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An embedded system is a computer system with a dedicated function within a larger mechanical or electrical system, often with real-time computing constraints.[1][2] It is embedded as part of a complete device often including hardware and mechanical parts. Embedded systems control many devices in common use today.[3]
Properties typical of embedded computers when compared with general-purpose ones are e.g. low power consumption, small size, rugged operating ranges and low per-unit cost. This comes at the price of limited processing resources, which make them significantly more difficult to program and to interface with.
Modern embedded systems are often based on microcontrollers (i.e. CPUs with integrated memory or peripheral interfaces)[4] but ordinary microprocessors (using external chips for memory and peripheral interface circuits) are also still common, especially in more complex systems. In either case, the processor(s) used may be types ranging from rather general purpose to very specialised in certain class of computations, or even custom designed for the application at hand. A common standard class of dedicated processors is the digital signal processor (DSP).