7 Hybrid computing
Although analog computers are extremely powerful on their own, the combination of an analog computer and a digital computer forming a hybrid computer is even more powerful.
This idea is by no means new – as early as 1956 Space Technology Laboratories developed the ADDAVERTER, a system capable of coupling an analog computer with a digital computer by using up to 15 ADCs and DACs, each featuring a resolution of ±0.1 %. The rationale behind such a setup is that digital computers are good in areas where analog computer have deficiencies and vice versa. Applications for such hybrid computer setups are abundant due to their computational power and energy efficiency.
A hybrid computer typically operates in one of two basic modes: ...
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