Toughened Technology

Rolling with the punches

While the embedded computers in fighter jets might seem like more boys' toys for the rich or recruitable, this technology trickles down into reach of consumers. IEEE 1394b - better known as FireWire - is used on the F-22 to link internal components together, for instance.

The arrival of the computer in human technological evolution is arguably on a par with the invention of the wheel or the pointy rock, but like the wheel and the pointy rock, its true power is only unlocked through successful implementation in the wider world. Wheels are fine, but if you haven't invented the axle or the bearing, or some way to steer, then you're going nowhere, and until you attach that pointy rock to a stick and work out the best way to chuck it, you're not going to be able to eat anything you can't catch on foot.

The same is true for the computer; locked in a basement or office, the computer is a powerful tool, but when you can take computers into the outside world, their potential is greatly magnified. As we become more attached to and dependent on computers, reliability and accessibility of computer systems becomes increasingly important. As a result, ruggedisation will, in all likelihood, become a less specialised and segmented field, and seep into everyday product design.

This isn't to say that all laptops will sport rubber corners and bulletproof lids, but there's a need to make them more robust, and where there's a will, there's a way. As noted previously, low-power CPUs can function without fans, so it isn't uncommon to see netbooks without them. Sony's Vaio VGN-P11Z/R is a good example of this: it's very slender (only 20mm deep), and doesn't need a fan, thanks to using an ultra-low voltage Intel Atom Z250 processor.

What the military refers to as 'thin client' computing is being branded for consumers as 'cloud computing', such as Microsoft's Live Mesh service (see right). When your email, word processor and other applications are run by servers, it's possible for end users to have less complex computers, and hopefully, by extension, more reliable machines. More advanced manufacturing techniques should also lead to more reliable computers.

Apple has recently moved away from plastic frames for all but its cheapest laptops, for instance, opting instead for a tougher, unibody aluminium enclosure. As smaller and more powerful chips find their way into phones, smartcards and network-aware objects, computing power becomes more widely available and resilient.