Introduction

Recent history of the electronic and computer industry can be viewed as three waves of revolutionary processes. The first revolution, making cheap computing power available via microprocessors in the 1970s, led to the PC industry of the 1980s. The cheap laser and fiber optics, which resulted in cheap bandwidth at the end of the 1980s, led to the Internet industry of the 1990s. The third wave, the sensor revolution at the end of the 1990s, will also provide for a new industry. Sensor revolution means that cheap sensor and MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system) arrays are proliferating in almost all the conceivable forms. Artificial eyes, nose, ears, taste, and somatosensory devices as well as sensing all physical, chemical, and biological parameters, together with microactuators, etc. are becoming commodities. Thousands and millions of generically analog signals are produced waiting for processing. A new computing paradigm is needed. The cited technology assessment reads: