Assessing the opportunities and challenges in designing

Connecting the IoT dots through simulation driven

IoT products

design

It’ s easy to see why IoT is driving enterprises towards the vast

While the challenges are not new in themselves, the size and

opportunities it offers. According to a International Data

scale of the IoT opportunity makes it an entirely different ball

Corporation( IDC) report, the global IoT market is growing from

game. A simulation driven product design is the answer to

what was a $ 655.8 billion business in 2014 to an estimated $ 1.7

addressing the engineering opportunities and challenges around

trillion in 2020— a compound annual growth rate( CAGR) of

IoT product design, be it wearables, medical implants, or

16.9 %. The report predicts that devices, connectivity, and IT

connected cars. According to Aberdeen Group study, the use of

services will make up over two-thirds of the IoT market in 2020,

engineering simulation enables businesses to approach

with devices such as modules and sensors representing a third of

development in a holistic manner, leading to products that meet

the total.

intended performance and revenue targets, as well as consumer

While these statistics represent massive opportunities for

expectations. Simulation offers a level playing field for businesses

businesses across industries to design smart products, it also

of all sizes by providing the opportunity to go beyond the

ushers in a fresh set of challenges. Essentially, there are five major

boundaries of traditional engineering discipline. Using multi-

challenges when it comes to designing IoT products.

domain and multi-physics analysis, it helps engineers virtually

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Optimizing products for size, weight and energy efficiency – designers must pack several components such as printed circuit boards, battery, receiver, and antenna in a constrained space, even while keeping the device cool and ensuring long battery life.

Smart products rely on their ability to sense their environment and communicate with surrounding objects –

prototype any idea and cost effectively refine it through thousands of simulation and operational scenarios. By taking a holistic approach and simulating vastly diverse components of the product at various levels – device, system, algorithms, network connectivity, timing, etc – designers can ensure optimized product design and time to market.

Delivering value will be key to success

engineers must therefore maintain signal and power integrity

A combination of low-cost hardware, superior tools, and better

at all times.

simulation is driving IoT product development at this point. While

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Many IoT products such as automotive and aerospace operate in safety critical environments – this means tens of millions of lines of code in embedded software needs to be validated.

With increasing product complexity, late stage integration challenges have also become increasingly common.

Anticipating and testing the durability of trillions of sensors under extreme environmental conditions through physical prototypes is incredibly difficult.

launching IoT products presents several challenges, businesses can succeed with the support of new industrial software solutions that help engineers understand the feasibility and longevity of their product design. To thrive in the new IoT era, product manufacturers will need to make the transition from a traditional engineering mindset to a multi-disciplinary approach to product design. At the end of the day, success depends on the value a product delivers. And to this end, engineering simulation can help ensure that IoT products operate the way they are expected to

So how can businesses tackle these multi-faceted challenges?

and deliver the value they are intended to, for sustained success.