Archive for the ‘Tech Focus’ Category
Friday, January 26th, 2024
5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) are on the verge of dramatically improving global connectivity. Dylan MGrath from Keysight Technologies shares his enthusiasm for 5G NTNs and their powerful use-cases for broadband and IoT applications.
How do non-terrestrial networks boost mobile networks?
Patchy coverage, dropped calls, voice distortions, and inconsistent data speeds are some common problems with current 4G and 5G networks.
Some of these issues are due to the inherent problems of terrestrial networks.
About the Author: Dylan McGrath is the industry solutions manager for 5G at Keysight Technologies. Prior to joining Keysight, Dylan spent more than 20 years in technology journalism and marketing. He spent more than 10 years as an editor at EE Times, including several years as editor-in-chief of the 50-year-old electronics industry trade publication. His career has also included stints at Electronic News, IHS Markit, and the Hoffman Agency.
Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) can not only alleviate these problems but also potentially expand 5G coverage to the entire planet.
While NTN technologies use satellite systems or airborne platforms to provide telecommunication services in remote areas that are impractical for traditional terrestrial networks, a drawback of current NTNs is that they’re incompatible with traditional terrestrial networks.
For example, SpaceX’s Starlink is an NTN that provides internet access to millions of users around the world through its satellite constellation.
But even if users have smartphones and tablets equipped with perfectly capable radio transceivers, they still need an additional gateway device for Starlink internet access.
Fortunately, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the organisation that creates mobile communication standards, is addressing this incompatibility by bringing the NTN ecosystem under the umbrella of the 5G standards.
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Tags:insights, Keysight, networks, non-terrestrial, NTN, opinions, Tech Focus, technology
Posted in Internet of Things, IoT, Keysight, Mobile, Network, Opinion, Tech Focus, Technology | No Comments »
Friday, December 22nd, 2023
From its use in metrology and topography, lidar (light detection and ranging) technology has come a long way to quickly become one of the key technologies in autonomous vehicle (AV) advancements. Chaimaa Aarab from Keysight Technologies gives you the lowdown on lidar for AVs.
As automakers progress with real-world testing, it’s clear that next-generation sensors offer intriguing features but differ from the silver bullet many thought they’d be at first.
Without driver/human inputs, AVs require sensors and computers to work together to read the road and surrounding environment.
Most advanced driver aids in the world today use a combination of radar (microwave) and sonar (sound) to warn about unseen threats and help stop a vehicle before a collision occurs.
Lidar can perform similar functions, developing an image of the environment around it while still representing the best option for AVs to see the light.
Lidar technology in automotive
The automotive industry is undergoing an existential transformation with autonomous driving (AV) and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
To achieve a fully autonomous driving experience, sensor fusion is positioning itself as the key enabler in the automotive industry.
While sensor fusion focuses on software algorithms combining the data collected from cameras, radar, and lidar to obtain meaningful decision-making information, data quality is paramount.
While there’s still a long way to go in mimicking the human senses and brain for level 5 driving automation, sensor fusion is a further step in that direction.
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Tags:AV, insights, Keysight, LIDAR, opinions, Tech Focus, technology
Posted in Enterprise IT, Internet of Things, Interview, IoT, Keysight, Opinion, Tech Focus, Technology, VehTech | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, November 21st, 2023
The automotive world is evolving rapidly, and the power of hardware is being superseded by the power of software. This means the old ways of doing things are rapidly becoming obsolete, especially in the testing space. Nick Hudson from Keysight Technologies shares how you can embrace the change and be at the forefront of the new world.
As the widespread rollout of fully autonomous vehicles comes ever closer, the accepted in-car setup is going to change beyond all recognition.
Just a few short years ago, the automotive human machine interface (HMI) was limited to dashboard instrument clusters, steering wheel controls, and centre stack controls.
Today, a vehicle is likely to have all that, plus voice recognition systems, digital interfaces, an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system that connects to your phone, and even head-up displays (HUDs).
And the evolution of automotive HMIs isn’t slowing down any time soon.
When the vehicle is in control, having all controls centred around the steering wheel and the driver’s 30-degree viewing angle is no longer necessary.
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Tags:insights, Keysight, opinions, software, Tech Focus, technology, testing, UI
Posted in Automobile, Interview, Keysight, Motoring, Opinion, Software, Tech Focus, Technology, Trends, VehTech | 2 Comments »
Monday, October 16th, 2023
In our digital world, software is the engine that drives us forward. Companies can only grow if their software infrastructure allows. Anna McCowan from Keysight Technologies shares what happens when your in-house tools cannot keep up with emerging technologies, software innovation, or your future business goals.
Software testing is an essential part of the software development lifecycle. It ensures that applications are high quality, meet end-user requirements, and are free from defects or bugs.
Keysight commissioned Forrester Consulting to survey software testing decision-makers at global enterprises to research their current software testing approach and how their approach will impact their future business decisions.
Weighing the pros and cons of in-house testing vs. automated software testing solutions
Many organisations use their resources and expertise to perform software testing in-house.
