High-tech needs push scopes in new direction. (In focus: test and measurement).(Brief Article)

It seems you can teach an old dog new tricks. The oscilloscope, one of the oldest engineering tools, is undergoing improvements that are propelling it to the vanguard of test and measurement in this new Internet-connected world.

"It is evolving at a stunning pace," says David Long, the R&D section manager for high-performance oscilloscopes at Agilent Technologies. "Today's instrument is definitely not your father's oscilloscope."

Long, a graduate of Purdue University who has worked with scopes for more than 15 years, helped develop the Infiniium, which is bi