Apple Inc. · Product Safety Automation
Foreign Object
Detection
Robotic systems that run Apple's wireless-charging safety tests end to end — device prep, test execution, temperature data collection — unattended, overnight.
Safety Test Automation Engineer · Hyulim DTR-MU · Aug 2021 – Jun 2024
The Challenge
Low Complexity
The task itself is simple.
- 01Place foreign object
- 02Turn on wireless charger
- 03Collect temperature data
High Volume
Per product, per year:
2,700 repetitive tests per product, per year. Every hour an engineer spends running them is an hour not spent on problems that need an engineer.
The Solution
Autonomous Test Execution
Places the foreign object, runs the charge cycle, and logs temperature data — no operator needed after initialization.
End-to-End Device Preparation
Charges, drains, and configures devices for each scenario, so every run starts from the same repeatable state.
Continuous & Scalable
Runs unattended, including overnight. Nine systems operate in parallel to cover the full 2,700-test matrix in a day.
Results
| Metric | Manual | Automated |
|---|---|---|
| Tests per product | 108 | 2,700 |
| Time per product | 2.4 days | 1 day |
| Throughput | 3 engineers · 10 min/test | 9 robots · 5 min/test |
| Person-hours per product | 36.5 | 1.5 |
| Labor per year (8 products) | 292 hrs | 12 hrs |
108 tests was the practical ceiling for a team of three — running the full 2,700-test matrix manually would take 75 days per product. Automation runs all of it in one.
Built as internal tooling on Apple's product safety team, so the hardware and source aren't public. Happy to walk through the design in conversation.
Let's Connect
Building something? Let's talk.
jonathangoenadibrata@gmail.com