This is going to be a story in three parts. If we’re lucky, they’ll be related, but I’m not making any promises. Let’s start by discussing one of the things I know nothing about. Yes, I know this is a long (and ever-growing) list, but in this case, I’m thinking about the design and analysis of antennas and radar systems.
The closest … Read More → "Beyond the Spherical Chicken: Rewriting Maxwell for Modern Machines"
Suppose you were creating a sensor intended to measure one phenomenon we’ll call A, and you spent years ensuring that its readings weren’t affected by another phenomenon we’ll call B. Now suppose you finally achieve your goal, only for your customers to tell you, “We love your A sensor… but we’d really like one that can measure B.”
Funnily enough, this is just … Read More → "Making Materials Smart with Nanoscale Sensors"
In England in 1969, what’s now known as British Telecom (BT) didn’t exist. In those days of yore, UK telecommunications (including telephones, exchanges, wiring, and equipment) were operated by the Post Office Telecommunications Department, which was part of the General Post Office (GPO).
The unabridged story of how the Post Office ended up in charge of telephones is wonderfully Victorian and slightly bonkers. To cut a … Read More → "Can You Hear Me Now (With My 21st Century Studio-Quality MEMS Microphone)?"
We live in exciting times with respect to AI and the devices used to implement inferencing at the edge, where the “internet rubber” meets the “real-world road,” as it were.
It reminds me of those distant days in the 1970s when we were all “feeling our way” with 8-bit microprocessors. I’m thinking of devices like the Intel 8008 (1972), Intel 8080 (1974), Motorola 6800 (1974), MOS Technology 6502 (1975), Zilog … Read More → "Analog Neuromorphic Processors for ASICs/SoCs Offer Microwatt Edge AI"
I remember “ye olden days” when we (humans) designed electronic products by hand—conceiving circuits, selecting components, drawing schematics, laying out printed circuit boards (PCBs)… Can you imagine instead just telling an AI, “Make me a [your product here] for consumer use,” and it actually does it? Well, that day has arrived.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll doubtless say it … Read More → "Make It So: Agentic AI Comes to Flux"
As I’ve mentioned on occasion, my degree is in Control Engineering. Well, that’s what we used to call it deep in the mists of time (circa the late 1970s) when I was a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed student—although the years, it must be said, have not been kind.
The idea was to have a core of math, accompanied by electronics, mechanics, hydraulics, … Read More → "Model-Based Design Is Transforming System Development"
