ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS ENGGINEERING

Recent Inventions in the Electrical Engineering Industry

2020-04-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

Recent Inventions in the Electrical Engineering Industry

By: Manisha Agarwal (AP,EE)
Electrical engineers are at the forefront of some of today’s most important innovations. Whether working for the private sector, government, or major research institutes, electrical engineers are always pushing the boundaries of the possible. Recently, they’ve contributed to huge strides in energy efficiency, mobile technology, accessibility, transportation, telecommunication, and much more. Let’s take a look at some of the most exciting new ideas in the field. High Efficiency Photovoltaic Cells
One of the enduring challenges of modern electrical engineering is to find an implementation of photovoltaic technology that is efficient, effective under varying operating conditions, and highly resistant to damage – while not being cost-prohibitive. Different engineering approaches have been used to raise collection and distribution efficiency, though perovskite-based cells have recently captured the most attention at major research facilities. Green Energy Electrical Power Converter
Once you collect energy, converting it for use in the electrical system is an essential next step. A new power converter developed in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Arkansas will now make it easier for users of renewable energy to shunt excess energy into the power grid. This has the potential to make rooftop solar initiatives much easier and to further incentivize homeowners to pursue energy efficient technology. Smart Electrical Grids
As energy systems become more complex and energy sources become more diverse, smart grids are growing in importance worldwide. Smart grids integrate innovative electrical technology at multiple levels to improve flow control, detect malfunctions, and automate service delivery. With end-to-end communication between power plants, distribution sites, and the end user’s electrical point-of-presence, it becomes possible to raise efficiency and reduce costs. Virtual Reality
Virtual reality draws on multiple disciplines, but in terms of providing a sensory experience that maps effectively to “real life,” electrical engineering is crucial. The earliest VR technologies consisted of a headset with gloves as an input device, rendering the user mostly stationary. Positional tracking is now making VR more interactive, but the market has yet to develop a solution using a complete array of sensors. Eye Tracking Technology
As many consumers develop an adversarial relationship to conventional digital advertising, eye tracking becomes essential – not only to deliver commercial messages, but to better understand what information is of greatest interest. As it has matured, eye tracking technology has grown into an important frontier in accessibility for the disabled, allowing technology access through eye movement. Sensitive electronic sensors are the basis of virtually all eye tracking. Wireless Wearable Tech
The idea of the “Personal Area Network” has been around in computing science for a long time, but it’s only now becoming a practical reality. Devices can now operate on a smaller scale than ever and interface seamlessly with the wider environment. Wearable devices have been developed to authenticate access to vehicles and machinery, improve reading comprehension while engaged in exercise, and provide communications information without the use of a phone. Graphene
As electrical engineers reach the performance constraints caused by the fundamental properties of matter, advances in materials science become essential. Graphene is perhaps the most important recent innovation. Graphene consists of a single layer of carbon atoms one million times thinner than paper. It’s so thin that it is actually considered two-dimensional.
Graphene’s unique characteristics make it the strongest known material on Earth. It can stretch by 20%, making it as pliable as rubber. It will provide immense gains in battery life for portable devices and is uniquely well-suited for wearable technology that collects biometric information from the user. In short, it may be essential to the future of electrical engineering. Ion Thruster Energy
It comes as no surprise Star Trek was a defining force in inspiring thousands of people around the world to develop and pursue an interest in engineering. One of the engineering challenges presented by that vision of the future was this: What kind of novel propulsion technology would be necessary to allow manned spaceflight to distant worlds?
NASA and others have been working on the prototype ion engine for years, envisioning a way to carry large amounts of supplies and equipment through space. It uses solar power as a charging mechanism and expels xenon gas. Electrons from the solar panel will be trapped in a magnetic field and then used to ionize the xenon propellant for total thrust of 13kW. Personal Flying Cars
People – engineers and others – have been thinking about flying cars since The Jetsons. Now, a private U.S. firm called Terrafugia is tackling the engineering challenges necessary to deliver a personal flying craft that offers the control and safety required for regular civilian use. It calls its flagship product The Transition, which combines driving and flying in a single vehicle.
To create a commercially viable dual-use vehicle, Terrafugia has had to combine best practices in automotive technology and aeronautics. This includes a number of innovations of keen interest to electrical engineers, including an engine that successfully powers both the rear wheels and the propeller using unleaded gasoline. It also incorporates advanced carbon fiber construction. 40GB Wi-Fi
The maximum speed of Internet connectivity, whether wired or wireless, has always been defined by foundational challenges in electrical engineering – semiconductor size and composition, for example. Each advance in speed represents a fundamental shift in engineering processes, whether from applying novel materials, new transmission media, or other technology.
Back in 2013, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany broke the speed limit for Wi-Fi by delivering 40 gigabytes of data per second over a distance of more than half a mile. The key innovation was a new set of chips capable of processing signals at higher-than-usual frequencies. The shorter the wavelength, the more powerful Wi-Fi can theoretically be.

