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Embedded Systems Design & Implementation - COM00175M

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  • Department: Computer Science
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: M
  • Academic year of delivery: 2024-25

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 2 2024-25

Module aims

The aim of this module is to understand the need for embedded computer systems, and the engineering process to design, implement and validate them.

Module learning outcomes

  • Articulate the need for embedded computer systems, and the requirements imposed on them by their application scenario.
  • Be able to apply an engineering process to design, implement and validate embedded systems.
  • Demonstrate the different levels of abstraction that are used throughout the design process, and be able to decide the most appropriate abstractions at each step.
  • Explore hardware/software implementation trade-offs, and a number of partitioning, mapping and evaluation techniques that can be used to analyse that trade-off for a particular application scenario.
  • Program computing platforms that have limited performance, energy, memory and storage capacity.
  • Design and evaluate custom hardware architectures.
  • Demonstrate traceability of design decisions through to final system metrics through appropriate measurement and instrumentation.
  • Understand the process to improve and assure timing properties, including priority assignment, scheduling of real-time tasks and schedulability analysis.

Indicative assessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Module feedback

Feedback is given to each student on each of the two assessments, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed design. Additional feedback is also given during practical sessions, which are also based on design problems.

Indicative reading

P. Marwedel, Embedded System Design, Springer, 2011



The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University constantly explores ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary. In some instances it may be appropriate for the University to notify and consult with affected students about module changes in accordance with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.