By Abby Blum
Have you ever considered how computer hardware and software are interrelated? For Abigail McClintock, who is studying embedded systems engineering at Western New England University, this is a critical question. “I chose my major because I have a deep love and fascination for the intricacies of how computers work at the lowest level,” said McClintock. “Computers are so ingenious, so simple, but so modular.”
Her interest in embedded systems engineering began in high school when she was introduced to the Rust programming language. “Rust [is a] highly performant and memory-safe low-level language,” said McClintock. The coding experience in Rust sparked her curiosity about why certain aspects of the language are structured. Over time, this curiosity evolved into a more complex exploration of computers. It ultimately led to her starting an ambitious personal project: constructing a Turing-complete 8-bit CPU from scratch, beginning with only a single logic gate. It sounds complicated because it is, yet this hands-on experience in building a computational system from the ground up helped solidify her passion for embedded systems and computer architecture.
McClintock is approaching her junior year. By now, she has gained extensive experience working with embedded systems. Through her projects, she has discovered an additional aspect of embedded systems that she finds particularly interesting – the constraints created by hardware limitations. Unlike general-purpose computing, where constantly increasing computational power allows for inefficient but functional code, embedded systems demand optimization and precision. Essentially, more computing must be done with less hardware. Rather than serving as obstacles, these constraints become an important part of the engineering process, pushing developers to craft highly efficient algorithms and architectures.
One of her most notable achievements is from the Micromouse competition, a project directed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). In this project, a robot powered by a Teensy 4.1 microcontroller must navigate and solve a maze by itself. The challenge of this project is not only to design the maze-solving algorithm but also to optimize the robot’s performance within the strict hardware constraints. As the complexity of the algorithm increases, the robot’s movement must slow down to allow for real-time computation.
This creates an engineering challenge that goes beyond typical software development. It requires an intricate understanding of the microcontroller’s processing capabilities and enough memory management to achieve the maximum performance needed. “Without the constraints of embedded systems, I wouldn’t have made anything as smart as my current algorithm, instead relying on the insane computational power available today to brute force a solution,” said McClintock.
Through these unique and complicated experiences, McClintock has been able to appreciate the problem-solving approach required by embedded systems. In the modern world, where high-powered computers make it easier to cheat solutions with enough processing power, embedded systems force engineers to think efficiently, allowing a tiny computer to reach its limits. Every line of code must be useful, every bit of memory allocation must be precise, and every direction executed by the processor must be refined for speed and efficiency. This level of control and precision makes embedded systems intellectually stimulating and deeply rewarding to both McClintock and her classmates.
Beyond the many technical challenges and intellectual fulfillment, McClintock also recognizes the personal benefits of a career in embedded systems engineering. The field offers many unique job opportunities, with a median yearly salary of approximately $140,000. Her skills, developed on our campus, will be valuable in setting her apart from others. As technology continues to advance, the demand for talented embedded systems engineers is expected to grow, particularly in industries such as automotive technology, medical devices, and industrial automation. These career sectors typically rely on embedded systems to develop unique and powerful tools.
For McClintock, embedded systems engineering is more than an academic course or career path; it is a passion that combines creativity, logic, and problem-solving. By continuously refining her skills and pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved with embedded technology, she is not only contributing to an essential field of engineering but also enhancing her long-lasting curiosity about how computers work at their core. As she continues her studies to engineer her own future, McClintock is sure to make significant contributions to the field of embedded systems.
