Dynamic Virtualization of Industrial Devices (Patented)
- Partner
- Siemens
- Period
- Jan 2017 – Dec 2018
- Focus
- Patented Innovation
Key outcomePatented virtualization system that became an internal Siemens product
Context
Industrial software testing depended heavily on physical hardware, which was expensive to source, hard to configure, and often unable to reproduce rare failure conditions on demand.
Inputs
- Industrial device communication protocols
- Engineering station software
Approach
- Identified the recurring pattern in communication between industrial devices and engineering stations
- Designed a system that captures that communication and generates a virtual device able to reproduce it during testing
- Enabled realistic software testing without physical hardware on hand
Outcomes
- Patented virtualization system that became an internal Siemens product
- Reduced hardware dependency and supported shift-left testing, with a 38 percent increase in automated test coverage and 22 high-severity legacy issues uncovered
- A digital representation does not need to reproduce every property of a physical device; it only needs to reproduce the behavior that matters for a given test