The Analog Thing

The Analog Thing is a small universal electronic analog computer produced by anabrid GmbH in Germany.
Its production began in 2021. The system is mainly targeted at the markets of education and science.

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Overview

The Analog Thing is equipped with eight adjustable coefficients, five analog integrators, four summers, two multipliers, two comparators, and several inverters, resistor networks, capacitors, diodes, and Z-diodes.
It has four analog output lines that can be connected to either an oscilloscope, an analog to digital converter or voltmeters.
The computer is programmed with patch cables connecting the components on a switching board. It can, additionally, be partly controlled from a digital computer via a hybrid port.
If an application requires more computing elements than are available on a single machine, two or more THATs can be coupled via dedicated interfaces referred to as MASTER and MINION ports. The number of computers that can be linked with a MASTER-MINION chain is theoretically unlimited.

Usage

Typical use cases in education and theory include the analog modelling of time-based dynamical systems, e.g. mass-spring systems, population dynamics, epidemiological prevalence in the evolution of diseases, mathematical attractors, radioactive decay in nuclear physics, chemical reactions and neuronal bursting.

Public reception

In 2024, The Analog Thing received both the iF Design award and the Red Dot design prize for its construction. According to Red Dot "the circuit board-like appearance, versatile use and future-focused conception" are among its outstanding design principles.