Embedded System Design
Embedded systems can be found in most devices in all industries today. Over the past 30 years, IMT has implemented numerous projects in the field of embedded systems for medical and industrial devices. We follow systematic and structured approach to ensure the delivery of critical functions by embedded system in real-time with optimal resources utilization and high reliability.
IMT covers all aspects required for the design of innovative embedded systems. Our electronics experts deliver state-of-the-art hardware designs, work with PCB suppliers to obtain prototypes and perform necessary tests. The software and signal processing experts use the latest technologies in software development to optimize the footprint and reduce memory / energy consumption in the embedded system.
Our project examples include new developments, as well as lifecycle components replacements and firmware refactoring for devices in building automation, gas flow analyzers, medical devices like wound therapy negative pressure device, surgical microscopes, anesthesia workstation, neurostimulators, patient ventilators and many more.
Technologies used
Embedded Hardware
Proficient in developing complex embedded hardware, our expertise spans a broad range of microcontrollers and FPGA. Utilizing Altium Designer™, schematics and PCB layouts are meticulously crafted. Collaborating with EMC partners, prototypes and final board series are fabricated, followed by module tests and pre-verification EMC assessments in a well-equipped test lab with state-of-the-art measuring instruments. Cost-effective hardware design remains a priority, with potential component obsolescence managed through Silicon Expert™.
Embedded Software
When it comes to firmware development, our development team has the right competence to define appropriate software architecture by considering real-time requirements, evaluating a suitable RTOS, and generating highly efficient and accurate code. Rely on our C++, VHDL, Python, and Embedded Linux (Yocto, Buildroot) experts for fast and compact firmware development. Furthermore, you can benefit from our expertise in static code analysis and TinyML (machine learning/AI in embedded systems).
Our team specializes in developing firmware for a wide range of microcontrollers and processors, including ARM Cortex-M, Cortex-A series, AVR, MSP430, and RISC-V architectures. We are proficient in leveraging hardware abstraction layers (HAL) and board support packages (BSP) to optimize performance and ensure hardware compatibility.
For real-time operating systems (RTOS), we have extensive experience with FreeRTOS, Zephyr, and ThreadX. Our team can design multitasking applications with efficient task scheduling, inter-process communication (IPC), and robust memory management tailored to your system's requirements.
In the domain of Embedded Linux, we utilize Yocto Project and Buildroot for custom Linux distributions, kernel configuration, and device driver development. Our expertise extends to system bootloaders like U-Boot and Barebox, as well as secure boot and trusted execution environments (TEE) to enhance system security.
We apply advanced techniques in static code analysis using tools like Axivion and Coverity to ensure code quality, maintainability, and compliance with industry standards such as MISRA C/C++ and Autosar C/C++.
Our capabilities in TinyML encompass deploying machine learning models on resource-constrained devices using TensorFlow Lite for Microcontrollers, Edge Impulse, and CMSIS-NN. We optimize ML models for low-latency inference, minimal memory footprint, and real-time data processing, enabling intelligent edge devices across IoT, automotive, and industrial applications.
Additionally, we offer expertise in communication protocols such as SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, Ethernet, and wireless standards like BLE, Zigbee, LoRa, and Wi-Fi, ensuring seamless integration with diverse hardware ecosystems.
Our Bare Metal programming expertise enables us to develop highly optimized, low-latency firmware directly interfacing with hardware without the overhead of an operating system. We specialize in low-level programming for performance-critical applications, including direct register manipulation, memory-mapped I/O, and real-time signal processing. Our proficiency covers startup code development, linker script configuration, bootloader implementation, and efficient power management techniques for ultra-low-power devices.
DATAFLOW Software Tools
IMT has been successfully using event-based software architecture for the implementation of embedded firmware for customer projects. During numerous projects, we noticed that certain process workflows were not covered by the available development tools. Using our know-how from decades of software development, we created an event-based runtime - DATAFLOW Runtime – to streamline application logic on the target system.
In addition, we also created DATAFLOW Designer - an event-based embedded system design tool, that provides a systematic approach to architecture planning, development, and automatic code generation. These tools help IMT to be fast and efficient in the development process, allowing us to increase quality and serviceability while reducing project costs. We make these tools available to our customers so that they can easily apply the event-based approach to their own software projects.
Advantages of embedded system design with IMT
Experience unmatched efficiency and predictability in your projects with IMT's expert services for embedded system design:
Our services span from initial requirement analysis to full-scale production transfer support.
Our know-how in key requirements and components of embedded systems, gained in decades of projects, guarantees you the optimal and most expedient solution.
Our rapid prototyping and pre-verification testing infrastructure allows us to minimize design errors and save time and costs in the development process.
Contact
Are you looking for experienced development partner to build an embedded system that meets your requirements and integrate innovative functions? Do you need an expert consultation? Contact us today.
Dr. Maxim Mamin
Head of Business Development
Medical Devices
Benno Bieri
Chief Operating Officer &
Business Development Manager
Medical Devices, System Engineering