Vital Electronics: An application-centric approach to computer engineering and computer science

Over the past sixty years of the “Transistor Era,” and increasingly during the integrated circuit “Moore´s Law Era,” digital electronics has permeated into every aspect of the modern western lifestyle. However, to date, most embedded computer devices have either been purpose-built at great expense (e.g. ASICs), or the application code has been shoe-horned into general purpose computers designed for spreadsheets and word processing. Vital Electronics is the study and use of electrical components, circuits, networks, and systems to achieve a design goal of protecting, saving, and improving critical infrastructure and hence the quality of life. The paper focuses on the Vital Electronics curriculum aimed at building affordable trustworthy Embedded Systems.