The Cool Side of MathWorks: A Peek into Electrical and Software Engineering

Hey there, let’s talk about the cool stuff happening at MathWorks! Andrew Bennett, the engineering manager at MathWorks, recently shared some insights about electrical and software engineering in the digital age. He’s leading the electrical simulation development team, focusing on Simscape. This Simscape thing is not just for cars; it’s used across different industries to create models of physical components and systems. Andrew and his team are all about making it easy for people to design electrical systems.

The biggest challenge they’re facing right now is creating systems that can do a lot of different things. It’s like making a model that’s detailed enough for one person to use for a single circuit, but also flexible enough for someone else to use for multiple circuits. Simscape is getting smarter, allowing more complex systems to be represented. It’s all about bringing physics equations together in a way that’s useful for engineers and technologists.

So, what’s the deal with R&D and testing at MathWorks? Well, it’s kind of like how car engineers think about designing software for vehicles. Andrew’s team is a mix of domain experts and software experts, trying to find the sweet spot between the two. They’re all about testing, testing, and more testing. It’s like they’re always making sure their software has as few defects as possible. And get this, they’re even helping auto companies adopt these processes. Andrew feels like he’s an electrical engineer turned software engineer!

Different companies use Simscape in different ways. Some use it to simulate their control and protection systems before putting them into vehicles. Others come to MathWorks to make their processes more efficient. And then there are those who bring their existing code into the Simulink environment to test it against Simscape models. It’s like Simscape is the go-to place for all things simulation.

Now, let’s talk about cutting complexity and increasing efficiency in electronics engineering. The key is to de-risk things early in the development process. By using physical models, companies can fully validate what happens when electrical systems go wrong. It’s all about getting rid of defects early on when it’s cheaper to fix things.

And what about decoupling hardware and software? Totally worth it! Having a desktop simulation model in Simscape allows companies to analyze their systems early on and transition the algorithms to real hardware when it arrives. It’s all about de-risking and moving things left in the process.

Finally, let’s chat about automotive software testing. It’s a big deal for a lot of organizations, not just in the automotive industry. Everyone needs to up their game in handling the level of software engineering required today. With MathWorks’ tools, people can get to a solution much more quickly and get ahead of the challenges they may face.