As announced last year we have reduced the number of pages in EngineerIT but will now publish two edition each month. Faster updates more links to more articles and a new feature “Technology in 10 seconds”. Here are summaries of some of the articles in the 10 January 2023 edition:
Why CIOs are getting comfortable with composable DXP
A growing number of CIOs are recognising the benefits of composable DXPs, it enables their organisations to select and connect the most appropriate solutions to deliver localised content and personalised digital experiences to end users. Read more
Top tech predictions for 2023
2022 has been a rollercoaster. I don’t think any of us could have predicted what was coming. The constant through it all has been the importance of technology to overcome our near-term obstacles and to realise our long-term opportunities. The technological innovation that drives human progress is accelerating. With hyperconnectivity spanning multiple cloud environments and the edge, we now have data everywhere. Simply put, it’s growing not only in quantity, but in value every day. Read more
DABUS, the rise of the inventive machines
The South African Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) made history in 2021 by being the first patent office in the world to grant a patent listing an artificial intelligence (AI) rather than a person as the inventor. On 28 July 2021, the CIPC published the acceptance of South African patent no. 2021/03242 (“the SA DABUS patent”) in the South African Patent Journal. The publication of the acceptance of the application for a patent in the Patent Journal signifies the grant of the patent by the CIPC. The patent lists “DABUS” as the inventor and notes that “the invention was autonomously generated by artificial intelligence”. Read more
A better way to prototype RF designs, using X-Microwave
The typical prototyping experience for an RF design includes purchasing an evaluation (eval) board for each of the components in the signal chain and using RF cabling to string the boards together, creating a rough approximation of how the signal chain would perform were it built on a single production PCB after being properly laid out. This method can accrue significant insertion loss from long eval board PCB traces and extensive cabling and connectors. The resulting prototype can also be frustrating and time consuming to bring online because of the specific voltage requirements of each eval board. It’s also not uncommon for an RF part to require multiple voltages with specific power rail sequencing, which if violated could destroy the component. Just the power and RF wires alone can create a rat’s nest, and if any board needs digital control, things get further complicated. If the whole system doesn’t work the first time you turn it on (as if!), debugging quickly degrades into an exercise in patience and perseverance. Prototyping is a headache well known in the RF engineering world – the solution to faster, easier, and more accurate prototypes is X-Microwave. Read more
