Design IoT Devices for Harsh Environments

Dear Desktop Engineering Reader:

IoT (Internet of Things) devices are everywhere — power grids, smartphones and fitness devices are just the start of the list. IoT devices must withstand temperature changes, dust, electromagnetic interference, vibration, impact, fatigue. Over the next few months, ANSYS will offer a series of webinars on the role of simulation in the developing IoT devices. Today’s Check it Out link goes to the series’ inaugural broadcast, “Shake, Rattle and Roll: Designing IoT Devices to Withstand Harsh Environments.” Why should you go?

Well, the ability for IoT devices to operate in harsh environments over time, often over great distance and without maintenance requires great engineering. Take machinery like remote-controlled mining equipment or drilling rigs. These electro-mechanical systems must function flawlessly deep underground while constantly subjected to vibration, fatigue and impact. Simulation is the only viable and cost-effective way to prototype, predict failure and optimize these designs for their intended harsh environments. You simply cannot set up or cannot afford their physical testing.

Simulation, however, makes prototyping from the earliest design stages affordable. You can virtually prototype designs and repeatedly subject them to realistic representations of the physical forces exerted upon them. This helps you identify solutions and design trade-offs without great expense. Ultimately, you get higher performance at lower cost.

“Shake, Rattle and Roll” will focus on how to use ANSYS’ simulation tools to understand and minimize the dangers vibration, impact and fatigue hold for IoT devices. Presenters will demonstrate how you can perform simulations that can help you discover credible solutions, develop satisfactory design trade-offs and deliver robust, high-performing IoT-ready products at reasonable expense.

I got a sneak preview of parts of the presentation. It appears that it will be both technically rich and highly entertaining. Some areas of interest include antenna optimization in a smartwatch, automotive electronics and fatigue hot-spot detection. The presentation on optimizing the structural integrity of a lithium ion battery pack through simulation rather than by dangerous destructive testing looks fascinating.

“Shake, Rattle and Roll: Designing IoT Devices to Withstand Harsh Environments” airs live via your choice of a morning or afternoon session on Thursday, May 26. Register now, and ANSYS will send you reminders before the live event. If you can’t make the live broadcast, ANSYS is great about making its webinars on-demand as soon as practicable and they’ll even drop you a note when it’s ready. Hit today’s Check it Out link to sign up for the time slot that fits your schedule.

Thanks, Pal. – Lockwood

Anthony J. Lockwood

Editor at Large, Desktop Engineering