Embedded 500: Nerding Out About the Ducks
May 2, 2025
In this discussion, Komathi Sundaram, a Principal Software Engineer at Cruise, shares her passion for software testing and automation. She dives into the exciting world of bug discovery and contrasts the roles of developers and testers. Topics include the importance of continuous integration, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and innovative simulation tools like WalkWe. Komathi also emphasizes effective communication in teams and the evolving dynamics between testers and developers, making the technical talk surprisingly engaging.
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Use Containers for Test Consistency
- Containerize testing dependencies (e.g., Docker) to ensure reproducibility between local and CI environments.
- Solve environment inconsistencies to prevent flaky CI test failures and improve trust.
Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing Example
- Komathi explained hardware-in-the-loop testing as automating real devices interacting with physical interfaces remotely.
- She shared a test example involving Bluetooth, NFC, and audio streaming using taped NFC tags.
Integrate Testing in Software Design
- Design your software to integrate testing as an app within the system to enable test automation.
- Automate repetitive tasks like UI button pressing to avoid manual drudgery and rapidly adapt to UI changes.