The transformation to Industry 4.0 changes the way embedded software systems are developed. Digital twins have the potential for cost-effective software development and maintenance strategies. With reduced costs and faster development cycles, small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) have the chance to grow with new smart products. We interviewed SMEs about their current development processes. In this paper, we present the first results of these interviews. First results show that real-time requirements prevent, to date, a Software-in-the-Loop development approach, due to a lack of proper tooling. Security/safety concerns, and the accessibility of hardware are the main impediments. Only temporary access to the hardware leads to Software-in-the-Loop development approaches based on simulations/emulators. Yet, this is not in all use cases possible. All interviewees see the potential of Software-in-the-Loop approaches and digital twins with regard to quality and customization. One reason it will take some effort to convince engineers, is the conservative nature of the embedded community, particularly in SMEs.

翻译：向工业4.0的转型正改变着嵌入式软件系统的开发方式。数字孪生具有实现高性价比软件开发与维护策略的潜力。凭借更低成本与更快的开发周期，中小企业有望通过新型智能产品实现增长。我们针对中小企业当前的开发流程进行了访谈。本文展示了这些访谈的首轮结果。初步结果表明，由于缺乏合适的工具支撑，实时性要求至今阻碍了软件在环开发方法的实施。安全/可靠性质疑以及硬件可访问性是主要障碍。仅能临时访问硬件促使基于仿真/模拟器的软件在环开发方案出现——然而，这并非在所有用例中都可行。所有受访者均认可软件在环方法与数字孪生在质量与定制化方面的潜力。嵌入式领域（尤其是中小企业）保守的行业特性，是说服工程师采纳该方案需付出额外努力的原因之一。