Instrumentation: Automatic test equipment; hardware and software: The need for standard languages and sophisticated interfaces is paced by the expanding applications for automatic testing

With automatic test equipment (ATE) accounting for approximately $0.5 billion a year of industry sales to the U.S. Government, it is not surprising that many companies have aimed their efforts at capturing this lucrative market. Basing itself on the early and costly development of ATE systems for the military and NASA, the commercial market has benefited immensely, in both availability and sales. And the prospects for the future look even better.