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58 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2023 8. Applications: UHDI technology finds applications in a wide range of industries, including consumer electronics, aero- space, automotive, telecommunications, and medical devices. It enables the devel- opment of smaller and more powerful devices with improved performance. 9. Inspection: Electrical test and automatic optical inspection equipment will need to be able to accurately test and inspect sub- 25-micron features on the PCB. Contrary to popular belief, UHDI is not a new technology; it has been employed in Asia for decades for extremely dense PCBs in prod- ucts (like smartphones) and in IC packaging. Historically in the U.S., it has been cost pro- hibitive in most applications except high vol- ume manufacturing. It's important to note that UHDI is an evolving field, and advancements in fabrication techniques continue to push the boundaries of what is possible. As technology evolves, we can expect even more compact and powerful electronic devices and systems to be developed, thanks to innovations in ultra high density interconnect technology. DESIGN007 Anaya Vardya is president and CEO of American Stan- dard Circuits; co-author of The Printed Circuit Designer's Guide to… Fundamentals of RF/ Microwave PCBs and Flex and Rigid-Flex Fundamentals. He is the author of Thermal Management: A Fabricator's Perspective and The Companion Guide to Flex and Rigid-Flex Fundamentals. Visit I-007eBooks.com to download these and other free, educational titles. Imagine a satellite observing ships on the ocean. As it takes pictures of each ship, an algorithm decides what kind of vessel it is. But one sneaky sailor paints a pattern on the deck that confuses the satellite, so it can't decide what it's looking at. How can the satellite work around its problem? According to new research, the answer could some- day be: with a little help from its friends. For the past six years, Sandia has been working on an autonomy project led by the Air Force Research Laboratory to enable a cluster of relatively small and inexpensive satellites to work together as a single, autonomous unit. The project could improve the nation's ability to conduct national security missions, including intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, climate monitoring and emergency response. A confused satellite, for example, could commu- nicate its problem to others in the network, which could straight away point their sensors to the same spot, combine their data and make a positive iden- tification. "This is a paradigm shift from large, exquisite, bil- lion-dollar satellites to talking about multiple million- dollar satellites," said Sandia project manager Jered Mitchell. While current research aims to connect up to about a dozen satellites, researchers say that fur- ther development could lead to connecting much larger networks. "The ultimate idea is to scale up to constellations that might cover virtually the entire globe — and to potentially coordinate data collection even with non-space assets," like sensors on the ground or on planes, said Sandia's Drew Woodbury, a senior man- ager in Sandia's space programs. (Source: Sandia) Increasing National Security with Satellites That Team Together