From gum-stick to postage-stamp sizes, the era of small-form-factor embedded computing has arrived

by | Nov 22, 2012 | Issues.Miniaturization, Organizational.Functions.Design, Sectors.SciTech.Electronics

Via Military and Aerospace Electronics:

…demand for small-form-factor embedded computing continues to increase, driven by size- and weight-constrained aerospace and defense applications like unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), wearable computing, and manned ground vehicles.

From gum-stick to postage-stamp sizes, the era of small-form-factor embedded computing has arrived – Military & Aerospace Electronics

Points:

  • “Systems integrators apparently want small-form-factor embedded computing technology right now more than they need open-systems standards.”
  • “Field reliability for aerospace and defense systems designers is one of the chief forces driving the embedded computing industry in the direction of small form factor.”
  • “The typical credit card today represents one of the most popular sizes for the latest generation of small-form-factor computer boards. Smaller sizes and lighter weights mean less room for flexing under shock and vibration, which can make these small boards far more immune to shock damage then their larger 3U and 6U cousins. Still, the size of a credit card does not represent the limits of emerging small-form-factor embedded computing boards…On the horizon are small-form-factor embedded computing boards that will approach the size of a postage stamp.”