Where Are Embedded Systems Headed?
The evolution of embedded technology continues to reshape established boundaries. This shift was particularly evident at Embedded World 2026 in Nuremberg, where our team spent three days exploring the latest industry developments and gaining a comprehensive view of where the market is heading.
New Perspectives
While our visit followed a carefully structured professional agenda, some of the most valuable insights came from beyond the planned meetings. This is one of the exhibition’s greatest strengths. Even when you arrive with clear objectives, you inevitably encounter solutions that challenge your assumptions and open up new perspectives for everyday development work. In the following, we present a selection of these insights.
Rigid-Flex vs. Semi-Flex in Practice
Rigid-flex PCBs remain the go-to solution when circuits need to conform to complex geometries. Their key advantage lies in their ability to withstand repeated bending while supporting tight bend radii. In addition, eliminating bulky connectors enables more compact designs.
However, our experience at the exhibition reinforced a well-known trade-off. Rigid-flex designs typically require custom stack-ups, which increases both manufacturing complexity and cost.
Semi-flex solutions, on the other hand, offer a compelling middle ground. These designs use standard FR4 material in a thinned configuration, allowing for limited bending. While they are not suitable for dynamic flexing, they are ideal for shaping during assembly. Thanks to fixed layer stack-ups and the possibility of pooled manufacturing, semi-flex PCBs can be a highly cost-effective option, especially for small to medium production runs.
This contrast clearly highlights a fundamental principle. Selecting the right technology always depends on the specific application environment.
Open Toolchains in the FPGA Ecosystem
The FPGA landscape is still largely dominated by closed ecosystems, but we are starting to see meaningful shifts. Some emerging players are actively working to change this.
For example, Cologne Chip offers FPGA solutions supported by open-source toolchains. This represents a significant step forward for companies looking to reduce vendor lock-in or gain greater control over their development workflows.
At the same time, FPGA-based System-on-Module solutions continue to play a key role, particularly in simplifying integration for complex systems.
System-in-Package: When Space Is Critical
System-in-Package solutions are increasingly positioning themselves as an alternative to traditional System-on-Module architectures. Their primary advantage is compactness, which is an essential factor in applications where every square millimeter counts.
This level of integration, however, comes with added complexity. BGA packaging increases both design and manufacturing challenges and requires higher engineering expertise as well as more precise production technologies.
System-in-Package is a clear example of a broader industry trend. Miniaturization often goes hand in hand with increased complexity.
Rethinking Touch Interfaces
One of the most interesting developments we observed was in the field of human-machine interfaces. Several manufacturers showcased solutions that combine the flexibility of touchscreens with the tactile feedback of mechanical controls.
The concept is simple and effective. Mechanical elements such as buttons or rotary knobs are mounted on the surface of a touchscreen and physically actuate it. This approach delivers tangible feedback without requiring additional electrical integration.
The result is reduced system complexity and a significantly improved user experience. This can be particularly valuable in environments where reliable feedback is critical, such as industrial control interfaces.
At the same time, haptic feedback technologies are reaching new levels of maturity, with some solutions now convincingly replicating the feel of mechanical switches.
Based on what we saw at Embedded World 2026, engineering decisions are increasingly made at system level. PCB technology, integration approach and interface design are no longer separate topics but tightly linked choices that directly impact performance and manufacturability. The challenge is not access to new technologies, but using them in a way that fits the actual application.
