Arthur Hanson
Well-known member
Although Mems of numerous varied types are being made by the billions, the field of Mems is in its infancy. Mems are where processors where thirty years ago and just in their very early stages. Complex Mems and chains of linked Mems will advance far faster than processors for they have the advantage using forty years of materials, EDA and manufacturing progress used for processors. Mems will use much of the same technology that has lowered the cost and increased the power of processors by several thousand times to do the same for working with the physical world. Many processes and things will be tried at a Mems level at low cost and if successful then scaled up. This process alone is going to change research and world as we know it. Labs that only governments and huge corporations could afford will become available to the individual user. Mems are our link to the physical world and with processing power will dramatically increase the speed and lower the cost of doing research in all areas from electronics, materials, biology, chemistry and nuclear research. They will do for the physical world what the processor has done for the computational world. Mems also have the advantage of already sophisticated processors for control and interpretation, there by cutting the time to advance even farther. Mems and semis in SOCs are going to change the rule books in everything from education to research to the systems that control not only everything in our environment, but our own bodies. Anyone who believes the semi sector is in for a slow down has not taken Mems and the impact they will have on the semi sector into account. This is but one reason why Morris Chang has stated Mems are one of the three greatest opportunities for mankind. Mems, semis and AI when linked are going to create a speed of change and a future few can now comprehend and are prepared for. I feel Mems will be used to create research foundries where people and companies can test new technologies and processes at a very small fraction of what it costs now. The combination of the Mems, processors and AI will bring unimaginable power, which will also require unimaginable wisdom and responsibility.