Between counterfeits and improper handling, the potential for consequences is rampant.
I’m a huge fan of the connected world. I’ve commented previously on the many potential benefits for communities everywhere. Like many good things, however, it poses its own set of challenges. One of these is the “democratization” of cyber-crime. The spread of the IoT means we are all vulnerable in our connected homes, our connected cars, or when enjoying the efficiencies of connected infrastructures and smart services. The potential consequences of cyber-attacks are no longer an issue only for banks, governments or large corporations. The consequences of a hacked car or medical device can be personal, real-time, and in some instances life-threatening.
IoT software protocols and hardware-device security down to the silicon level are being developed to counter a host of potential attacks that can range from stealing stored passwords or intellectual property to taking over devices and systems using malicious firmware. This will be an ongoing battle of “arms versus armor.” Other potential security threats such as counterfeiting are more mature, less fast-paced, but costly and potentially dangerous. Counterfeit electronic components are reckoned to cost the industry billions of dollars every year, although the Semiconductor Industry Association points out that the safety implications and potential threat to life posed by rogue components often worth only a few cents each make this a far more serious issue than financially larger black markets such as those for counterfeit high-value luxury goods.
If Southeast Asia has the lowest labor rates, why do they also have the best automation?
Compared to highly visible “mass” markets such as automotive electronics and smartphones, it’s easy to think of the market for industrial electronics as “niche.” However, in total, about 23% of PCBs produced worldwide are used in electronics equipment for manufacturing applications. If we include categories that are obviously non-consumer, such as telecom equipment, data-center computing, and solar/wind-power conversion, storage, and smart-grid control within our concept of industrial electronics, it’s clear this sector is extremely important to the world’s electronics producers.
As far as technology for manufacturing is concerned, we see organizations introducing digital transformation are profoundly changing the way they go about making, marketing, and supporting their products. Within this, smart manufacturing (aka Industry 4.0) leveraging cyber-physical systems, connected through the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), seamless linking of operational technology (OT) and IT infrastructures, intensive robotic process automation, and infusion of AI into edge devices and cloud services, is enabling companies to increase efficiency and agility, and improve standards of service delivery to customers.
Read more: Smart Manufacturing Technology Calls for Smart Investment
Why PCB substrates are well-suited to lab-on-a-chip applications.
The semiconductor industry has pursued Moore’s Law for more than 50 years. Some now say it is dead: Progress has certainly become increasingly difficult in recent generations. On the other hand, chip design is only at the beginning of some very exciting avenues, two of which could revolutionize digital healthcare.
We know the world must deal with aging populations. Diabetes rates are increasing, particularly in North America, Europe and parts of Asia. As our transport networks shrink the globe, travelers can pick up viruses or diseases almost anywhere and present to their local practitioner, who likely has little or no experience of the exotic strain they are carrying. Our doctors are only human; we cannot expect them to know all the symptoms of all the ailments in the world and diagnose the right treatment in time, every time.
Read more: Medical Micro-Technologies Could Mean Better Healthcare for All
In a previous column, I enthused about the prospects for 5G to transform lives for the better, supporting new services that take advantage of ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) and capacity for massive machine-type communications, or mMTC. One place the impact of 5G will be felt is on the road, where machines will assume the entire decision-making from humans.
Leveraging 5G’s guaranteed latency below 1ms for effective real-time performance, the prospects for mission-critical V2X vehicle-to-everything communication can become real. Vehicle-to-infrastructure interactions with smart signs should result in smoother, safer journeys, and vehicle-to-vehicle connections that share information about presence and position should avert huge numbers of “sorry, I didn’t see you” accidents. Of course, it will take time for smart infrastructure to evolve and for V2X-equipped cars to enter the market. But it’s quite clear, even now, that cars are destined no longer to be islands. Ultimately, it’s a matter of when, not if, our road journeys come to be handled by fully self-driving vehicles.
Read more: Will Self-Driving Vehicles Sharpen Our Focus on Reliability?