10 Good Reasons to Study Electrical Engineering

2020-04-15T06:45:00.002-07:00

1. It's easy to get your first Electrical Engineering job

Graduates of engineering schools start Electrical Engineering careers fairly easily because most employers search for fresh minds with good training. They are glad to get young people they can mould to their own specific needs and turn them into experts. This is also the reason why electrical engineers are the most valued on the job market.

2. You can work in another country after graduation

Being an electrical engineer means having a lot of job opportunities in countries all around the world. The laws of math and physics are universal, and your gained knowledge doesn't limit you to only the country you studied in.
There are a lot of international technical companies that need electrical engineers, and they are willing to employ people from other countries if they are good enough. Also, most of them operate at an international level, that offers you additional options for travelling while working. Besides, you are usually getting paid well for it!
Here are some top countries offering Electrical Engineering degrees:

3. Electric power won’t be your only focus

Being an electrical and electronics engineer doesn’t mean you will work your whole life plugging and unplugging electronics, or just designing electronic circuits.
Electrical Engineering degrees have the immense advantage of covering tens of specialisations, making the field very flexible and offering you a great chance of simply throwing a dart at a list and trying on areas like a nervous person tries clothes before a date: many, in a short period of time.
Some Electrical Engineering degree specialisations you could find interesting are:

Radio-Frequency Engineering
Signal Processing
Microelectronics
Control Systems
Power Engineering
Telecommunications

4. Study at top Engineering schools

The best schools in the world provide top-quality Electrical Engineering degrees. You'll learn the secrets of the trade from the best international professors, in classes equipped with top-notch technology. This top-level education will help you develop your engineering skills to the next level.
These are a few Electrical Engineering Master's programmes provided by universities ranked in top 500 Times Higher Education Rankings:

University of Portsmouth, in U.K.
Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden
University of Birmingham, U.K.
University of Leeds, in the U.K.
University of Colorado Denver, in the U.S.
University of Twente (UT), in the Netherlands

5. The adrenaline rush of being an Electrical Engineering graduate

Maybe adrenaline isn't the first thing that pops into your mind when you think about Electrical Engineering, but trust me: there will be a lot of adrenaline rush moments if you start working with electrical systems.
Occasional jolts of electrical charge that hit you when you aren't paying attention and accidentally touch the leads of charged capacitors, or when you connect 2 wires that you shouldn't, or an electrical component more or less explodes in front of your eyes, because you connected it to the testing board in the wrong way...
Those events make you jump out of your chair and definitely raise your adrenaline level! And, on the plus side, you’ll most likely never do the same mistake again.

6. Plenty of affordable Electrical Engineering degrees to choose from

Electrical Engineering Master's degrees are some of the most popular in the world, after MBAs, and many can have steep tuition fees.
However, not all Electrical Engineering courses are expensive!
You just have to know where to look and find the perfect location in terms of price and quality. More affordable doesn't mean you'll get an inferior learning experience, but you can find low-tuition Electrical Engineering Master's degrees in countries like:

You can also stop worrying about learning a foreign language. There are hundreds of Electrical Engineering courses taught in English all over the world.

