The Analog Thing: A High-Quality, Low-Cost Analog Computer

THE ANALOG THING (aka THAT) from Anabrid is a unique analogue computer from Bernd Ulmann which is on the horizon. It's a high-quality, low-cost, open-source, and not-for-profit cutting-edge analog computer with some exciting features: 

THAT allows modeling dynamic systems with great speed, parallelism, and energy efficiency. Its use is intuitively interactive, experimental, and visual. It bridges the gap between hands-on practice and mathematical theory, integrating naturally with design and engineering practices such as speculative trial-and-error exploration and the use of scale models.

Dynamic system modeling on THAT can serve a variety of valuable purposes. It may help understand what is (models of), or it may help bring about what should be (models for). It may be used to explain in educational settings, to imitate in gaming, to predict in the natural sciences, to control in engineering, or it may be pursued for the pure joy of it!

Analog computing is one of three major computational paradigms (analog, digital and quantum). As digital computing approaches the limit of Moore's Law, analog computing offers a strategy to diversity today's digital monoculture. Analog computing is:

• ideally suited for dynamic systems modeling
• ideally suited for neuromorphic AI applications
• significantly more energy-efficient than digital computing
• inherently safer than digital computing in the face of cyber threats

It's going to retail for a very affordable EUR299 and EUR225 for educational use. Find out more about this incredible device here: https://the-analog-thing.org/