THE U.S. GETS HOW ETHEREUM WILL IT’S SHOWTIME FOR HARD-DRIVE SERIOUS ABOUT WIND CLEAN UP ITS ACT PEROVSKITE CELLS FACE-OFF 800–MW array will A vast project aims to Can a new tech ensure Two contenders vie power the Northeast rein in power use solar’s conquest? for a $24 billion industry P. 25 P. 29 P. 37 P. 44 SpaceX VS. FOR THE TECHNOLOGY INSIDER | 01.19 Blue Origin The biggest rivalry in space TOP heats up P. 22 TECH SpaceX's Starship/Super Heavy (aka “BFR,” left) and Blue Origin's 2019 New Glenn rocket (right) SPECIAL REPORT Zurich Instruments introduces the first commercial Quantum Computing Control System NEW More than the sum of its parts Cutting-edge control electronics are essential for initializing, manipulating, and reading out quantum bits with the fidelity required for quantum computers. Our Quantum Computing Control System achieves a comprehensive interplay between individual instruments. It manages the high complexity of your setup to make your life easier. 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Start the conversation today. Instruments FEATURES_01.19 29 ETHEREUM WILL CUT BACK 44 THE FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE ITS ABSURD ENERGY USE OF THE DISK DRIVE The cryptocurrency company plans to cut Seagate Technologies and Western Digital its electricity consumption by 99 percent. have developed dueling technologies to TOP By Peter Fairley advance magnetic storage. By Amy Nordrum 33 TAXIS WITHOUT DRIVERS — OR STEERING WHEELS 48 SILICON ANODES WILL GIVE Cars that safely drive themselves while LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES A BOOST TECH unsupervised demand new road rules. Cells with silicon-rich anodes will let By Philip E. Ross batteries hold more energy. By David Schneider 35 PHONE SERVICE BY BALLOON When mobile phones are a population’s 50 SPACEX’S 2019 lifeline but rurual areas lack infrastruc- SPACE-INTERNET WOES ture, look to the sky. Despite a successful test satellite launch, By Michael Koziol Starlink faces tech and business challenges. We give you the By Michael Koziol 37 PEROVSKITE SOLAR CELLS: editorial team’s picks READY FOR PRIME TIME SHORT TAKES for projects to watch Oxford PV will bring its tandem perovskite Breakout tech stories to keep an eye solar cells to market this year. on in 2019. By Tekla S. Perry this year: 24 cutting- By Jean Kumagai 23 Israel’s Lunar Lander • 26 Super­ edge endeavors that conducting Wind Turbines • 28 3D Metal 40 A NEW SPIN ON ROBOT Printing • 31 Learning About AI • 34 Flying showcase technology ACTUATORS Car Sales • 36 Electric Planes • 39 China’s Can a startup solve the actuator issue with Green Power • 42 Bullet Trains Surge its stronger, faster direct-drive motor? around the world. P. 21 • 43 Finland’s Advanced Nuke • 46 Weather By Erico Guizzo Forecasting • 49 Darth Vader in VR • 42 MACHINE LEARNING 51 DIY Multichip Modules 25 THE U.S. FINALLY GOES PREDICTS HOME PRICES BIG ON OFFSHORE WIND Real estate is big business—especially for Construction is set to begin on the 800-MW home price-estimation algorithms. Vineyard Wind Project. By David Schneider By Jean Kumagai 27 “IRON MAN” SUITS ARE COMING TO FACTORY FLOORS Assembly-line workers will soon wear On the cover Illustration for IEEE Spectrum by Blood Bros. robotic exoskeletons for super strength. By Eliza Strickland 22 SPACEX AND BLUE ORIGIN FACE OFF You’re used to seeing rivalries between countries play out in space. Now watch two U.S. companies jockey for position. By Jeff Foust PHOTO-ILLUSTRATION BY Edmon de Haro SPECTRUM.IEEE.ORG | NORTH AMERICAN | JAN 2019 | 01 DEPARTMENTS_01.13DEPARTMENTS_01.19 07 14 06 Online News Resources Opinion spectrum.ieee.org Drone Delivery for The Poco Evolution The Trillion-Device World Meet the World’s Human Organs How a camera turned into a ARM CEO Simon Segars says the Creepiest Robot When every second matters, aerial programmable hand-held console. coming fifth wave of computing is far The Robot Rankings section is one of transport may be the best option. By Grant Sinclair more than a mere Internet of Things. the most popular in IEEE Spectrum’s by Michelle Hampson By Tekla S. Perry Robots Guide. And while robots 16 Tools & Toys: The Consumer move