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JANUARY 2025 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 69 recyclable materials, as well as coming up with more energy-efficient designs. It's also important to discuss workforce develop- ment. Who will educate and source the next generation of designers, and how will they be prepared? Industry watchers have noted that as the old guard of the PCB industry (yours truly included) retires, there will be a pressing need to replace them. Initially, PCB technol- ogy was largely being invented and reinvented on the fly, and PCB design was as much an art as a science. With today's near-daily technological advances, PCB designers will need to continue to learn and update their skills. Some of the next generation's PCB design- ers may emerge from interdisciplinary backgrounds, combining knowledge of electronics, soware devel- opment, data science, and material engineering. Start- ups might employ them, but there will probably be a growing reliance on universities, local community col- leges, and online learning platforms offering special- ized training to prepare future PCB designers for these developing roles. Curricula are also likely to focus on AI, quantum computing, and sustainable electronics. Future PCB designers will probably need to be high- tech, multidisciplinary experts capable of working in cutting-edge industries. ey will need a deep under- standing of the growing hardware, soware, and PCB manufacturing processes. ey will probably play key roles in high-tech teams, collaborating with distrib- uted teams worldwide. Leveraging their diverse cul- tural backgrounds and perspectives, they will prob- ably work together to integrate advanced technologies and push the boundaries of future electronics. All of this should be exhilarating and, of course, fun. DESIGN007 Joe Fjelstad is founder and CEO of Verdant Electronics and an international authority and inno- vator in the field of electronic interconnection and packag- ing technologies with more than 185 patents issued or pending. To read past columns or con- tact Fjelstad, click here. Download your free copy of Joe Fjelstad's book Flexible Circuit Technology, 4th Edition, and watch his in-depth work- shop series "Flexible Circuit Technology." GPS Alternative for Drone Navigation Using Visual Data from Stars Remote sensing engineers from the University of South Australia have com- bined celestial navigation with vision- based technology to provide an alter- native means of nighttime navigation in environments where GPS is unavailable or unreliable. Their research is described in a new paper published in Drones. UniSA researcher Dr. Samuel Teague says the lightweight, affordable celestial navigation system can be integrated into standard drones, offering a dependable backup with impressive accuracy. "Unlike traditional star-based navigation systems, which are often complex, heavy and costly, our system is simpler, lighter and does not need stabilisation hardware, making it suitable for smaller drones," Teague says. The key advantages of the technology include: • Non-emissive navigation: Since the system uses passive celestial cues, it doesn't emit signals, making it difficult to detect. • Low cost and lightweight: Built with commercially available components, the system is significantly lighter and more affordable than traditional celes- tial navigation equipment. • Robust against GPS jamming: By bypassing the need for GPS, this system provides a reliable alternative for drones operating in GPS-denied environments. The project is part of UniSA's research and development program into key drone technologies for defence and civilian appli- cations. It has been made possible with sup- port from the Commonwealth Scholarships Program and the Australian Government Research Training Program, underscoring the University's commitment to driving inno- vative solutions in autonomous systems. (Source: UniSA)