Embedded Working Group

Standardize, improve, and promote the APIs, tooling, and infrastructure for building embedded systems and IoT devices using Erlang VMs

Mission Statement

Standardize, improve, and promote the APIs, tooling, and infrastructure for building embedded systems and IoT devices using Erlang VMs

Benefits to the community

• Better collaboration among the embedded systems projects in the community
• Central location for funding of projects of common benefit to embedded systems
• Growth of the community not only due to better software, but due to improving the perception of BEAM languages and the Erlang VM as mature and long-term viable platforms for embedded systems projects

Short term deliverables

We need to get the word out among embedded systems designers in the BEAM community that this working group exists. There are a lot of areas that the working group could address. A first deliverables would be to survey embedded systems developers in the BEAM community to identify needs so that the working group can focus their efforts. Completing this survey need not delay funding of embedded systems working group stipend proposals of common interest.

Long term deliverables

• Standardized firmware update mechanisms and formats
• Extensions or other means of addressing hard real-time with Erlang VMs
• Open-source implementations for protocols commonly used in embedded systems project
• Improvements to the Erlang VM or additional libraries in support of IoT security

Why does this group require the Foundation

The embedded systems and IoT space is larger than any one project can address. Having a working group to align common concerns across embedded projects in BEAM languages will increase the quality of existing solutions and enable us to push forward in areas where we’re deficient. Additionally, the long life cycles of commercial embedded devices requires companies to evaluate the long-term viability of their software stacks. The Erlang Ecosystem and an active embedded systems working group provide this assurance for the BEAM and the embedded use case in a way that can outlast the current set of individuals, companies and consultancies involved with embedded Erlang and Elixir.

Initial list of volunteers

• Adam Lindberg
• Frank Hunleth
• Justin Schneck
• Peer Stritzinger
• Hideki Takase

---

Current Working Group Chairs

• Natalia Chechina
• Peer Stritzinger