At WoodSwallow we have a team of engineers with more than 17 years of experience in the design and development of embedded systems and IoT products. We have worked on major international projects in the energy (smart metering), electric mobility and telecommunications sectors. In addition, the team has been involved in projects in other sectors such as home automation, water management, gas management, signaling and smart lighting.

At the same time, our experience and accumulated knowledge allow us to help our clients in any sector or industry vertical where there is an application for IoT products, such as the automotive sector, aerospace, defense, etc. Whatever your product is, contact us and we will tell you how we can help you.

At WoodSwallow we stand out for our commitment to each and every project we get involved in. Our work method is fully tailored and adapted to the needs and requirements of our clients. We help companies looking to outsource the development of an embedded system or IoT product, while maintaining the intellectual property of the product at all times. Thanks to this outsourcing model, the company that hires our services can reduce its operating costs, while ensuring that the project will be in the hands of experts, among other advantages.

We have a multidisciplinary team of engineers specialized in each of the product development phases, so that we can assist our clients with their specific needs. We have fully equipped offices in Seville (Spain), from which we offer our services to our clients, regardless of their location. In addition, we have our own methodology and tools that allow us to carry out projects independently. When required by the client, we can also work fully integrated in their team, with their own tools and methodology.

We have been working in all segments of the connected world value chain for more than 17 years and can help you turn your IoT ideas into successful value propositions in the market. In particular, we have in-depth knowledge of the energy, electromobility and telecommunications sectors.

It is often said that, in the near future, “everything that can be connected will be connected“. However, the long-awaited Internet of Things boom has yet to fully materialize. In our humble opinion, this is because many companies targeting the IoT market lack a solid business case and/or product, solution, or service strategy.

At WoodSwallow we believe that ‘things’ will only be connected if that connection can bring added value to society and the end consumer. The most brilliant products and ideas can only succeed in the marketplace if all the necessary factors are in place to successfully transform them into financially viable propositions through well-developed business cases.  This is not only about the Internet of Things, but also about the services that can be provided with these connected objects.

Requirements gathering and detailed product definition should be the first key step once the business case has been validated in order to be able to start product development. But this step is not without complications. If the requirements are too vague, the final product developed may not meet our expectations. If the requirements are too rigid, the final product may be too costly or complex; it may also limit the engineer’s creative margin.

Our team can assist developing fit-for-purpose product requirement specifications and product requirements traceability matrixes that will serve as cornerstone of your desired go-to-market product.

We can advise defining a wide a range of features, from communications technology to low power consumption, ingress protection, user interfaces, performance, and durability … you name it!

Our Hardware team has extensive experience in designing embedded systems and IoT products. We have worked with most of the major semiconductor and communications technology suppliers and can tackle the most challenging requirements.

Before designing the product hardware, we will make sure that we understand your needs through a detailed study of the product’s requirements specifications. This will enable us to provide you with an optimal and effective design in terms of functionality, reliability, durability, performance, usability, and cost.

Once this step is completed, we will create a first High Level Design (HLD), in which we will describe the hardware structure and the type of components we are going to need. In this stage, all the components that the product will incorporate are not yet defined in detail, although the most important ones, such as the microcontroller, will be.

After defining the HLD, the team starts with the schematic design of the hardware using PCB design tools such as Altium Designer. In parallel, we will search and select the most appropriate components according to the requirements of the product. Finally, we carry out the PCB layout, i.e., the printed circuit, following the previously defined design and the design rules defined for each case (safety rules, manufacturing rules, etc.).

In some cases, an already designed product may need to be modified or adapted to cover new functionalities or to correct a detected problem. In these cases, our team can help you in the redesign of your product’s hardware, in the search for alternative components or in the redesign of a specific area.

During the entire design and development process, we ensure that continuous communication is maintained with the client to ensure that the product meets all requirements and expectations.

One of the most critical product design phases is the DVT one (Design Verification Testing). These tests must ensure that every requirement defined during the specification phase has been properly implemented and tested. Our engineers have extensive experience in performing this type of testing, so they can help you successfully pass this key phase of development.

For this purpose, our engineers will produce a comprehensive test report or test plan mapped to the product requirements traceability matrix. This includes all the tests that will be carried out to validate all the hardware requirements, both at the requirements level and at the functional level. These tests will also take into account the PCB circuit design, as well as the characteristics and operating ranges of each of the components used.

Among the tests carried out are the so-called ‘climatic tests’, in which a climatic chamber will be used to subject the equipment to the temperature and humidity conditions set out in the PRS (Product Requirement Specifications).

Once all Design Verification Tests have been completed, any deviations would be highlighted, root cause analyses would be provided, and potential corrective actions would be suggested.

Woodswallow team has as much experience in software design and development as it does in hardware. Our solution architects will go through your requirements and come up with a software design that will address not only your functional needs, but also security, scalability, performance, and upgradability.

We will make sure that the design not only meets your requirements of today but also it is future-proof and will be able to meet your requirements throughout the lifecycle of the product. The outcome of the software design phase is a document called HLA (High-Level Architecture), which describes how each of the defined functionalities will be implemented.

Our development team has broad experience in embedded programming, real time operating systems, latest security standards and a comprehensive range of wireless communications technologies. In addition, we follow MISRA development guidelines to ensure security, safety and portability of our code.

