Test the real hardware, not only the model
Simulations, Software-in-the-Loop environments and FMEDA are essential, but they cannot fully represent how real hardware fails. Modern safety-critical systems use redundant command chains, and the real world is more complex than any theoretical fault model.
Novasom’s Fault Injection HIL systems inject faults at both levels of the Device Under Test (DUT): at the connector, like a conventional HIL, and directly on the PCBA — on internal nodes, supply rails, I²C/SPI buses and JTAG/debug pads that never reach the connector — with controlled voltage and current and accurate timing, so you can verify how the complete system — hardware and software — actually responds. This is hardware fault injection for ISO 26262, applied at the level where faults really happen.
Our Fault Injection HIL is referenced in Wikipedia’s fault injection article, alongside other hardware and software fault injection tools.
Deterministic at scale
A dedicated nail-bed fixture, designed together with your FMEDA, contacts 500+ internal test points on the PCBA; on each one the system can both inject a fault and read the signal back. Our embedded architecture runs in pure real time, without an operating system, so every fault is delivered precisely and repeatably.
High-level graphical tools and FPGA-based systems often struggle to guarantee deterministic fault delivery because of hardware-firmware pipeline delays. Traditional SIL interface boards add timing uncertainty at microsecond level, signal distortion and pin-count limits.
Our HIL systems are designed to work alongside your SIL platform: message-based control over RS-232 or USB, integration with toolchains such as VtStudio, and custom boards to extend pin count and injection types.
Evidence for safety cases and audits
Standards — validation activities aligned with ISO 26262, EN 50155 and MIL-STD-461.
Audit-ready results — every test generates real, repeatable evidence, suitable for audits and certification processes.
From FMEDA to physical test — every hardware fault scenario from your safety-goal analysis can be physically injected, and the complete system response verified — FMEDA validation on real hardware.
Diagnostic coverage verification — measure which injected faults your safety mechanisms actually detect, and confirm the diagnostic coverage claimed in your ISO 26262 safety case.
Configurable — dedicated nail-bed fixtures and extension boards for CAN, Ethernet, I2C and SPI.
Engineering support included — our team defines the testing strategy with you and designs the nail bed and custom cards your board needs.
See also Fault Injection Systems & HIL, Automotive & Safety-Critical Expertise and Railway Safety & Quality.
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