emApps

To accomplish this, emApps can create apps, which are small programs that can be dynamically loaded and executed in a protected environment known as a sandbox. Each app operates in its own memory space, the sandbox, isolated from the firmware and other apps.

These apps enable the user to add new capabilities, features, or enhancements to embedded devices while keeping firmware small and maintaining system stability and security. They also make it possible for the manufacturer to run tests on such embedded systems using apps.

Since the apps can be dynamically loaded, they do not increase the size of the firmware. Thus, any number of tests can be written and performed, including functionality and performance tests on the embedded system.

App capabilities are defined by an API table in the firmware, giving a firmware developer full control over the exact functionalities available to them. It is even possible to grant different rights (API tables) to different apps running in a system.

emApps consists of a PC development environment with a compiler for creating apps, as well as source code for host integration. Also included is a PC-based executor for running, testing, tracing, and even profiling apps on a desktop.

emApps adds a minimal runtime engine — the executor — into the firmware. This tiny component (~1 KB) acts as a virtual CPU that executes applications and manages their interaction with the embedded system. Apps are statically or dynamically linked and can be downloaded at any point in the device lifecycle.

Each application runs inside a dedicated memory space. The firmware assigns memory to the app only for the duration of execution. Any attempt to access memory outside this space is intercepted by the executor, which immediately returns control to the firmware. System stability and safety remain intact at all times.

The executor and its API together form a complete architecture for application management. Instead of assembling low-level components or configuring memory protection manually, the framework delivers a finished and scalable structure — a ready-to-use engine, instead of a box of parts. While similar goals can be attempted using standard RTOS mechanisms or an MPU, such solutions remain complex to configure and maintain. They provide isolation but not modularity, and they do not enable dynamic loading or field-based updates. emApps solves all of that in one integrated model.