Amelia's Weekly Fish Fry

The Business Of Making Sensors Smarter: PICMG, MicroSAM, and Bringing Plug and Play into IIoT

In honor of Embedded Tech Trends (one of my favorite conferences every year) open standards take center stage in this week’s Fish Fry podcast. Doug Sandy (Chief Technical Officer, PICMG) joins us to discuss the role that open specifications play in the future of Industrial IoT. Doug and I dig into the details of PICMG’s new MicroSAM and check out how this new microcontroller-agnostic, ultra-small form-factor module will bring plug and play into the sensor domain. 

A Mesh By Any Other Name Just Isn’t the Same: Breaking Rules and Making the Impossible Possible with Ansys HFSS Mesh Fusion

In this week’s Fish Fry podcast, we're making the impossible possible! We start things off with a closer look at the world’s first metamaterial developed by a team of researchers from EPFL Labs. We investigate the unique properties of this new metamaterial and how this research could pave the way for the development of advanced forms of mechanical metamaterials. Also this week, Matt Commens (Ansys) joins us to discuss HFSS Mesh Fusion. We check out the details of this new mesh fusion technology including how it will open up new avenues for simulation, and why it will help engineers break old rules to overcome the most challenging design obstacles.

Full Stack Future Proofing: How LEVL is Changing the Device Identity Game

Step right up ladies and gentlemen! We’ve got all sorts of EE fun lined up for this week’s Fish Fry podcast. Tim Colleran (LEVL) joins us to discuss LEVL-ID, what sets this device identity technology apart from MAC randomization, and why full stack device Intelligence is key to its success. Also this week, we check out a new research study from Georgetown University that contends that mirroring human visual learning will be key to helping AI software to think more like a human brain. 

 

Brain-a-Palooza! Advancements in Brain-Hand Communication and Your Brain on Code

In our first Fish Fry podcast of 2021, we sit down with Dr. Scott Frey (University of Missouri) and chat about the challenges and newest advancements in brain-hand communication. We take a closer look at how Dr. Frey and his team are helping to personalize recovery from ‘lost’ limbs and the details of a new wireless device that could help people with severe upper limb injuries live better lives. Keeping with our brain-related theme this week, we also investigate a recent study from MIT that reveals that reading computer code is a brain beast of its own and does not precisely replicate the cognitive demands of language or math.

 

The Next Big Thing! Ferroelectric Nonvolatile Memory and Tiny Aquatic Robots Inspired by Sea Creatures

We’ve got a virtual grab bag of EE goodness in this week’s Fish Fry podcast! First up, we take a closer look at some very unique robots unveiled by a recent research study at Northwestern University. We take a closer look at how these tiny robots (which are powered by light and rotating magnetic fields) are able to walk, roll, and transport cargo. Next, Stefan Müller (CTO and Founder - FMC) joins us to discuss the details of ferroelectric nonvolatile memory and what sets it apart from other memory solutions today. Finally, we check out what needs to be done in order for artificial intelligence or machine learning to get into mainstream edge devices.

 

It’s All About Confidence: System on Chip Verification and Building Trust into Neural Networks

How do we know that what our neural networks are telling us should be trusted? Can we build confidence into our neural networks so they can answer that for us? According to a new study out of MIT and Harvard, we can and it won’t break the computational bank! In this week’s Fish Fry podcast, we first check out a new way for deep learning neural networks to quickly estimate confidence levels in their output. Keeping with our verification theme, Moshik Rubin (Cadence Design Systems) also joins us to discuss the challenges of SoC verification, the increasing need for system level solutions today, and where he thinks chip level verification is headed in the future. 

 

Keeping the Quarantine Blues at Bay One Design at a Time Micro:bit v. 2 and The Retrofit and Recycle Challenge

You know...for kids. - Norville Barnes (The Hudsucker Proxy)

This week’s Fish Fry podcast is dedicated to being indoors and fighting off quarantine boredom for kids and adults alike!   Phil Hutchinson (element14) joins us to discuss the BBC micro:bit v2. Phil and I discuss the evolution of the micro:bit, how this new version differs from the previous version, and how the element14 community supports this unique learning platform. Also this week, we check out element14’s Recycle & Retrofit Challenge that might just help you keep the quarantine blues at bay while reducing electronics waste and upcycling vintage electronics. Finally, we check out a powerful new kickstarter campaign called the Solar Cow -  the World's first social project delivering real individual data of impact.

AI for Everything!

Artificial intelligence and machine learning take center stage in this week’s Fish Fry podcast. First, we take a closer look at how a new algorithm called ART (Automated Recommendation Tool) is ushering in a new age of enlightenment in the world of synthetic biology. We investigate how this revolutionary new algorithm was tested and what it means for the future of bioengineered cells. Aaron Tersteeg (Intel) also joins us this week to discuss Intel’s OpenVINO tool kit. Aaron and I chat about the biggest AI inferencing challenges facing us today, the details of the OpenVINO “write once, deploy anywhere” approach, and what you should keep in mind when starting a new AI project.

Henny Youngman and The Law of Unintended Consequences: Fish Fry Welcomes Eric Bogatin

 

"If there is a fire you are trying to douse, you can’t put it out from inside the house" - Thomas Jefferson in Hamilton 

 

The man, the myth, the signal integrity legend Eric Bogatin joins Fish Fry this week! We discuss the propagation of misconceptions in our design lives, the law of unintended consequences and what the Henny Youngman principle is all about. Also this week, we take a closer look at the 250MWh CRYOBattery Long Duration Energy Storage Facility and the details behind this super cool new energy storage facility. 

What is the Meaning of Test?

“Testing leads to failure, and failure leads to understanding.”
- Burt Rutan 

In this week’s podcast, we’re talking about testing, testing, and even more testing! We start things off with an investigation into a new microneedle patch developed at Rice University that is hoping to make testing for malaria easier and faster than ever before. Also this week, Geir Eide (Mentor) joins me to discuss the past, present, and future of IC testing. Geir and I discuss why the days of Pass/Fail testing are long gone, why test equipment has evolved into machine learning and data collection equipment, and the details of Mentor’s new Tessent Streaming Scan Network.