Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/963057
8 PCB007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018 The automobile industry is becoming a com- bination of most of the traditional electron- ics segments: It's a consumer product with a computer, communications center, and a few medical monitoring-type tendencies (measur- ing your alertness, heart rate, etc.), all rolled (no pun intended) into one incredible machine that is influencing our industry as none other. As automotive electronics quickly becomes the number one market everyone is talking about, we realize that the actual vehicle is only one part of that—think about the massive amount of infrastructure that will need to evolve on highways, in cities and especially the more ru- ral areas, plus the incredible computing power, cameras, etc. Then think about the level of re- liability that will be required. So, as I drive down the street in my small town (without yellow lines or yellow curbs) in the snow at dusk, I am just a little concerned that some automotive companies are looking to 2020 for the first autonomous vehicles to hit the road (another (un)intended pun). That's less than two years! Can we be ready? Have those companies really thought through the re- quirements, not to mention the necessary reli- ability of the huge number of parts that must work seamlessly and faultlessly every time without fail? The amount of electronics re- quired (along with the painted lines and nu- merous other road guides) is staggering—all to basically duplicate our human brains and bod- ies. Feel smart and special? Scientists certainly become more amazed by our brains every day. But let's move on and get to what's in the magazine this month. Autonomous driving and the electronics sur- rounding it has always been a favorite topic of our Technology Editor, Dan Feinberg. He opens our issue with a great overview of autonomous Patty's Perspective by Patty Goldman, I-CONNECT007 Automotive, the Electronics Industry's New Driver