up and down the rankings 09 Plan t Breeders Want to Auto- Electronics Hall of Fame 03 Back Story almost every day, one robot has mate Their Most Tedious Tasks 17 Geek Life: A Partial 04 Contributors remained at the top of the Creepiest 10 M icrosoft Seeks AIs That Can Resurrection of Minitel 18 I nternet of Everything: Timing Is Key Ranking for months: Telenoid, a Play Minecraft Together 18 Q&A: Why We Write 19 Numbers Don’t Lie: Energy remote-presence device from 12 A Safer Way for Lithium-Ion Bad Software Intensity and Passenger Travel Japan—and a very creepy robot. To Batteries to Fail 60 Past Forward: My Friend Furby 20 Reflections: What Makes a see the full rankings, go to https:// Great University? robots.ieee.org/robots/ ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Tech Insider / Webinars The Institute Available at spectrum.ieee.org/webinars Available at theinstitute.ieee.org On-Demand Webinar: System Simulation and Control —Improve the Overall TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMS CLOTHING INDUSTRY Performance of Your Mechatronic Systems Using Altair Activate Learn how smart fabric is being used in garments such as On-Demand Webinar: Fully Coupled Internal Space Charging Simulations athletic wear and work gear. With EMA3D-Internal On-Demand Webinar: Overcome Critical Power Consumption Testing INTRODUCING MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT Life Challenges Fellow Kurt E. Petersen is being recognized for his pioneering work in microelectromechanical systems. White Papers NEW ETHICS CERTIFICATION PROGRAM The IEEE Available at spectrum.ieee.org/whitepapers Standards Association has introduced one of the first programs that develops metrics and processes for autonomous and Simulating Lightning Attachment and Strikes on Aircraft intelligent systems. Boost Automotive Test Efficiency with HIL Testing IEEE SPECTRUM (ISSN 0018-9235) is published monthly by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. All rights reserved. © 2019 by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., 3 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016-5997, U.S.A. Volume No. 56, Issue No. 1, North American edition. The editorial content of IEEE Spectrum magazine does not represent official positions of the IEEE or its organizational units. Canadian Post International Publications Mail (Canadian Distribution) Sales Agreement No. 40013087. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Circulation Department, IEEE Spectrum, Box 1051, Fort Erie, ON L2A 6C7. 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UNIVERSITY/ATR ISHIGURO/OSAKA HIROSHI DESIGN; SINCLAIR GRANT JOSEPH SCALEA; LEFT: FROM 02 | JAN 2019 | NORTH AMERICAN | SPECTRUM.IEEE.ORG BACK STORY_ RECIPE FOR A HARD DISK ometimes, the hardest part of telling a story is NEW deciding what to leave out. Amy Nordrum, IEEE Spectrum’s high performance news manager [above], faced some tough decisions after spending a day at Seagate Technology’s research and develop- industrial connectors ment facility in Fremont, Calif., while reporting “The Fight for for demanding applications the Future of the Disk Drive,” for this issue. She was there to learn about heat-assisted magnetic recording Introducing the NEW S (HAMR), one of two technologies that manufacturers hope will M225 2.00mm pitch, allow them to write four to five times as much data to every disk within cable-to-board industrial a hard drive. During her visit, she even donned clean-room gear and saw connector range. how magnetic disks are made—an extremely precise industrial process that involves a surprising amount of guesswork. Featuring an innovative 3-finger Every magnetic disk starts out as a piece of flat glass shaped like contact which provides resistance against industrial a doughnut. A conveyor belt carries a tray of them into massive levels of vibration and shock. multimillion-dollar machines (part of one is shown in the photo). Once inside, each doughnut is heated and whisked through a series of The unique rubber locking collars vacuum-sealed chambers that produce a steady chorus of phtt, phtt, phtt and fixing pin system enable as they open and close to admit and discharge the glass rings.