Designing Micro- and Nanosystems for a Safer and Healthier Tomorrow

In this article, the author provides an assessment of the current status and needs of electronic systems, their design, and their evolution. To put this analysis into perspective and to motivate it, the author considers the progress of electronics over the past 50 years, from the invention of the transistor to the microprocessor, to the design of complex multiprocessors that see today within gaming consoles and other appliances. Looking forward to the next 50 years, it wants to address how we have affected and will affect society with our inventions and products, from personal computers and communicators to the upcoming networked systems for health and environmental monitoring.