What should we learn from… Reconfigurable Systems II

The special issue of the Proceedings of the IEEE in July is the second issue focusing on reconfigurable systems. In the first special issue (vol. 103, no. 3, 2015) introduced by eNewsletter in June, the foundational concepts are addressed. In this special issue, the editors focus on the basic concepts discussed in the first issue by considering more advanced applications, the extension of reconfigurability to other phenomenologies/domains, and the impacts of selected emerging technologies. In the figure below, the editors annotate the Venn diagram from the first issue to indicate some of the additional ground they explore using numerals to indicate which of the special issues (‘‘1’’ or ‘‘2’’) provide emphasis to particular topics.

In this special issue, the basic mechanisms that lead to engineering reconfigurability in systems are examined, such as memristors, metamaterials, and tunable radio-frequency and photonic mechanisms. Configurable analog fabrics and optical hardware acceleration are considered in addition to concepts in reconfigurable pathways are explored, reflected through papers on software-defined networking (wired and wireless) and concepts in field programmable wiring. Extensions in performance are also considered, such as faster FPGA devices (based on SiGe substrates), and packaging through papers on 3-D FPGAs and stretchable radio-frequency devices. Finally, it is examined what is possibly the final frontier of reconfigurability in an essay on programmable matter.

Reference:
Lyke J., Christodoulou C.G., Vera A., Edwards A.H. Reconfigurable Systems: Advanced Applications and Technologies. Proceedings of the IEEE. July, 2015. pp. 1000-1003