Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it was the source of
novelty in the world of engineering. Breaking to make has been a method
extensively used in engineering to understand the working of the engineers'
muse. So extensively was this method used that officially, a term was
coined-Reverse Engineering. So what is Reverse Engineering? It is curiosity
applied to devices, objects or systems as in the engineer breaking these
devices, objects or systems apart (very carefully) into their basic forms so as
to understand how the parts have been fitted together to work as a whole and to
understand the role that each part would play. Reverse Engineering aids not
only an understanding of the device or system but also allows for its
enhancement. Therefore, the process of Reverse Engineering is extremely useful
in the understanding and improving the technology.
Reverse Engineering, it seems, was originally used in the
procedure of analyzing military and commercial hardware when the original
production procedures were unclear or unknown. Now, the concept has broken
through the boundaries of hardware and is extensively used to expose the
origins of software.
Reasons for this type of Engineering
Today, there are several reasons for the application of this
type of engineering:
o Ambiguity
about the procedures involved in production of technology
o The need
to enable technological devices, objects or systems to exchange information and
use this exchanged information to perform new functions - Interoperability
o Lost
documentation on the method of building this piece of technology or the loss of
those who built or made it
oEnhancing
obsolete technology or producing newer versions of it and having it perform
more than the original version
o Analyzing
the product, its components, its price and possibilities of infringement of any
patent
o Removing
copyrights or circumventing restrictions of access
o Espionage
of commercial or military nature which involves procuring of a competitor or
enemy prototype and pulling it apart for one's own product
o Learning
from previous technological prototypes that may not have worked optimally and
modifying mistakes
Engineering Decisions
The decision of whether to go ahead with this type of
engineering is based on two factors - Time & Money. Reverse Engineering is
quite time-consuming as it involves a lot of breaking down and analyzing.
Consequently, it is also a very expensive process and the financial benefit
needs to be weighed against purchase from the original manufacturer.
Stages of this type of Engineering
There are essentially four stages to the process of reverse
engineering:
1. Identifying
the object, device or system that one wants to reverse engineer
2. Breaking
it down to its more basic components and documenting the knowledge that has
been gained about the role of the original components
3. Applying
this knowledge to a modified version or a replica of the original technology by
engineering reverse the replica as well
4. Developing
a new product from the other three stages
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