However, as Forrester found, decision-makers have several compelling reasons to move to a commercial software testing solution from an in-house one.
Commercial software testing
Commercial software testing solutions are designed to help organisations improve the quality of their software and reduce time-to-market.
By leveraging the latest testing tools, methodologies, and best practices, these solutions can help organisations identify defects and bugs earlier in the software development lifecycle.
(more…)
Tags:Forrester, insights, Keysight, opinions, software, Tech Focus, technology, testing
Posted in Business IT, Commentary, Enterprise IT, Keysight, Opinion, Software, Tech Focus | No Comments »
Monday, September 18th, 2023
Dylan McGrath from Keysight Technologies shares how non-terrestrial networks (NTN) represent an exciting new frontier in communications because they extend the reach of 5G into regions lacking terrestrial infrastructure.
NTNs use both satellites and high-altitude platforms such as balloons, airships and pilotless aerial systems in the stratosphere to ensure coverage and reliability in virtually any scenario. Photo by NASA on Unsplash.
Decreased costs and new capabilities in terrestrial 5G are combining to make NTNs increasingly viable, ushering in a new era of true global connectivity and a space-based IoT that will permanently change our perception of communication.
3GPP’s 5G standards recognise NTNs as a part of the 5G connectivity infrastructure.
One of the network’s chief benefits is multi-connectivity, as users connect through both terrestrial and satellite links, with the former handling low-latency traffic and satellites reserved for high-latency traffic.
There are a multitude of fascinating use cases to explore here, including the following.
- Augmentation of terrestrial networks
- Whole-world connectivity
- Remote pipeline monitoring
- Image Intelligence
1. Augmentation of terrestrial networks
5G NTNs will fill gaps in cellular coverage, allowing operators to enhance the latter without driving up costs.
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Tags:infrastructure, insights, Keysight, networks, non-terrestrial, NTN, opinions, Tech Focus, technology
Posted in Enterprise IT, Internet, Keysight, Network, Opinion, Tech Focus, Technology | No Comments »
Friday, August 11th, 2023
The countdown for automotive players to meet greener energy deadlines is powering towards the end of the decade, when they come into play. In this thought leadership opinion piece, Thomas Goetzl from Keysight Technologies looks at the road ahead in terms of what smart energy must encompass to support the EV future.
Energising the road to the EV Era.
Accelerating adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and meeting the mandates require significant and sustainable changes.
One area that needs more attention is how to energise the transition to an electric-powered future.
With the demand for electricity expected to grow nearly 20% by 2050 due to EVs and other clean tech initiatives, grids are under immense pressure.
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Tags:electric vehicles, EV, infrastructure, insights, Keysight, opinions, Tech Focus, technology, vehTech
Posted in Brief, Keysight, Opinion, Tech Focus, Technology | No Comments »
Friday, July 14th, 2023
According to a survey commissioned by Keysight Technologies, 76% of space professionals see software test automation as one of the industry’s top challenges. tech4tea.com talks with Keysight’s Greg Patschke about the findings of the survey, the challenges facing engineers, and the industry’s future opportunities.
“Defying Gravity” is an in-depth survey of current and future trends in the space tech industry. The survey analyzes drivers of the growth within the industry, technology trends, and the challenges at hand.
Why did Keysight commission the “Defying Gravity” survey?
Greg Patschke shared that the company wanted to understand the opinions of senior leaders about where electronic system design, test, and measurement could provide value in the satellite and space industry based on current market dynamics.
He said that Keysight has seen a steady ramp in innovation and non-government, private commercial investment in the satellite industry during the last five years and wanted to confirm the industry’s transition from large, geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) to smaller low earth orbit (LEO) satellites enabled by the drastic reduction in launch costs.
Read on about what we learned from Patschke.
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Tags:automation, byline, commentary, interviews, Keysight, opinion, Satellite, space, Tech Focus, technology, testing
Posted in Business IT, Enterprise IT, Interview, Keysight, Opinion, Tech Focus, Technology, Trends | No Comments »
Friday, June 9th, 2023
Battery life is a critical factor for IoT devices. In this commentary, Brian Whitaker at Keysight Technologies examines how battery emulation and test software can help you accurately measure battery life and extend the battery life of an IoT device.
Battery life affects the cost and reliability of IoT-based infrastructure and is a key purchasing consideration for consumer electronic IoT devices.
Battery life can contribute significantly to the cost and reliability of the Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure. While for consumer electronic devices, battery life is often a critical purchase consideration. Therefore, the fact the calculated battery life of IoT devices is often inaccurate is a significant issue for manufacturers.
One method to measure battery life is to divide the battery capacity in amp-hours by the average current drain in amps, which provides a time in hours. However, in the real world, this calculation is overly simplistic.
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Tags:battery, byline, commentary, interviews, IoT, Keysight, opinion, simulation, Tech Focus, technology, testing
Posted in battery, Business IT, Enterprise IT, Internet of Things, Interview, IoT, Keysight, Opinion, Software, Tech Focus, Trends | 2 Comments »
Friday, May 19th, 2023
The high-tech world we live in today demands super high speeds in our global IT infrastructure. In this commentary, Ben Miller at Keysight Technologies brings us to the frontiers of the data super highways needed to power the data-intensive applications that we use at work and in our lives.