7. You will develop great DIY techniques

DIY or "Do It Yourself" is one of the more exciting reasons to get into Electrical Engineering. When you know how power generation, control panels and electrical systems work, how to transmit energy, what usually malfunctions and what are the basic rules of Electrical and Computer Engineering, you can make your own systems and devices, instead of searching and buying them.
And it’s not just everyday fixes, like changing a light bulb or a faulty fuse: you will also be able to cope with more complex problems within your household and those of your friends and family. And that doesn't only save you money, but also works great as a pick-up line...

8. You will join an awesome elite

Maybe you heard of some random folks named Alexander Graham Bell, Michael Faraday, Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, Nikola Tesla, Alessandro Volta, and Robert Watson-Watt. All of them were Electrical Engineering majors and all of them left a huge legacy behind in their field.
There are also famous people who changed careers mid-life, but the influence of Electrical Engineering remained and kept them at a steady, upward climb. Personalities like Steve Wozniak, long-time business partner of a fellow named Steve Jobs, Mike Bloomberg, former Mayor of New York City, and, last, but not least, Rowan Atkinson, aka the amazing Mr. Bean; all of them were helped by the intuition and problem-solving skills they developed as electrical engineers and managed to occupy a high position in the field they transitioned into.

9. It will never be boring, as new gadgets come out all the time

Electrical and electronic components are modified, invented and reinvented every day, so you will never be bored! You won’t be using the same processor component for more than 10 years.
New and exciting stuff is available all the time and you will have lots of fun testing and assembling it.
Find Masters in Electrical Engineering

10. Only a few essential rules to keep in mind

Things work better when plugged in.
If smoke comes out, you did something wrong.
If things don't work, read the manual.

So, are you ready to get admitted to the Electrical Engineering degree of your dreams?

2020-04-14T08:27:00.003-07:00

Recent Inventions in the Electrical Engineering Industry

Electrical engineers are at the forefront of some of today's most important innovations. Whether working for the private sector, government, or major research institutes, electrical engineers are always pushing the boundaries of the possible. Recently, they've contributed to huge strides in energy efficiency, mobile technology, accessibility, transportation, telecommunication, and much more. Let's take a look at some of the most exciting new ideas in the field.

High Efficiency Photovoltaic Cells:
One of the enduring challenges of modern electrical engineering is to find an implementation of photovoltaic technology that is efficient, effective under varying operating conditions and highly resistant to damage - while not being cost prohibitive. Different engineering approaches have been used to raise collection and distribution efficiency, through perovskite-based cells, which have recently captured the most attention at major research facilities.

Green Energy Electrical Power Converter:
Once you collect energy, converting it for use in the electrical system is an essential next step. A new power converter developer in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Arkansas will now make it easier for users of renewable energy to shunt excess energy into the power grid. This has the potential to make rooftop solar initiatives much easier and to further incentivize homeowners to pursue energy efficient technology.

Smart Electrical Grids:
As energy systems become more complex and energy sources become more diverse, smart grids are growing in importance worldwide. Smart grids integrate innovative electrical technology at multiple levels to improve flow control, detect malfunctions, and automate service delivery. With end-to-end communication between power plants, distribution sites, and the end user's electrical point-of-presence, it becomes possible to raise efficiency and reduce costs.

Virtual Reality:
Virtual reality draws on multiple disciplines, but in terms of providing a sensory experience that maps effectively to 'real-life,' electrical engineering is crucial. The earliest VR technologies consisted of a headset with gloves as an input device, rendering the user mostly stationary. Positional tracking is now making VR more interactive, but the market has yet to develop a solution using a complete array of sensors.

Eye Tracking Technology:
As many consumers develop an adversarial relationship to conventional digital advertising, eye tracking becomes more essential not only to deliver commercial messages, but to better understand what information is of greatest interest. As it has matured, eye tracking technology has grown into an important frontier in accessibility for the disabled, allowing technology access through eye movement. Sensitive electronic sensors are the basis of virtually all eye tracking.

Wireless Wearable Tech:
The idea of the 'Personal Area Network' has been around in computing science for a long time, but it's only now becoming a practical reality. Devices now can operate on a smaller scale than ever and interface seamlessly with the wider environment. Wearable devices have been developed to authenticate access to vehicles and machinery, improve reading comprehension while engaged in exercise, and provide communications information without the use of a phone.