An embedded system is an electronic design that has some kind of intelligence built in. A good example is a cell phone. A cell phone has all of the components that make it a telephone and a radio, but it also has a microcontroller or microprocessor built in to give it sophisticated behavior. This is especially important when you also have a camera and music file player in the same device.

Many consumer and industrial products have benefited from embedding in the past few years. For example kitchen appliences have become increasingly smarter and often have an LCD or other type of display. Touch pads or keys allow the user to program and select numerous options that make the appliance easier to use and more functional. I don't know if I'm ready to have my toaster connected to the Internet, but if you would like to I can help you make it happen!