Introduction
Among the different occupations that a person can pursue, the position of a hardware engineer (HE) deserves closer attention. To explain what a HE is, it is essential to clarify the concept of hardware. The term refers to the physical elements of an entity that support a specific set of operations.
Opportunities for Hardware Engineers in the US
For example, in the context of computers, components may include hard drives that store data and keyboards for entering commands and information (Zhao & Lie, 2020). Accordingly, a HE can be defined as a specialist responsible for creating and developing hardware pieces. They are valuable professionals because they are accountable for diverse nationwide technology, enhance lives, and benefit the country.
These technologies are of national importance because they are used across many fields. For instance, hardware-based solutions are likely to be more desirable than other options for computer vision devices that require convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for object recognition. CNNs require extensive training datasets that can be rather complex, whereas hardware can reduce total energy and memory requirements (Cuhadar et al., 2021).
Moreover, hardware is gaining popularity in synthetic biology. In particular, the domain employs elements such as laboratory automation and test equipment, as well as microfluidic systems (Oliveira & Densmore, 2022). Hardware engineering can also facilitate the delivery of quality healthcare, for example, by quantifying nutrients in food (Gambo et al., 2020). Technologies developed by HEs have nationwide significance due to their applications across diverse fields.
Furthermore, HEs improve people’s lives nowadays by advancing different processes, particularly with the help of hardware boards (HBs). For instance, HBs can enable rapid prototyping when deploying Internet of Things ideas, which have transformed how individuals interact with the world (Dhruva et al., 2022). Various types of HBs, including Arduino Nano, NodeMCU, and Raspberry Pi, are also used in innovative agricultural systems to collect data on resources (Lova Raju & Vijayaraghavan, 2020). Therefore, HEs enhance lives by improving specific processes through the use of HBs.
HE can benefit the United States (US) by preserving various operations and advancing the country. On the one hand, skilled HEs are needed to ensure hardware protection. While hardware components may appear to be simpler than software elements, the latter’s safety depends on the former’s power. Hardware security models have long been recognized for safeguarding security-sensitive procedures (Zhao & Lie, 2020).
On the other hand, the overall need for HE in the US is anticipated to increase. For example, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (2023) lists computer HEs among occupations expected to grow faster in the coming years. Notably, it is also predicted that HEs will be in demand for future colonization of Mars, suggesting that the US will likely need such professionals to outpace other governments (Wójtowicz & Szocik, 2021). Accordingly, the advantages the US would gain from having HEs are related to security and development.
Conclusion
In conclusion, HEs are valuable experts who develop technologies that are important nationwide, improve lives, and put the country ahead. In particular, such specialists contribute to different fields, enhance processes through hardware boards, safeguard software, and are likely to be highly sought after in the future. Therefore, the occupation of a hardware engineer deserves greater public recognition and should be promoted among the young population.
References
Cuhadar, C., Lau, G. P. S., & Tsao, H. N. (2021). A computer vision sensor for efficient object detection under varying lighting conditions. Advanced Intelligent Systems, 3(9), 1-7.
Dhruva, A. D., Babu, S., Chakraborty, A., & BS, M. (2022). Computing boards for Internet of things: A comparative survey. TechRxiv, 1-15.
Gambo, I., Talabi, O., Olufokunbi, K., & Massenon, R. (2020). Software and hardware design specifications for quantifying carbohydrate contents in food. Journal of Applied Computer Science & Mathematics, 14(30), 1-9.
Lova Raju, K., & Vijayaraghavan, V. (2020). IoT technologies in agricultural environment: A survey. Wireless Personal Communications, 113, 2415-2446.
Oliveira, S. M., & Densmore, D. (2022). Hardware, software, and wetware codesign environment for synthetic biology. Bio Design Research, 2022, 1-5.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2023). Architecture and engineering occupations.
Wójtowicz, T., & Szocik, K. (2021). Democracy or what? Political system on the planet Mars after its colonization. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 166, 1-6.
Zhao, L., & Lie, D. (2020). Is hardware more secure than software?IEEE Security & Privacy, 18(5), 8-17.