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Impacts on the Semiconductor Industry in 2022

Close up image of a green circuit board

When you think of the phrase “small, yet mighty”, do semiconductors come to mind? While the size of these electronic chips continues to decrease, their status as the powerful building blocks of modern electronics only increases. The Semiconductor Industry Association recently released their official “2022 State of the U.S. Semiconductor Industry” report detailing the status of this multifaceted industry within the United States and on a global scale. As we reflect on the past year, what are some events and innovations that made a big impact on the industry overall? 

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5G and the Need for Speed

Closeup of LED 5G sign hanging from the ceiling with lights in the background

It’s an undeniable truth that society is becoming increasingly mobile. The integral role that wireless connectivity plays in our day-to-day lives continually creates the need for new applications, which in turn pushes innovation forward at incredible speed. The impact this “race to test” has had on the technology surrounding cell phones is undeniable- in just a few short decades, cellular communication has gone from basic flip phones to powerful smartphones with 5G capabilities.

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Modernizing the EV Battery Test Lab

Closeup of charging cable plugged into a white electric vehicle

Every year, the NI Connect event brings together engineers and business executives from across the globe to discuss the most recent developments in cutting-edge technologies and strategies. At the most recent NI Connect in Munich, NI announced the High Power System-17000, their highest performing EV battery cycler to date. With 150kW of power, the HPS-17000 offers a modular design created to improve scalability, flexibility, and performance.

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The Versatile Applications of LiDAR

Closeup LiDAR topographical map from above

LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, was first used for applications in meteorology and astronomy. It grew in popularity in 1971, when the Apollo 15 traveled to the Moon and was the first to employ a LiDAR sensor to gauge the height and topography of a planet’s surface. Since then, LiDAR has proved to be a valuable tool across a variety of applications for multiple industries.

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Standardized Software is Key to Lab Modernization

Two men and a woman engineer collaborating on a project

It is no secret that tech innovation is accelerating at an incredible rate- and as a result, engineers face increasing pressure to expedite each stage of product development. Each new technological advancement not only opens up new markets, but also affects how engineers develop and test their products. For any company working to stay at the forefront of evolving technologies while also meeting client demands as effectively as possible, software standardization is critical for modernizing your lab.

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How-To: Submitting a RMA Request

Closeup of a green circuit board being repaired

Even the most well maintained systems will encounter issues every now and again. When the unexpected happens, the last thing you want is to jump through hoops to get a repair- which is why Apex Waves is making it even easier to request a return merchandise authorization form. In this post, we will go over how to utilize the new Apex Waves online request form and answer some common questions about the RMA process.

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The Space Tech of Planetary Defense

Rendered graphic of the DART spacecraft in space

On September 26, 2022, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission successfully collided with the asteroid “Dimorphos”. While this relatively small asteroid does not pose a threat to Earth, it provided the perfect target to test NASA’s ability to steer a spacecraft to contact an asteroid in order to divert it. While DART is the first mission of its kind when it comes to testing full scale planetary defense, it is only a part of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), which was established in 2016.

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Electronic Color Coding

“Cut the red wire!” This is a familiar line to any fan of high-stakes action movies like Lethal Weapon. In the movies, characters hoping to diffuse a bomb before it’s too late are faced with a dilemma- what color wire do they cut? While the answer to that question may depend on the film- the difference in color coded wires has real life consequences. How does a color coded system improve electrical safety? Are all color coding systems still used today? Most importantly- what do all of these different colors mean?

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Are AI Images Real Art?

4 panel photo created by the Midjourney AI with oscilloscopes and oceans

In August 2022, Jason M. Allen won first place at the Colorado State Fair Fine Arts Competition. The category for his submission was “digital arts/digitally manipulated photography”. Normally this award wouldn’t make national news headlines, but the prize-winning image was controversial in its creation. Allen used the AI image generator Midjourney as the base to create his piece, leading to a divisive debate: are AI images truly art, owned by the artist? Are these AI generators another artistic tool, or are they just the product of randomized computer code?

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