Electronic Design Weekly: May 11-15, 2026
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Editorial: AI and NI Connect 2026
This week I will be at Emerson’s NI Connect in Fort Worth, Texas, checking out the company’s latest, including Nigel, the LabVIEW AI chatbot. It’s my intent to add a few things from the event to Electronic Design Weekly: May 11-15, 2026. For instance, I expect to hear more about the latest LabVIEW+ Suite and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL).
Continue reading this editorial
Editor's Choice: From the ElectronicDesign Archives
These articles were chosen by the editors at ElectronicDesign that complement the new articles above. They are included in our regular newsletters.
Bill Wong's Picks of the Week
These days, embedded systems often control something, so encoders are very important.
Linear Encoder Showdown: Wired vs. Wireless Read Heads - Linear guideways with built-in encoders are transforming precision motion systems by combining guidance and feedback in one package. Wired read heads remain a reliable, cost-effective solution, but wireless read heads bring advantages in design flexibility, reduced maintenance, and long-term reliability. @ Machine Design
Vision systems and vision language models (VLMs) are hot topics these days and we've been covering them in Electronic Design, but here's some more insight:
Vision Language Models (VLMs) Explained: Augmenting Machine Vision and Robotics in Manufacturing - VLMs augment traditional machine vision systems by providing interpretive insights and active task guidance, transforming factory automation and empowering workers with real-time expert knowledge. @ Vision Systems Design
Andy's Picks from Around the Web
FCC reverses course, allows software updates for foreign-made drones and routers until 2029 — agency says blocking security patches could create cybersecurity risks. Link
Beijing Bans Drone Sales and Flights as DJI Pulls All Products From Capital Stores. Link
The Electric Cadillac Lyriq Hearse Is Ready to Provide Your Last Car Ride. Link
Click here to see Andy's full list of the latest articles and news.
Claude Code's creator is sick of the phrase 'vibe coding.' Suggest your alternative here.[how about, "slopware"? 😂]. Link
Extortion Using Smart Glasses Is a Thing Now. Link
Slate Auto Gets One Step Closer To Building Its Affordable EV Truck. Link
Cadillac Surpasses 100,000 EV Sales In The U.S. Link
The Anti-AI Data Center Rebellion Keeps Growing Bigger. Link
Amazon reports cloud outage [overheating] at North Virginia data centre; CME, Coinbase face trading issues. Link
In 1933, Bell Labs engineer Karl Jansky followed a faint radio hiss, and this discovery opened the door to radio astronomy. [the last time I visited Bell Labs, Jansky's horn antenna was still there as a historical artifact. Lore had it Jansky thought the hiss was from pigeon poop, so they cleaned it out and the hiss was still there.]. Link
AI data center bans are rapidly multiplying across the US — 69 jurisdictions block new builds, with four moves noted as permanent. Link
The Fastest [Quickest] Electric Cars From 0 to 60 MPH Tested by MotorTrend. Link
Mercedes says a cheaper electric C-Class with nearly 500 miles of range is coming soon. Link
California's oil and gas supply gets sketch after about six weeks from now. Link
Scammers are selling fake DDR5 modules with relabeled empty plastic chips. Link
We have a pretty healthy backlog of already created Inventors humor, but if you have an idea/concept for a cartoon, contact Andy by email with "toon idea" in the subject line and send a brief paragraph or so of the concept/joke. If used, we'll credit you by first name and last initial, though please note that Andy will be signing the cartoon — it's not the idea, it's the execution where all the work is. The cartoons are Andy's originals, the extensively and heavily prompted illustration is assisted by Gemini AI.
Visit the archive of andyT's prior Inventors cartoons, here
I think I was playing “99 Red Balloons” and “99 Luftballoons” on loop the whole time I was drawing this. 6 hours later…
See the story behind this one on its page — or see rest of my cartoons in the Engineering on Friday comic gallery.
-Cabe
About the Author
William G. Wong
Senior Content Director - Electronic Design and Microwaves & RF
I am Editor of Electronic Design focusing on embedded, software, and systems. As Senior Content Director, I also manage Microwaves & RF and I work with a great team of editors to provide engineers, programmers, developers and technical managers with interesting and useful articles and videos on a regular basis. Check out our free newsletters to see the latest content.
You can send press releases for new products for possible coverage on the website. I am also interested in receiving contributed articles for publishing on our website. Use our template and send to me along with a signed release form.
Check out my blog, AltEmbedded on Electronic Design, as well as his latest articles on this site that are listed below.
You can visit my social media via these links:
- AltEmbedded on Electronic Design
- Bill Wong on Facebook
- @AltEmbedded on Twitter
- Bill Wong on LinkedIn
I earned a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Masters in Computer Science from Rutgers University. I still do a bit of programming using everything from C and C++ to Rust and Ada/SPARK. I do a bit of PHP programming for Drupal websites. I have posted a few Drupal modules.
I still get a hand on software and electronic hardware. Some of this can be found on our Kit Close-Up video series. You can also see me on many of our TechXchange Talk videos. I am interested in a range of projects from robotics to artificial intelligence.
Roger Engelke Jr.
Managing Editor - Electronic Design and Microwaves & RF
Roger manages the websites and print issues for Electronic Design and Microwaves &RF.
Cabe Atwell
Technology Editor, Electronic Design
Cabe is a Technology Editor for Electronic Design.
Engineer, Machinist, Cartoonist, Maker, Writer. A graduate Electrical Engineer actively plying his expertise in the industry and at his company, Gunhead. When not designing/building, he creates a steady torrent of projects and content in the media world. Many of his projects and articles are online at element14 & SolidSmack, industry-focused work at EETimes & EDN, and offbeat articles at Make Magazine. Currently, you can find him hosting webinars and contributing to Electronic Design and Machine Design.
Cabe is an electrical engineer, design consultant and author with 25 years’ experience. His most recent book is “Essential 555 IC: Design, Configure, and Create Clever Circuits”
Cabe writes the Engineering on Friday blog on Electronic Design.
See Cabe's cartoons & comic strips here.
James Morra
Senior Editor
James Morra is the senior editor for Electronic Design, covering the semiconductor industry and new technology trends, with a focus on power electronics and power management. He also reports on the business behind electrical engineering, including the electronics supply chain. He joined Electronic Design in 2015 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.
Andy Turudic
Technology Editor, Electronic Design
Andy Turudic is a Technology Editor for Electronic Design Magazine, primarily covering Analog and Mixed-Signal circuits and devices and also is Editor of ED's bi-weekly Automotive Electronics newsletter.
He holds a Bachelor's in EE from the University of Windsor (Ontario Canada) and has been involved in electronics, semiconductors, and gearhead stuff, for a bit over a half century. Andy also enjoys teaching his engineerlings at Portland Community College as a part-time professor in their EET program.
"AndyT" brings his multidisciplinary engineering experience from companies that include National Semiconductor (now Texas Instruments), Altera (Intel), Agere, Zarlink, TriQuint,(now Qorvo), SW Bell (managing a research team at Bellcore, Bell Labs and Rockwell Science Center), Bell-Northern Research, and Northern Telecom.
After hours, when he's not working on the latest invention to add to his portfolio of 16 issued US patents, or on his DARPA Challenge drone entry, he's lending advice and experience to the electric vehicle conversion community from his mountain lair in the Pacific Northwet[sic].
AndyT's engineering blog, "Nonlinearities," publishes the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month. Andy's OpEd may appear at other times, with fair warning given by the Vu meter pic. His cartoon series, "Inventors", appears each week in Electronic Design Weekly.
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