After the physicists had developed the theory of GMR, built a prototype, and published the results, the electrical engineers took over. The approximate sequence of events:
- The physical size of the prototype had to be reduced from several inches to about 1 millimeter.
- The component had to be designed for resistance to shock and temperature (within reasonable limits) and to have an in-service failure rate of something like 1 failure per year per 10,000 devices.
- The component had to be connectable to other components.
- A manufacturing line had to be set up that could make millions of the components per year, at a unit cost of a dollar or so, with less than 1 manufacturing defect per 100,000 units.
- And then the component had to be designed into a device like an iPod that consumers would buy by the millions, with a price and a cost that would make a profit for Apple.
And there's another key difference: Grünberg and his French colleague Albert Fert were assisted by graduate students, no doubt, but the discovery of GMR is principally theirs. However, hundreds if not thousands of electrical engineers — almost all anonymous, outside their own employers — were needed to put GMR to work. And in the process, most of these engineers were organized into separate teams, each with its own specialty or assignment in the work breakdown structure.
During my undergrad years at Georgia Tech, I had to pass 8 electrical engineering lab courses. Three of us took all our labs together. The first guy was responsible for reading the lab assignment each week and prepping us for the steps to take. The second guy was responsible for collecting data during the lab and ensuring that the numbers made sense before we left. I was responsible for writing and submitting the report on time and answering any questions from the TA. This worked like a charm; each of us was good at our role on the team.
I hear that undergrad EE labs are no longer designed to force teamwork, and that's a pity. Teamwork is so important to adult success. You don’t have to be on an athletic scholarship to learn about teamwork.