IEEE Spectrum December, 2017 - 3

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Drones Make a Special
Delivery-Mosquitoes
WeRobotics tests a drone-based
contraption that releases sterile
insects to stop the spread of disease
By Evan Ackerman

2017 Holiday Gift Guide
Our best bets for the coolest
holiday gifts.
By Stephen Cass

Can Tech Moguls Cure
What Ails Medicine?
Biomedical innovation could use
a spurt of entrepreneurial moxie.
By G. Pascal Zachary

Inception Drive
SRI's new mind-bending actuator
is designed to make robots-and all
kinds of other things-safer, more
affordable, and vastly more efficient.
Inception Drive is small enough to
replace fixed-ratio transmissions in
robots, where it could potentially cut
energy consumption in half. Wrap your
head around this infinitely variable
transmission: http://spectrum.ieee.
org/actuator1217

11 Floating Wind Turbines at Sea
12 AI That Can Spy
14 The Battle for the Smart-Car Brain
16 The Big Picture: Dubai Tests an
Electric Sky Taxi

22 Hands On: The New
PocketBeagle Single-Board
Computer Gets a Workout
72 Past Forward: Programming
With Plugs and Cords

04 Back Story
06 Contributors
24 Numbers Don't Lie: More Numbers Driving Electric Vehicles
25 Technically Speaking:
A Last Look Back

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Tech
Insider / Webinars
Available at spectrum.ieee.org/webinar
5G High-Speed Interconnect Design
T
he Challenges in High-Volume Manufacturing of Photonic Devices
for Data Center Applications

FROM LEFT: ISTOCKPHOTO; LEGO; SRI

White
Papers
Available at http://spectrum.ieee.org/whitepapers
Fundamentals of Building a Test System-Test Executive Software
Key Parameters for Selecting RF Inductors
Your Secret Weapon to Building Successful IoT & Industry 4.0 Apps
Hexapods Advance Production Processes/Motion Control With
Piezo Mechanisms
Unlock New Insights in Millimeter Wave
Launch UAV Package-Delivery Service

The
Institute
Available at theinstitute.ieee.org
FUTURE OF IEEE In this issue we feature the efforts of the IEEE Young
Professionals group to update offerings that will attract and retain younger
members and benefit existing members. We interview the group's leaders
about its business plan, which includes expanding networking programs and
developing a platform for volunteering opportunities.
MOVING ON UP Professional development is the No. 1 priority for
members just starting out in their fields. That's why the Young Professionals
group is working to raise awareness of existing IEEE resources that will help
members in their careers.
CLOSING THE GENDER DIVIDE In her last column for The Institute,
IEEE President Karen Bartleson encourages all members to empower
women in engineering and ensure that gender discrimination is not
permitted to continue.

IEEE SPECTRUM
(ISSN 0018-9235) is published monthly by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. All rights reserved. © 2017 by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., 3 Park Avenue, New York,
NY 10016-5997, U.S.A. Volume No. 54, issue No. 12, North American edition. The editorial content of IEEE Spectrum magazine does not represent official positions of the IEEE or its organizational units. Canadian Post
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SPECTRUM.IEEE.ORG | NORTH AMERICAN | DEC 2017 | 03

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Spectrum December, 2017