Embedded Systems Engineers

One of the first modern embedded systems was the Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC), which was installed on board command modules and lunar modules during the Apollo space missions (1963–72), including those in which astronauts landed on the moon. According to ComputerWeekly.com, the AGC “used a real-time operating system, which enabled astronauts to enter simple commands by typing in pairs of nouns and verbs, to control the spacecraft. It was more basic than the electronics in modern toasters that have computer controlled stop/start/defrost buttons. It had approximately 64Kbyte of memory and operated at 0.043MHz.”

The Autonetics D-17 guidance computer for the Minuteman Missile System was the first mass-produced embedded system. It was manufactured in the early 1960s. In 1966, a new version of the Minutemen System featured the first high-volume use of integrated circuits.

Today, it is estimated that virtually all the computer chips produced are for embedded systems. In 2023, the global market for embedded systems technology reached $123.8 billion, according to Global Industry Analysts, a research services and consulting firm. Increasing demand from the health care, smart cities, and security industries, as well as the ever-expanding Internet of Things, is fueling demand for engineers to design, develop, and troubleshoot embedded systems, while artificial intelligence and 5G technology are making them more capable and versatile.