Motor racing
At Interactive Technical we don't just talk the talk, we walk the walk. We swing spanners and get our hands dirty. We involve ourselves at the sharp end of motorsport putting our technology to work in real-life, hard-knocks, on-track racing competition. This is where we can test our products in real-time and check our IETM software is up to the job. It also provides a testbed opportunity to research and develop new technologies, such as IETMs with intrusive diagnostics, platform configuration management and electronic maintenance systems. Motor racing is an ideal research platform because it places hardware, software and human interface under extreme pressure and duress, whilst at the same time permitting a high degree of innovation within a tightly controlled and regulated environment.

Intrusive diagnostics
Intrusive diagnostics is a term used to describe an array of sensors, linked to a data logger which records information relating to some system's performance and functionality, which can then be interrogated by plug-in diagnostic computer software for analysis. In that, there's nothing particularly new. It can be purchased new, commercial-off-the-shelf for a variety of applications. But that's where most of these products stop and why we are researching and developing our own.

Most proprietary systems lockup data in their own file formats which can't be utilised or manipulated for other subsequent purposes easily. They are usually product or industry specific, designed to do one set of functions or tasks, and that's it. Whereas we want to be able to manage and integrate that data into a wide variety of tasks, including 2-way utilisation, both downloading and uploading in real-time for complete system management with data being XML compliant and having a multipurpose reusable capability, such as an electronic maintenance system. We also need non-industry specific solutions. So we have to go and do it for ourselves.