异构多核处理器提供了自主设备的完美平台

　　异构多核处理器提供了自主设备的完美平台

　　自主设备的出现也许是这十年来最令人期待的发展之一。它在很大程度上正在探索的车辆的形式，可以表现出一定程度的自主驾驶；汽车，可以并行公园与有限的驱动程序援助已经在市场上，而谷歌的自驾车汽车项目已累积超过150万自治英里横跨美国。

　　然而，自治设备有许多形状。希思罗机场的终端5停车场‘吊舱’是自主车辆运输乘客从他们的汽车到候机室，虽然运行在一个明确的路径，而不妨碍其他道路使用者。现在世界上有许多无人驾驶轻轨的例子。除了大众运输之外，无人机正变得越来越自主，需要从操作员那里直接输入更少的悬停，改变高度或方向；这里的基本趋势是无人驾驶飞机成为完全自主，运输货物从A点到B点没有任何直接的人类控制。

　　许多技术，使这种程度的自主性仍在发展中，是立法，将允许其广泛的大规模部署。

　　Nothing new？

　　In many ways， embedded devices have always operated autonomously; the difference is that they have also been largely stationary. Nevertheless， the practices used to develop embedded applications in general， and embedded software in particular， reflect the nature of embedded devices. They （typically） exist to perform a specific function and have predictable conditions under which they must operate， with clearly identifiable stimuli. The ‘art’ of developing high quality embedded applications is the way in which the device handles non-identifiable stimuli， or unpredictable conditions.

　　In most cases， the software would include a robust and logical way to effectively ignore all those conditions that do not directly impact its primary function（s）。 That’s fine if the device is a printer， it’s not so good if the device has the ability to move under its own volition. It is this key difference that defines the main challenge developers face when designing an autonomous device. It’s no longer acceptable to ignore conditions or stimuli that have no relation to the primary function， because the primary function would not be able to reliably and safely navigate in a world where unpredictability is the main input.