We had the opportunity to speak with Bob Zollo, Product Planning Manager for the Power and Energy division at Keysight Technologies, about the development motivation behind IntegraVision, the company's new touch-screen power analyzer, and the future product roadmap for related offerings.

E4DS: What was the most important aspect Keysight considered when developing IntegraVision, a touch-screen power analyzer?

Bob Jollo: There were two key factors. Based on our market research, we discovered that what the market truly demands is high accuracy for critical measurements and single-shot measurement capability for transient-type measurements. So we combined these two elements into one instrument.

E4DS: So the development idea itself came through feedback from engineers?

Bob Jollo: That's correct. My role as a product planning manager is to visit customers around the world, understand what problems they are facing, and determine how Keysight can solve them. They expressed the difficulty of having to switch between two instruments—a power analyzer and an oscilloscope—for power measurements. So I thought, let's combine these two into one instrument and provide them with a better tool to make their work easier. Over the past year, after visiting numerous customers not only in Korea but throughout Asia, Europe, and the United States, we identified this need, which led us to develop this product.

E4DS: I imagine other competitors must have considered this problem as well, yet they haven't released such a product. This suggests there are some difficulties in achieving this. What challenges did your company face during the development of this product, and how did you overcome them?

Bob Jollo: In fact, recognizing that such a change is necessary is often the most difficult part. To accomplish this, Keysight employs customer interview techniques. Moreover, as a manufacturer producing many different types of instruments, Keysight doesn't simply ask "How can we make a better power analyzer?" Instead, we step back and ask "How can we create a better total solution?" We have many different technologies applicable to this problem. Competitors like Yokogawa, for example, only handle power analyzers, so they don't think about "How can we apply multiple different technologies to solve this problem?" On the other hand, we possess oscilloscope technology as well as power supply technology and power analyzer technology, and we have 17 years of business experience in the test and measurement field. This means we can apply all of this engineering knowledge we possess to solving customer problems.

E4DS: In other words, you can more easily overcome development challenges?

Bob Jollo: Yes, because we can approach the problem situation with a much broader vision.

E4DS: How has this technological integration affected the cost structure?

Bob Jollo: Of course, creating a product with powerful performance at a low cost is not easy. However, because we leverage our already very cost-effective oscilloscope designs, we can manufacture instruments at a relatively excellent price point relative to the value we provide to the market.

E4DS: Yun Duk-kwon, CEO of Keysight Korea, indicated that the company plans to launch more diverse field-focused products in the future. Does this mean there's a possibility of releasing products with full oscilloscope functionality, not just enhanced oscilloscope capabilities, in the near future?

Bob Jollo: Not in the very near future, but I believe it will be possible down the road. This product is just the beginning of many products that will focus on energy. The fact that my department recently changed its name to the Power & Energy Division reflects our concentration on this work. And in the future, I imagine we will also offer more affordable products with somewhat limited functionality for customers who are more cost-sensitive. I also envision providing handheld units to assist fieldwork. For example, if there's a large power unit, you can't bring it to the measuring instrument. You have to bring the instrument to the power unit. Therefore, I believe that in the future, we will see various other instruments including handheld versions. From an oscilloscope perspective, one of the most difficult aspects of measurement is performing high-precision, high-bandwidth measurements. Not high bandwidth with low precision, or high precision with low bandwidth, but both simultaneously. This is the biggest technical challenge for this product. Currently, for example, we cannot perform 16-bit high-precision measurements at 500MHz. Such performance is not currently available. However, Keysight has its own research laboratory dedicated to technology development. Through their efforts, there will eventually come a time when we can perform high-bit, high-precision measurements with a single instrument.

E4DS: Finally, you obtained the product idea through engineer feedback. Now that the final product is out, what has been the engineers' reaction to it? What aspects do engineers most appreciate about this product once they experience it in its actual implementation?

Bob Jollo: The fact that this product looks and feels like an oscilloscope. Engineers love oscilloscopes because they show pictures—the big picture. Through that, you can see what's happening. That's why our new product is named IntegraVISION—because it shows you what's happening inside the product. Because engineers love oscilloscopes so much, we wanted to provide them with power information in a manner similar to an oscilloscope. The reaction from customers who have experienced this product is: "This part is the best! The look and feel are exactly the same as my oscilloscope!"

E4DS: Thank you for the great insights.