Embedded Systems Programming in the Cloud: A Novel Approach for Academia

Cloud-computing has been a hot topic of late for obvious reasons, and the general notion opens the doors for more specific applications of the idea. Clearly, a multitude of advantages exist in utilizing a cloud-based model for student projects and assignments. The model benefits the university, faculty, and of course, the students. At the moment, mbed appears to be the first and only commercially available embedded programming for real hardware solution that implements the model. Many of the pitfalls associated with general cloud computing apply less or not at all, leaving the question of not if, but when more solutions exercising the model will be available.