JohnRBaker
Mechanical
- Jun 1, 2006
- 35,556
Note that the first computer that I was allowed to actually touch and program when I was in engineering school was an analog computer. In several Mechanical Engineering classes, we used one of two types of analog computers, both manufactured by Heathkit, to simulate mechanical systems: the ES-400...
And the EC-1:
However, by the time I got to my senior year, we started to write FORTRAN programs for the large digital computer that was behind the glass wall and which we were never allowed to touch, just the card decks that we would hand to the operator to load for us, and which we'd have to come back the next day to get our printouts. With an analog computer, you got the solution to your problem, literally in 'real-time', because that's what analog was, the real-time simulation of the physical world. When I was in school in the late 60's, early 70's, this was when the digital computers started to take over the world of engineering, but we did have to give up, at least for awhile, the idea of being able to actually 'interact' with a computer.
But now it appears that work is being done to revise the concept of analog computing and basic research is underway to address what was seen as the limitations and shortcomings of analog computers. And the motivation is that, despite the advantages of modern digital computer hardware, there are limitations and consequences, particularly with the advent of AI, that it just might be better addressed using some analog technology.
Here's a long but interesting item about what's going on in the world of modern analog computing:
The Unbelievable Zombie Comeback of Analog Computing
Computers have been digital for half a century. Why would anyone want to resurrect the clunkers of yesteryear?
John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without
And the EC-1:
However, by the time I got to my senior year, we started to write FORTRAN programs for the large digital computer that was behind the glass wall and which we were never allowed to touch, just the card decks that we would hand to the operator to load for us, and which we'd have to come back the next day to get our printouts. With an analog computer, you got the solution to your problem, literally in 'real-time', because that's what analog was, the real-time simulation of the physical world. When I was in school in the late 60's, early 70's, this was when the digital computers started to take over the world of engineering, but we did have to give up, at least for awhile, the idea of being able to actually 'interact' with a computer.
But now it appears that work is being done to revise the concept of analog computing and basic research is underway to address what was seen as the limitations and shortcomings of analog computers. And the motivation is that, despite the advantages of modern digital computer hardware, there are limitations and consequences, particularly with the advent of AI, that it just might be better addressed using some analog technology.
Here's a long but interesting item about what's going on in the world of modern analog computing:
The Unbelievable Zombie Comeback of Analog Computing
Computers have been digital for half a century. Why would anyone want to resurrect the clunkers of yesteryear?
John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without
