The Secret World of Embedded Computers
You'd be surprised at the consumer products microprocessors sneak into.
You may have heard it before: computers are everywhere. It's been a mantra of our computer-controlled world since the 1970s—just as the microprocessor began to find its way into common household appliances, cash registers, cars, and heating/cooling systems. (They're taking over the world!)
What launched that invasion, in large part, was the 1974 invention of the microcontroller, a computer-on-a-chip that integrated common computer components like CPU, RAM, and program storage onto a single piece of low-cost silicon.
So where are these ubiquitous computers we hear about so often? You'd be surprised where these microprocessors are hiding. I assaulted my closet to find some dusty computer-controlled gems of the past; I didn't even realize a lot of these had microprocessors this powerful hidden inside of them. Remember Milton-Bradley's famous 1978 Simon electronic toy and the NES? They were run by pretty some high-tech computers back in their day.
I went to Wal-Mart in search of some more computer-powered gadgets and came home with an armful of low-cost consumer goods that are packed with surprising smarts. For example: today, you can buy a $5 pregnancy test that contains a CPU more powerful than that found in any 1970s microcomputer. I kid you not.
Together, they make up the secret world of embedded computers, which we'll crack open and examine closer in the slideshow ahead.