IMTC/87 paper survey [Special Issue intro.]

Examination of the IMTC'87 papers reveals that a great many of the established technologies are still heavily used - but with vastly improved results. Range, speed, accuracy, precision, economy, and readout are now enhanced in many areas that include waveforms, AID, antenna and field measurements, metrology, standards, calibration, low frequencies, RF, millimeter waves, microwaves, sensors, and transducers. But traffic is increasing rapidly on the new areas of microcomputers, microcontrollers, and PCs in Data Acquisition, Data Processing, Automated Measurements, and Signal Processing. In many ways too, the drivers have gone digital, and have profited from doing so. The newest area is in optical measurements, optical communications systems, and computer vision for inspection, flexible manufacturing and the like. Also measurements on nonelectrical quantities have increased in range and ingenuity. The substantial number of papers that are presented here, and the range of their contents, confirm that the "I & M" continues to serve an important need in our profession.