Test system trends for 2026 confirm SMART TESTSOLUTIONS' product focus
by Franziska Geiger |
Bild: SMART TESTSOLUTIONS /Emanuel Zifreund
At the beginning of each year, numerous media outlets publish reports on current trends in various markets. We have reviewed various forecasts for the development of the test system market in 2026 and feel vindicated:
The world of automotive and industrial electronics is rapidly becoming more complex. Accordingly, the demands on test infrastructure are increasing. At the same time, development cycles are becoming shorter and shorter.
We are well equipped for these developments. Our modular design approach for test systems, our robust and precise measurement an simulation modules, and our decades of experience in developing and building test systems for electronic components in the automotive and industrial sectors form the foundation for this.
Mapping HiL scenarios: Virtual validation as standard
Not least due to the paradigm shift towards highly integrated electrical/electronic (E/E) architectures, more and more electronic components and software are being used in modern vehicles. Complexity is increasing. Developers break down these complex structures into individual subsystems and test them separately on hardware-in-the-loop test benches or special test systems. This process requires reliable test solutions that can be flexibly expanded and run stably. This allows the functionality and hardware of the numerous control units to be tested realistically in accordance with current standards (e.g. LV124) along the V-model in compliance with ASPICE.
The modular test systems from SMART TESTSOLUTIONS use in-house measurement and simulation modules to operate the discrete DUT interfaces with the appropriate signals. The SMART modules can be integrated into existing test software via a Phyton interface. A specific application is the hardware testing of your control unit or an actuator/sensor as part of life cycle testing.
Depending on the test task, a HiL test system without a closed real-time loop – i.e. in "open-loop operation" – also offers a cost-effective solution. Such a solution can often be found on developers' desks and also tidies up the workplace.
Picture: SMART TESTSOLUTIONS / Emanuel Zifreund
BMS testing: Safety for batteries and energy storage systems
The battery management system (BMS) is at the heart of every e-mobility solution, which is why testing this component and its subsystems, such as the electronics for monitoring cell voltages, is so important. The more sophisticated BMS and cell controllers become, the more important high-resolution voltage and current simulations, HV-safe, modular test environments and reliable cabling and interface technologies become. Our BMS test components simulate and/or measure cell voltages and test safety functions and balancing algorithms under realistic conditions. In combination with powerful software of your choice, you can automate test sequences and document results for maximum safety and complete traceability.
Outlook: Developments that will shape SMART 2026
With SMART FLOW software, we are launching a comprehensive test sequence and test management software package designed for testing automotive components and specifically for test bench applications, trialling and EOL testing. Flow supports our test system customers in efficiently implementing complex test scenarios.
SMART FLOW visualises system and test states in a web interface, enables reproducible processes and ensures transparent, traceable results. The software thus provides a powerful foundation for modern test processes – from the early development phase to endurance runs and end-of-line testing in production. As a SMART customer, you benefit from automated processes, structured data management, comprehensive reporting and remote access for distributed test environments. Extensions for cloud integration and global networking will also be added later.
In addition, our proven SMART Productizing will remain a focus in 2026. We have the right answer for all your requirements: from a completely newly developed test system that optimally meets your specific requirements to the industrialization of your test system prototype. So please feel free to contact us.
SMART Testsolutions remains your partner for innovative test systems—today and in the future.
Are you interested?
Book an appointment here for a personalized consultation. Your contact: Stefan Fuchs.
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