The last quarter of the 20th Century has seen an enormous development in the science of geotechnical engineering. This development corresponds to the availability of digital computers with ever increasing processing power and ever decreasing size and cost. The digital computer has not only provided the capability of quickly simulating processes using mathematical analysis, for example by using finite element analysis methods, but has also enabled sophisticated automatic data acquisition and control to be put into test equipment. The modern researcher in geotechnical engineering could not function without the support of an extensive range of computers.