90 The PCB Magazine • October 2015
ELCOSINT - The Future of High
Temperature Interconnect
The increasing need for electronic assemblies to
endure high-temperature operating conditions in
aerospace, automotive, oil and gas drilling, power
management and renewable energy applications,
whether those conditions involve high ambient
temperatures, high cycle temperatures or high
junction temperatures, is driving the development
of high-temperature interconnection technologies.
Fortifying Computer Chips for Space Travel
Space is cold, dark, and lonely. Deadly, too, if any
one of a million things goes wrong on your space
-
ship. It's certainly no place for a computer chip to
fail, which can happen due to the abundance of ra-
diation bombarding a craft. Worse, ever-shrinking
components on microprocessors make computers
more prone to damage from high-energy radiation
like protons from the sun or cosmic rays from be-
yond our galaxy.
Sensor Data Fusion Offers
Countermeasures against Small Drones
Airbus Defence and Space has developed a coun-
ter-UAV system which detects illicit intrusions of
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) over critical areas
at long ranges and offers electronic countermea-
sures, minimizing the risk of collateral damage.
NASA is Laser-focused on Deep Space
Communication
Today's technology has all but eliminated time de-
lays in telecommunication on Earth, but when they
do occur they can be frustrating, especially when
trying to communicate complex or time-sensitive
information. The same type of delay could happen
when communicating with spacecraft and crew
members in deep space on the journey to Mars.
China Now Third Largest Importer
of Defence Equipment
China's defence budget is expected to almost dou-
ble by the close of this decade, according to a new
analysis released today by IHS Inc., the leading
global source of critical information and insight.
Self-healing Material Could Plug
Life-Threatening Holes in Spacecraft
For astronauts living in space with objects zooming
around them at 22,000 miles per hour like rogue
super-bullets, it's good to have a backup plan. Al-
though shields and fancy maneuvers could help
protect space structures, scientists have to prepare
for the possibility that debris could pierce a vessel.
The Drones Report 2015
The fast-growing global drone industry has not sat
back waiting for government policy to be ham-
mered out before pouring investment and effort
into opening up this all-new hardware and com-
puting market.
Advancing Bio-inspired Micro-robotics
Technology
BAE Systems will have a significant role working
with the MAST Alliance's team of scientists from
the U.S. Army, academia, and industry as it ad-
vances bio-inspired micro-robotics technology
to extend the remote sensing capability of U.S.
ground forces. "The technologies being developed
under MAST will support products that extend sol-
diers' capabilities while keeping them out of harm's
way," said Bill Devine, MAST's strategic develop-
ment manager for BAE Systems.
Construction to Begin on World's
Largest Camera
The Department of Energy has approved the start
of construction for a 3.2-gigapixel digital camera—
the world's largest—for the Large Synoptic Survey
Telescope.
Teeny Tiny Guardians of Our Chips
Counterfeit, cloned, and otherwise doctored elec-
tronic chips already are circulating in markets and
the problem is only likely to grow in the com-
ing years. Shown here are dummy "dielets" that
DARPA-supported researchers have produced to
help them learn how to dice, sort, pick, place and
otherwise handle such teensy components, which
would affix to individual chips with a footprint the
size of a dust speck.
90 The PCB Magazine • October 2015
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