How to Turn Your Embedded Device into an Embedded Platform

In this session, you will learn about SEGGER emApps, a software package for creating and executing apps -- small programs that can be dynamically loaded and executed in an embedded system.
 
With emApps, new functionality can be added to an embedded system at any time, with no need to alter a validated core system. This enables new features or enhancements to be deployed in the field while maintaining system stability and security.
 
The key features of emApps are small code size, high performance, and security. Apps run on a virtual CPU specifically designed by SEGGER for this purpose, and they are executed by a call to the emApps executor, which implements the instruction set.
 
App capabilities are defined by an API table in 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.
 
Throughout the session, you will see various demonstrations about how apps can be developed, built, tested, deployed, loaded, and run on an embedded system using SEGGER emApps.

What this presentation is about and why it matters

How do you turn a device that ships as fixed firmware into something that can accept new capabilities later, without turning the codebase into a maintenance burden? Axel Wolf approaches that question with a product-focused walkthrough of SEGGER’s mApps framework, using microcontroller-based devices, in-circuit programmers, and live board demos as the anchor. He shows the moving parts involved in a platform-style architecture, from stable base firmware and APIs to app loading, sandboxed execution, and host-side development tools. This is useful for engineers who need to balance updateability, constrained resources, and long-term product evolution.

Who will benefit the most from this presentation

• Embedded software architects who are evaluating how to separate base firmware from optional functionality
• Firmware engineers working on microcontroller products with tight memory or update constraints
• Technical leads responsible for device customization, partner extensibility, or post-deployment feature updates
• Engineers building production programming or flashing tools and looking for a more modular model

What you need to know

You will get more from this session if you are comfortable with embedded firmware and the basic shape of a microcontroller application.

• General familiarity with RTOS-based firmware, middleware, and drivers
• Basic understanding of APIs and compiled embedded binaries
• Some exposure to deployment or update mechanisms such as USB or over-the-air delivery

Glossary (terms used in this talk)

• RTOS (Real-Time Operating System): An operating system designed to provide predictable timing behavior for real-time applications.
• mApps: A modular application framework that lets optional functionality run alongside a stable base firmware. It is typically used to separate product-specific capabilities from the core device image.
• Virtual CPU: An execution environment that runs code inside a managed, software-defined processor abstraction rather than directly on the main hardware CPU. It is commonly used to isolate untrusted or optional components.
• API (Application Programming Interface): A defined set of functions or services exposed by one software component for another to call. APIs create stable boundaries between a host system and code built on top of it.
• Executable app: A compiled software package that can be loaded and executed by a target system or runtime. In embedded systems, this can be used to distribute optional behavior independently from the core firmware.

Toolbox (mentioned in this talk)

• Visual Studio Code: A lightweight source code editor with broad language support and extension-based integration. It is often used for embedded development and can pair well with containerized workflows.
• SEGGER Ozone: A graphical debugger for embedded systems that integrates with common debug probes. It is often used for source-level debugging and target inspection.
• SEGGER J-Link Software and Documentation Pack: A vendor package that provides host-side tooling for working with J-Link debug probes. It includes utilities such as a GDB server and RTT viewer for debugging and console output.
• Segger SystemView: A real-time recording and visualization tool for RTOS-based embedded systems that captures context switches and API calls to analyze runtime behavior.
• SEGGER Embedded Studio: An embedded IDE for editing, building, and debugging target software. It is commonly used as the development environment for MCU-focused projects.
• mApps: A framework for loading and running modular applications on constrained embedded devices. It provides a way to extend device behavior without replacing the full base firmware.

Final thoughts

Practical and product-centered, this session gives viewers a clear vocabulary for thinking about embedded devices as extensible platforms rather than fixed images. The value is less about a single implementation recipe and more about the architecture, workflow, and operational tradeoffs behind modular firmware. It will be especially helpful for people who own a device roadmap, a firmware architecture, or a production update strategy. The talk has a strong demo-driven feel, and it makes a familiar embedded problem look much more open-ended.

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