WoodSwallow follows the Agile development methodology, with all our senior members being Scrum certified. We ensure that continuous communication is maintained with the client, who is incorporated into the development cycle to ensure that both individual releases and the final product meet their requirements and expectations.

What is the step-by-step development process like? Once our Solution Architects have defined the design of the firmware solution, this is set out in the HLA (High-Level Architecture), a document that will serve as a guide for our team throughout the development process. Then, following the Scrum methodology, a series of consecutive Sprint is defined, which allows us to approach the development process in a more agile and efficient way. Each Sprint always lasts less than a month and has a specific objective, which will be the development of one or more of the functionalities previously defined in the HLA. Thus, until the development of the firmware solution is completed.

Note that the development process is carried out using the continuous integration methodology, so we make sure that every modification or addition to the code goes through a series of security and feasibility checks to provide robustness and increased security at every step.

Our team follows Agile development methodologies with continuous integration testing being a key part of it. TDD and CI/CD lie in the core of our processes. Our software test team will provide a test plan that addresses the complete requirements traceability matrix to ensure that every requirement is tested and included in our automatic regression test framework. Both positive and a multitude of negative test scenarios will be included.

We also deliver system test services where our team can provide black-box product-based level testing ensuring that the product and end-to-end solutions behave as expected. These can be functional testing, but also soak testing, performance, and security ones.

Any product that we want to launch in a certain market must comply with current regulations. To ensure that this is the case, a series of tests are carried out to verify compliance with the regulations. These tests are usually carried out in accredited laboratories before being taken to market. These can be very costly and time consuming with test houses being in high-demand and requiring long lead time for booking.

At WoodSwallow we have access to dedicated laboratory equipment for the testing of electrical, electronic and radio devices. Our team has accumulated over 450,000 hours of experience in pre-certification testing and device certification. This allows us to provide pre-certification services for any product by performing the same tests that certification houses will later perform. As we would do within our own DVT testing for products that we have designed, we will provide an exhaustive report on deviations found, RCA and proposed solutions.

Typical pre-certification tests we carry out for our clients comprise RED, EMC (conducted/radiated emissions and immunity) and environmental chamber tests on the hardware side. On the software side, we normally carry out protocol precertification tests (e.g., ZigBee Smart Energy Profile, DLMS/COSEM, etc.).

In the event that a client prefers not to manage the relationship with certification test houses themselves, WoodSwallow can offer a full certification service.  Not only would we pre-certify your product in our lab, but also, we would book test houses and assist them in the product testing, troubleshooting any ad-hoc issue that may appear.

This includes the preparation of a ‘Test Plan’ that covers all the tests to be carried out by the laboratory, as well as the details and data to be taken into account depending on the characteristics of the product to be tested, together with the client’s requirements. This document facilitates and speeds up the process with the certification houses, allowing us to save time and be more efficient. Just give us your product, and we will make sure that it obtains all required certifications to be able to be taken into market and deployed in field.

WoodSwallow has more than 450,000 hours of accumulated experience in pre-certification testing and certification of electrical, electronic and radio devices. We can advise and accompany you in the process of pre-certification and certification of devices for different markets. As you know, depending on the target market and the characteristics of each product, a series of standards and regulations must be met in order to be able to market the product.

One of the most requested by our customers is the CE mark that allows certain products to be sold in the European Union. Its function is to inform users and competent authorities that the equipment marketed complies with the safety, health and environmental protection requirements demanded by the EU. This marking is also recognized in other markets at a global level as it is one of the most demanding.

On the other hand, our team is able to carry out the necessary tests to obtain other markings such as the new UKCA or UK Conformity Assessed, (necessary to market products in Great Britain), or the FCC marking (required to market electronic and telecommunications equipment in the United States).

At WoodSwallow, we advise and guide our clients so that they are aware of and take into account the requirements of the Directives or Regulations applicable to the product to be marketed, before proceeding with its design and manufacture. This will allow us to anticipate and integrate in advance the necessary measures for compliance, avoiding delays and cost overruns when obtaining a product that complies with the necessary Directives.

In cases where an already certified product needs to be modified, either hardware or firmware in nature, our team will take the necessary steps to ensure that the relevant regulations are still complied with.

In order to provide the best-in-class products and solutions to the market, these should be upgradable throughout their lifetime. Bug fixes need to be provided periodically and new functionalities should be released frequently to keep the products up to date.

Our software support and maintenance team can provide these services which can comprise a tailored combination of service desk services, defect triaging, root cause analysis, resolution and testing for bugs and solution architecture, development, and testing of new functionalities. As with our development process, any automated testing regression tool would always be updated to ensure that defect fixes and/or new functional requirements are added to the tools.

From a hardware point of view, we can also assist you in case of any problem with the device or any of its components during the product lifecycle. Our team will analyze the problem presented by the client, and will offer possible solutions.

Whether you manufacture your embedded system or IoT product in-house or are considering using an external manufacturer (either near-shore or off-shore), our team can help you through the go-to-market process. 

WoodSwallow can support and accompany you in the evaluation phase, as well as in the New Product Introduction (NPI) process. All of this with the aim of guaranteeing a smooth and agile introduction and launch of the product to the market.