Articles – Page 40

MathWorks Meets the Cobot Cohort from Universal Robots

May 18, 2023

Is it just me, or is everyone fascinated by the idea of humanoid robots in general and intelligent humanoid robots in particular? Just saying this has left (what I laughingly call) my mind buzzing with robot-related nuggets of knowledge and tidbits of trivia.

I remember watching The Jetsons animated sitcom on TV when I was a kid circa 1962/63. Looking back, it’s funny how this program’s weird mix of futuristic (flying cars) and retro (vinyl record … Read More → "MathWorks Meets the Cobot Cohort from Universal Robots"

Agile Analog Makes the Analog Parts of SoC Design Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy

by Max Maxfield

May 16, 2023

I sometimes joke that I’d bend over backwards to be flexible and that I’d give my right arm to be ambidextrous (I didn’t say they were good jokes). Now, following a recent excursion into wibbly-wobbly analog space (where no one can hear you scream), I’m tempted to say that I’d jump through hoops to be more agile.

I know, it’s a bit weak, isn’t it? Mayhap you could suggest something a tad more rib-tickling (or not, as the case might be), but we digress…

Intel’s latest version of oneAPI takes advantage of new Intel Xeon improvements, supports AMD and Nvidia

by Steven Leibson

May 15, 2023

In its quest to make oneAPI a viable alternative to Nvidia’s CUDA for parallel-processing software development, Intel has released the 2023.1 version of its oneAPI tools. Last August in EEJournal, I wrote:

“Nvidia has something that Intel and AMD covet. No, it’s not GPUs. Intel and AMD both make GPUs. However, they don’t have Nvidia’s not-so-secret weapon that’s a close GPU companion: CUDA, the parallel programming language that allows developers to harness GPUs to accelerate general-purpose (non-graphics) algorithms. Since its introduction in 2006, CUDA has become a tremendous and so-far … Read More → "Intel’s latest version of oneAPI takes advantage of new Intel Xeon improvements, supports AMD and Nvidia"

Join the Innovation Revolution with NextFlex and Manufacturing USA!

by Max Maxfield

May 11, 2023

I have to say that I’m flabbergasted. In fact, I don’t think it would be unfair to say that rarely has my flabber been quite so gasted. The reason for my current state of high-gast is that I just received some frabjous intelligence with respect to enhancing our manufacturing capabilities here in the USA.

One of the things that’s made me increasingly sad over the years is how much manufacturing and expertise we’ve frittered away (“lost to overseas competitors” is another way of thinking about it). … Read More → "Join the Innovation Revolution with NextFlex and Manufacturing USA!"

Flex Logix configurable hardware IP for AI and DSP workloads fuses FPGAs, tensor units, and software

by Steven Leibson

May 10, 2023

Today, we’re going to talk about AI, DSP, FPGAs, IP, and SoCs. Normally, these things don’t all go together. Certainly, FPGAs have been used to implement AI and DSP algorithms, although AI and DSP algorithms generally involve different sorts of computations. (See “A Brief History of the Single-Chip DSP, Part II .”) DSP designs have largely stayed with FPGA implementations, thanks to the bounty of multiplier/accumulators (MACs) they deliver, while AI training has migrated to GPUs. These days, AI inference has been … Read More → "Flex Logix configurable hardware IP for AI and DSP workloads fuses FPGAs, tensor units, and software"

xMEMS Labs Aims to Replace Earbud and Hearing Aid Audio Drivers with Semiconductor Speakers

by Steven Leibson

May 8, 2023

The semiconductor story is the story of constant replacement. Early transistors increasingly replaced vacuum tubes. Integrated circuits (ICs) replaced transistors. Our large-screen, flat-panel displays and televisions, which replaced cathode ray tubes, are giant-sized, thin-film semiconductors. Semiconductor-based solid-state drives are currently replacing rotating hard-disk storage in computers and servers. Even dynamic and electret microphones have started to yield to tiny arrays of semiconductor MEMS (Micro-ElectroMechanical Systems) transducers. You’ll find at least one such MEMS microphone in many new mobile phone models.

However, one electronic technology has long resisted replacement by semiconductors: the loudspeaker. … Read More → "xMEMS Labs Aims to Replace Earbud and Hearing Aid Audio Drivers with Semiconductor Speakers"

Metaspectral Takes AI Processing of Hyperspectral Imaging by Storm

by Max Maxfield

May 4, 2023

Do you know any jokes suitable for young kids? The reason I ask is that there are three girls aged 8, 7, and 3 living next door to me. Whenever they see me pottering around outside, the two older girls race over to tell me their latest and greatest jokes and puns (the youngest one toggles along behind to make sure I haven’t forgotten that she’s three fingers old).

Of course, this means I need to have some jokes of my own to tell in return. Furthermore, these jokes need to … Read More → "Metaspectral Takes AI Processing of Hyperspectral Imaging by Storm"

Risk Mitigation: Don’t Make Storage an Afterthought in Software-Defined Vehicles

by Max Maxfield

May 2, 2023

I was just cogitating on the company Western Digital. In turn, this led me to ruminate on the Monty Python movie The Life of Brian. In particular, I was recollecting the What have the Romans ever done for us? sketch.

As you doubtless recall, this salty satire starts with the character played by John Cleese chairing a protest meeting in Jerusalem circa 33 AD and posing the rhetorical question, “What have the Romans ever done for us?” Unfortunately, his audience responds with a series of suggestions, such as “Well, the … Read More → "Risk Mitigation: Don’t Make Storage an Afterthought in Software-Defined Vehicles"

A Brief History of the MOS transistor, Part 7: HP Loveland, The Hermit Chipmaker

by Steven Leibson

May 1, 2023

The first six parts of this article series described developments at major semiconductor vendors that played big roles in the MOSFET’s development. However, because fabs were relatively easy to create in the early days of ICs, there are many smaller stories as well. The following story, about one HP division’s involvement in MOSFET and NMOS development, happens to be one of those smaller stories that I’m personally familiar with, which is why it’s the seventh and final article in this brief history of the MOS transistor.

Loveland, Colorado was … Read More → "A Brief History of the MOS transistor, Part 7: HP Loveland, The Hermit Chipmaker"

The Non-Contact Body Temperature Measurement Market Heats Up

by Max Maxfield

April 27, 2023

I don’t like to boast but, as one of the leading engineers of my generation (according to my mother), I’m a dab hand at measuring things like voltage, current, and resistance. These days, we can measure electrical properties like this to extraordinary degrees of accuracy and precision using instruments that are relatively cheap in the scheme of things.

In some ways, we electrical and electronic engineers are spoiled because there are other physical properties that are … Read More → "The Non-Contact Body Temperature Measurement Market Heats Up"