Emulation-based Software Development for Embedded Systems

Abstract: Software development for embedded systems has a lot of dependencies on the hardware of the system. To possibly reduce the lead time and ease the development process, an emulated model is investigated. This model is examined in terms of how it fits in the platform transition, daily development and testing processes at Axis. The results indicate that an emulated model is a powerful tool for a software developer. The emulator let developers start developing software before physical hardware exists and allows for peripheral exploration in the emulated environment. Results from substituting physical labs with emulators for testing yielded promising results in terms of execution speed but as of now it does not scale very well. The conclusion is that hardware emulation in embedded software development has a great potential to improve the overall process.