Smart Devices Require Smarter Test Systems

For many of us, the Internet of Things (IoT) has already become a personal reality. When we control our Nest thermostat from a smartphone, measure the number of steps we’ve taken with a fitness wristband, or stream video to a tablet, we enjoy the benefits of a device that can sense, connect, and compute. However, even for early technology adopters, the IoT is still in its infancy. Gartner estimates there will soon be more connected devices than humans, and by 2022 each household could contain more than 500 connected devices.

Although we enjoy the benefits of the IoT as consumers, as engineers the sheer scale of the IoT can be overwhelming. From testing the smallest integrated circuit (IC) to the fully assembled wireless device, the IoT is causing a paradigm shift in the test and measurement industry. In semiconductor, the push for smaller and more integrated sensor technology is driving new, lower cost approaches to mixed-signal test. In consumer electronics, maintaining test coverage in spite of increasing wireless complexity is driving innovative test approaches such as parallel test. These systems not only need to improve upon your status quo of rack-and-stack box instruments or turnkey ATE systems but also need connectivity and problem solving capability that meets or exceeds the device under test (DUT). That’s a scary thought if you think about the pace of innovation.

Can you rely on instrument or ATE
vendors to innovate that fast?

  » Find out at ni.com/automatedtest