Developing User Interfaces for Internet of Things Devices
The Internet of Things at its peak is expected to connect billions of devices. All of these devices will be based on embedded systems. This means embedded designers will have to create these devices with the same design rigor and other device considerations they give to other embedded applications. As the system becomes more mature, product requirements will also change dramatically. They will become so complex, you will have to give them their own real time operating system. This is especially true for IOT devices in the automotive, medical and industrial sector. But to realize these capabilities, the microcontrollers, microprocessors and software designs have to be optimized to receive a human machine interface.
You can make arguments on both sides (whether a real time operating system is actually necessary). It is true that including a RTOS in the embedded system will increase the software footprint of the device. It can also lead to CPU overheads. Don’t forget the cost of developing the RTOS. However, the pros far outweigh the problems. A RTOS will connect to all types of middleware like communication, storage and even graphics. The design risk is considerably reduced. A RTOS can also help you comply with regulations on functional safety, because the vendor would have certified the code base. A RTOS enabled system will also be easy to scale as the system becomes more complex.