Pushing the speed envelope with 1.6T data centre networks.
For the last 30 years, modern society has depended on data centre networks.
Networking speeds must continue to increase to keep up with the demand caused by emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicles (AVs) and artificial intelligence (AI).
About the Author: Ben Miller is a Product Marketing Manager at Keysight Technologies, with experience in the semiconductor and test & measurement industries. He joined Keysight in 2022 as Product Marketing Manager for Digital Applications Software, promoting software solutions for Keysight’s oscilloscope, AWG, and BERT products. Ben has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Further innovation in high-speed data will enable 800 gigabits per second (800G) and 1.6 terabits per second (1.6T) network speeds.
Cloud and edge computing: The intelligence factory
A recent trend is the offloading of data processing to external servers.
Hyperscale data centres have popped up globally to support cloud computing networks.
Smaller data centres for edge computing have also become more common for time-sensitive applications.
Data centres have become “intelligence factories” providing powerful computing resources for high-demand applications.
Edge computing is compelling for its impact on AVs.
Instead of hosting a supercomputer in the car to process the sensor data, AVs use smaller servers on the “edge,” dramatically reducing latency.
Cloud computing applications span from controlling factory robots to hosting thousands of VR users in the metaverse.
Today’s 400G data centres are not yet fast enough for many emerging applications, so the networking industry is already looking toward 1.6T.
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Tags:AI, byline, commentary, data centers, data centres, Ethernet, interviews, Keysight, opinion, Tech Focus, technology
Posted in Business IT, Enterprise IT, Internet, Interview, Keysight, Network, Opinion, Tech Focus, Technology, Trends | 2 Comments »
Thursday, April 27th, 2023
Smokey tailpipe emissions may soon be a thing of the past. Hwee Yng Yeo at Keysight Technologies shares how the heavy transport vehicle market is catching up with the electric car market to lower their contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Private sedans and light-duty trucks lead the vehicle electrification race, leaving much upside opportunity for heavy transport fleets such as trucks and buses to catch up.
In the United States, data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reveals that while overall greenhouse gas emissions from passenger cars and light-duty trucks declined over the past decade, medium and heavy-duty trucks and buses still chugged out well over 200 teragrams of C02 over the same period.
In Europe, the transportation industry must urgently decarbonise its trucks and buses to achieve the Paris Agreement target of keeping global warming below 2°C.
![US greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2020 by land transport type. Note: 1 Teragram = 1 million metric tons. Data source: Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and 1990–2020 [EPA 2022].](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53140288979_d51a7acfea_o.jpg "US greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2020 by land transport type. Note: 1 Teragram = 1 million metric tons. Data source: Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and 1990–2020 [EPA 2022].")
US greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2020 by land transport type. Note: 1 Teragram = 1 million metric tons. Data source: Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and 1990–2020 [EPA 2022].
Although these two heavy road vehicles represent only 2% of vehicles on the road, they emit a quarter of all transport-related greenhouse gases.
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Tags:AI, byline, commentary, heavy vehicles, interviews, Keysight, opinion, Tech Focus, technology
Posted in Brief, Figures, Interview, Keysight, Motoring, Opinion, Tech Focus, VehTech | 2 Comments »
![US greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2020 by land transport type. Note: 1 Teragram = 1 million metric tons. Data source: Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and 1990–2020 [EPA 2022].](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53140288984_96a97d5a2e_o.jpg "US greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2020 by land transport type. Note: 1 Teragram = 1 million metric tons. Data source: Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and 1990–2020 [EPA 2022].")
Tech Focus: Reasons to transform your current software test approach
Monday, October 16th, 2023In our digital world, software is the engine that drives us forward. Companies can only grow if their software infrastructure allows. Anna McCowan from Keysight Technologies shares what happens when your in-house tools cannot keep up with emerging technologies, software innovation, or your future business goals.
Software testing is an essential part of the software development lifecycle. It ensures that applications are high quality, meet end-user requirements, and are free from defects or bugs.
Keysight commissioned Forrester Consulting to survey software testing decision-makers at global enterprises to research their current software testing approach and how their approach will impact their future business decisions.
Weighing the pros and cons of in-house testing vs. automated software testing solutions
Many organisations use their resources and expertise to perform software testing in-house.
However, as Forrester found, decision-makers have several compelling reasons to move to a commercial software testing solution from an in-house one.
Commercial software testing
Commercial software testing solutions are designed to help organisations improve the quality of their software and reduce time-to-market.
By leveraging the latest testing tools, methodologies, and best practices, these solutions can help organisations identify defects and bugs earlier in the software development lifecycle.
(more…)
Tags:Forrester, insights, Keysight, opinions, software, Tech Focus, technology, testing
Posted in Business IT, Commentary, Enterprise IT, Keysight, Opinion, Software, Tech Focus | No Comments »