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The information revolution as we know it is happening all around us through our extensive use of laptops, cellular phones, videoconferencing, and the Internet. The last 40 years in information processing have shown a relentless drive toward distributed intelligence.
From the mainframes of the '50s to the minicomputers of the '70s to the desktop PCs of the '80s and to the laptops of the '90s, the highly visible drive toward distributed intelligence has been made possible by the continually improving performance of semiconductors, particularly microprocessors.
Is this microprocessor-driven information revolution the only revolution toward distributed intelligence? Not really.
I will share a vision of a second revolution:the embedded information processing revolution. Keep in mind that "embedded" means hidden, or buried.
The embedded information processing revolution is truly hidden inside the products we use every day. Think of a washing machine that will adjust water height based on the load size and adjust the cycle based on...