San Jose – A Leader in Electronic Product Development

A quick search for open positions available for electronic engineers will reveal enormous demand for such skills in the San Jose and Silicon Valley area. Electronic product development clamors for talent in many areas of the industry:

• Medical products
• Automotive applications
• Electronic products for consumers and manufacturing
• Wireless and communications product development

Given the advancements in electronics as well as emerging technologies, skilled electronics engineers are assured access to various challenging career options. The Internet of Things (IoT) has opened doors for new product development that enables consumers and businesses to incorporate technology in areas not even thought of a few years ago.

Medical Products and Applications

Taking even a cursory look through a physician’s office, emergency room, or hospital will reveal an array of electronic products used daily:

• Wireless computers on mobile carts – utilized for everything from patient records and test results to billing and insurance claims.
• Electrocardiogram equipment – essential for patient monitoring and diagnosis.
• CT Scan and MRI diagnostic equipment – complex electronic equipment that is constantly being updated to provide enhanced image quality and improve patient care.

Medical product development relies on sophisticated electronic components that provide information to medical teams accurately, quickly, and consistently. The demand for diagnostic services and devices that improve the quality of life for patients have in turn skyrocketed the need for electronic engineering services in Silicon Valley and the San Jose area.

Product demand has jumped at a double-digit rate over the last several years, including the need for improved implantable devices such as the following:

• Implants for hearing improvement
• Pacemakers
• Defibrillators
• Spinal cord stimulators for neurological treatments
• Implanted medication dispensing units
• Brain stimulation

Medical electronic product development calls for incredible quality control and sustainability. If devices fail, the result could be loss of life. In such critical cases, devices such as pacemakers can generate alerts to patients or physicians when imminent failure or low battery power is detected. This allows the patient to resolve problems before emergency actions are required.

Miniaturization is especially important for implanted medical products to provide for small, lightweight devices that are undetectable in many cases. Electronic engineers consider all factors when designing for medical product development:

• Reliability – obviously important to patients using the products.
• Safety – product development must allow for conditions present in the human body – heat, fluids, and motion.
• Security – being wireless, precaution against hackers who may disable or otherwise compromise electronics is critical.
• Durability – avoid the need for repeated adjustment or replacement of implanted equipment.

Medical teams have similar requirements for clinical and physicians’ office medical electronics. They rely on their equipment to assist in accurately diagnosing and monitoring patients at all times.

Advancements in Automotive Electronic Development

Even the most economic vehicles available today are filled with sophisticated electronics that provide:

• Occupant comfort with heating and cooling sensors and controls
• Safety features that include rear-view cameras and proximity sensors
• Entertainment equipment that synchs with personal devices such as Bluetooth-capable smartphones

Taking automotive electronics to the next level provides additional safety features as well as more convenience and communications capabilities:

• Complete navigational aids including traffic alerts and alternate routings.
• Heads-up displays that provide current speed and other driver information on the windshield, reducing the need to move focus away from the road ahead.
• Wi-Fi hotspot communications that provide internet access to occupants.
• On-board trip computers that track mileage, fuel efficiency, estimated arrival times, and more.
• Safety warnings such as blind-spot monitoring and lane deviation warnings, keeping drivers safe and alert.

All-electric vehicles (EVs) are packed with all these features, with the notable addition of all-electric motors and batteries that utilize technology to replace internal-combustion engines entirely.

Emerging technology in automotive electronic product development is also at the forefront in the creation of driverless vehicles. Integrated electronics in today’s vehicles capture enormous amounts of data that can be utilized for many purposes:

• Analysis of driving habits and fuel consumption
• Steering and braking patterns to determine the efficiency of both the vehicle and the driver
• Alerting drivers to points of interest in the area
• Managing vehicle maintenance through communication to the driver as well as the manufacturer

The complexity of automotive product development is limited only by the imagination of electronic engineers and vehicle manufacturers.

Wireless Electronics Are Taking Over

San Jose electronic engineers are deeply involved in wireless product development. Technology is leading the way for new services such as drone product delivery. Amazon is leading the way with drone delivery, powered by miniaturized control modules and electronic sensors that can react to everything from dogs to clotheslines in their path.

IoT is enabling industry to communicate directly with plant equipment. This is accomplished by using integrated sensors and wireless communications with maintenance personnel to make operations and employees more efficient.

Many homeowners have abandoned previous home entertainment options by turning to online streaming services for television viewing, internet browsing, electronic gaming, movies, and more. When it’s time to dim the lights to enjoy a movie on demand, a few voice commands set the mood and start the show. Now, all that’s needed is a command that delivers the popcorn – could that be far behind?

These changes in wireless technology product development are enabled through the efforts of electronic engineering services such as those found in San Jose.