the action or decision made by the control system. An example of this is the lens of a DSLR camera that moves in/out depending on the optical zoom. In this case, the movement is invoked by a tiny electric motor that is controlled by the camera. In larger systems, an actuator can be truly massive such as the devices that control the movement of flood barrier gates. All actuators namely allow a computer to control movement or action.
Microcontrollers This is a single chip that contains all the circuitry for a microprocessor and all the memory components required. A microcontroller can be programmed to perform a set of tasks. They also tend to come in different sizes with varying numbers of pins for the connection of input and output peripherals like sensors and actuators. A well-known example is the Peripheral Interface Controller (PIC) which is a kind of microcontroller used in computer robotics.
Dedicated Operating System Even though dedicated computers have the same physical components of a PC they will only have one program installed — the dedicated operating system. Small devices, like microwave ovens, come with a small program to operate the hardware. This can be designed in assembly language and the compiled machine code is permanently stored in ROM.
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