Recent technological progress in portable instruments

Electronic portable instruments are normally regarded as a subsection of instruments and instrumentation systems. However, with today´s advances in communication technology and digital systems, the portable instruments are emerging as a separate discipline in their own right. The emergence of satellite systems and advances RF and microwave communications are greatly impacting development and use of portable instruments. Portable instruments are no longer small devices designed just for simple measurements, but they are much more complex in their functionalities and also can communicate with each other devices or other digital systems while in use. The progress in the hardware as semiconductor, intelligent sensors, microsensors, and the software as in the case of virtual instruments are adding remarkable features portable instruments and opening up many potential areas for applications. Recent sudden progress in portable instruments are forcing established standards and offering challenges to the designers, manufacturers and consumers.