Page 32 - Engineering Digital Design

1.2 THE YEAR 2002 AND BEYOND?

are typical examples of the many other ways the medical industry has made use of digital
systems technology.

1.2 THE YEAR 2002 AND BEYOND?

If one considers what has happened in, say, the past 15 years, the path of future techno-
logical development in the field of digital systems would seem to be limited only by one's
imagination. It is difficult to know where to begin and where to end the task of forecasting
digital system development, but here are a few examples in an attempt to accomplish this:
Computer power will continue to increase as the industry moves to 0.10/x (and below)
CMOS technology with speeds into the terahertz range and with a demand for more efficient
ways to sink the heat generated by billions of transistors per processor operated with supply
voltages of one volt or below. There will be dramatic changes in the peripherals that are
now viewed as part of the computer systems. For example, vacuum (CRT) monitors will
eventually be replaced by picture-frame style LCD monitors, or by micropanel displays
using either DLP (Digital Light Processing) or FED (field emission display) technologies.
Digitized high-definition TV (HDTV) will eventually replace all conventional TV sets, and
the World Wide Web (WWW) will be viewed on HDTV via special dedicated computers.
In all, larger, sharper, brighter, and clearer computer and TV displays are to be expected,
together with a fast-growing and impressive assortment of wireless hand-held and wrist-
bound devices.
Expect that the mechanically operated magnetic storage systems (disk drives) of today
will soon be replaced by a MR (magneto-resistive) technology that will increase the areal
storage density (gigabits per square inch) by a factor of 100 to 200, or by OAWD (optically
assisted Winchester drive) and MO (magneto-optical) technologies that are expected to
increase the areal density even further. Eventually, a holographic storage technology or
a proximal probe technology that uses a scanning tunneling microscopic technique may
provide capabilities that will take mass storage to near its theoretical limit. Thus, expect
storage systems to be much smaller with enormously increased storage capacity.
Expect that long-distance video conferencing via computer will become as commonplace
as the telephone is today. Education will be a major beneficiary of the burgeoning digital
age with schools (K-12, and universities and colleges both public and private) being piped
into major university libraries and data banks, and with access to the ever-growing WWW.
Look for the common film cameras of today to be replaced by digital cameras having
megapixel resolution, audio capability, and with the capability to store a large number of
pictures that can be reviewed on camera and later presented on screen by any computer.
Expect that certain aspects of laser surgery will be microprocessor controlled and that X-ray
imaging methods (e.g., mammography) and radiology generally will be digitally enhanced
as a common practice. Also, health facilities and hospitals will be linked for immediate
remote site consultation and for specialized robotics surgery.
Expect digital systems to become much more sophisticated and pervasive in our lives.
Interconnectivity between "smart" electrically powered systems of all types in the home,
automobile, and workplace could be linked to the web together with sophisticated fail-safe
and backup systems to prevent large-scale malfunction and possible chaos. Such inter-
connected systems are expected to have a profound effect on all aspects of our lives —
what and when we eat, our exercise habits, comfort and entertainment needs, shopping