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Electronics and Computer Engineering: Trends - Today and future

Prof. Vishwashri Kulkarni
Dr.Vandana Malode
Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering

Life on earth has been interdependent, is Engineering. Any stream of engineering essentially combines knowledge from different fields of science and engineering to a create a complete product or service. In this blog, we talk about one such branch of engineering, which is all set to play an instrumental role in the future of mankind– Electronics and Computer Engineering.

Electronics and computer engineering are naturally connected disciplines as the majority of the required classes for both the streams similar such as, mathematics, physics, programming, logic and design, electronics etc. The differences between the two programs might be more visible when students select their specializations for higher studies.

Electronics and computer engineering has become a popular career choice for the past few years due to the rising demand for the professionals trained in ECT in every field life and its immense potential to shape the world.

A B.Tech. degree in Electronics and Computer Engineering opens the door of unlimited opportunities in areas not only in computers or electronics alone, but also a range of other sectors; right from writing algorithms, software programs, working on a particular operating system and communicating with its hardware -understanding and knowing the complete working system is the gist of this particular branch of engineering.

Computer engineering alone deals with operating systems, computer hardware, networking, algorithms, software design etc. whereas only Electronics engineering deals with hardware part including microprocessor, microcontrollers, embedded systems, VLSI, signal processing, automatic control systems etc. Choosing degree in electronics and computer engineering is a no brainer as it gives us the best of both worlds.

Computer engineering alone deals with operating systems, computer hardware, networking, algorithms, software design etc. whereas only Electronics engineering deals with hardware part including microprocessor, microcontrollers, embedded systems, VLSI, signal processing, automatic control systems etc. Choosing degree in electronics and computer engineering is a no brainer as it gives us the best of both worlds.

1. Agriculture, food technology and Transportation: The ever-growing global population is increasing the demand for drinkable water, food and the raw materials. Agriculture and agronomy are adopting new advanced technologies to improve crop production/ yield with minimum damage to natural resources including manpower. The industrial revolution of twentieth century has given birth to mechanized farming.
2. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning that are part of Electronics and computer engineeringare being used to make systems smarter, efficient and more user friendly. E.g. Large amounts of data are collected and machine learning is applied to analyze it. With the help of AI, we can provide actionable information and solutions to the farmers. There is a rising trend to bring innovative ideas into agricultural applications and food technology. Another problem is transportation. Even when we have ready/surplus crop, vegetables and fruits, their transportation poses a challenge. One of the solutions is intelligent transportation systems (ITS). It has become a very popular research area. ITS technologies can help in route guidance leading to optimization of trips, reduce the time spent in congestion, and improve safety measures. Again, Electronics and computers play a major role in facilitating ITS as in the use of different wireless and sensing technologies, providing smart services. ITS is a best example of Big Data application and cloud computing.

3. Affordable, fast communications and connectivity: The fast-changing technology in communications over the past decade has also brought with it the need for faster communication at high speed but low internet cost with unlimited data availability. This has given rise to AI on demand services (AIaaS: AI as a Service) that is driving more and more applications in this decade. The ever-demanding Internet access is bringing AI to the common man of this world.
4. Good quality, advanced education and healthcare: The latest Cataclysm caused by the pandemic has signified invaluable services in healthcare. Remotely accessible (distance learning) courses and healthcare is in huge demand with great scope of improvement. The challenges are access to advanced/ high quality service at affordable rate. This demands high quality tele-services and AI technology. Thus, the demand for ML, AI, quantum computing etc. are steering the technology evolution.

• 5G and beyond
• Artificial Intelligence
• Augmented Reality
• Autonomous systems
• Data Analytics
• Deep learning
• Digital reality
• Machine learning
• Robotics
• Embedded and VLSI
• Industry 4.0
• Computer vision & image processing
• Automation and control systems
• Quantum technology
• Algorithms, database design
• Commerce
• Military and defense
• Infrastructure development
• Entertainment sector

Whichever field is chosen remember in today's competitive market you need to carve out a niche and acquire the following skills to excel in the chosen area:

1. Hardware knowledge
2. Software knowledge
3. Subject knowledge
4. Complex Problem-solving
5. Logical reasoning
6. Critical thinking.
7. Communication skills and other Soft skills
8. Project management and Organizational skills
9. Ability to work in a team as well as independently

(Authors are faculty members from Department of Electronics Engineering of Jawaharlal Nehru Engineering College (JNEC) which is constituent college of MGM University, Aurangabad)