Image: Harm van Rumpt TDA7000 FM Receiver Manufacturer: Philips Category: Wireless Year: 1977 FM radio is now a standard feature in a staggering number of gadgets, including alarm clocks, wristwatches, and music players. But before the early 1980s, conventional radio functions were costly and time consuming to build. Manufacturers typically had to make 10 to 14… Continue reading Chip Hall of Fame: Philips TDA7000 FM Receiver
Category: News Type
Device Uses Flashes of Light to Restore Hearing
Image: University Medical Center Göttingen Scientists in Germany have succeeded in restoring hearing sensations in gerbils using flashes of light. The technique, if it can be developed for humans, could offer a more refined, high-resolution auditory experience than what can be achieved with current hearing devices such as the cochlear implant. The scientists, led by Tobias Moser, a professor of… Continue reading Device Uses Flashes of Light to Restore Hearing
Why Consider Disability and Long-Term Insurance?
Figure 1. A screenshot of the Disability Income Needs Calculator from IEEE. Source: IEEE Disability and long-term care insurance provide a source of income in the event that your ability to work is interrupted. Both help you pay bills and provide income, but there are important differences. Each plan offers specific benefits that are unique… Continue reading Why Consider Disability and Long-Term Insurance?
NI Announces New mmWave Radio Heads Targeted at 5G NR Research and System Prototyping
AUSTIN, Texas – July 10, 2018 – NI (Nasdaq: NATI), the provider of a software-defined platform that helps accelerate the development and performance of automated test and automated measurement systems, today announced two series of new millimeter wave (mmWave) radio heads for the mmWave Transceiver System. The new radio heads, which cover spectrum from 24.5… Continue reading NI Announces New mmWave Radio Heads Targeted at 5G NR Research and System Prototyping
Chip Hall of Fame: RCA CDP 1802
Photo: Paul Rautakorpi/Wikipedia CDP 1802 Manufacturer: RCA Category: Processors Year: 1976 If the RCA Corp. had made different decisions in the 1970s, the name Joe Weisbecker could be as revered as Steve Wozniak’s is today. Weisbecker was the architect of the RCA CDP 1802 microprocessor, also known as the Cosmac. Part of what made the 1802 special… Continue reading Chip Hall of Fame: RCA CDP 1802
How to Make an Artificial Neural Net With DNA
Illustration: Olivier Wyart An artificial neural network made of DNA can recognize numbers written using molecules, a new study finds. These new findings suggest that DNA neural networks could also recognize other patterns of molecules, such as ones signaling disease, researchers add. In artificial neural networks, components dubbed neurons are fed data and cooperate to… Continue reading How to Make an Artificial Neural Net With DNA
Chip Hall of Fame: Photobit PB-100
Image: Photobit Corp. PB-100 Image Sensor Manufacturer: Photobit Corp. Category: MEMs & Sensors Year: 1999 Photographers have a saying: The best camera is the one you have with you. Today most of us do have a camera constantly with us, housed in a cellphone or other portable device, thanks to the CMOS image sensor, and… Continue reading Chip Hall of Fame: Photobit PB-100
Social Home Robots: 35 Years of Progress
Photo: Roger Ressmeyer/Corbis/Getty ImagesTopo, a consumer and educational robot released in 1983 by Androbot. This Saturday, the Robot Film Festival is taking place in Portland, Ore. This is the 8th year of the festival, and after bouncing around between San Francisco, Pittsburgh, and Los Angeles, the festival has (at least temporarily) settled on the greatest… Continue reading Social Home Robots: 35 Years of Progress
Chip Hall of Fame: Intel 4004 Microprocessor
Photo: Intel Intel 4004 Manufacturer: Intel Category: Processors Year: 1971 The Intel 4004 was the world’s first microprocessor—a complete general-purpose CPU on a single chip. Released in March 1971, and using cutting-edge silicon-gate technology, the 4004 marked the beginning of Intel’s rise to global dominance in the processor industry. So you might imagine that the full… Continue reading Chip Hall of Fame: Intel 4004 Microprocessor
Swarm Asks FCC for Permission to Have Its Rogue Satellites Phone Home
Illustration: IEEE Spectrum; Images: Swarm Technologies; iStockphoto Ever since Swarm Technologies illegally launched four experimental satellites in January, the tiny spacecraft have been orbiting the Earth in silence, awaiting judgement from a furious U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Now the stealthy start-up wants to briefly activate the satellites, probably with the aim of placating the FCC… Continue reading Swarm Asks FCC for Permission to Have Its Rogue Satellites Phone Home