Software automation and constraints management to contain complexity within flexible manufacturing

The provision of cost effective flexible test solutions depend very heavily on the application of appropriate DFT (design for test) strategies. The authors believe that this should be an integral part of an all pervasive constraints managed flexible system that will enable either very short iteration loops (Shallow ES) or true concurrency via an object oriented approach. The authors describe their attempt to construct a Soft Automation cell with a degree of constraints management to act as a test bed for the various strategies