Pytest on the Bench, Not in the Cloud

We wire UART bridges with explicit teardown hooks so ports never leak across runs. Students learn to fail tests loudly when the harness itself is unhealthy — meta, but vital.

Fixtures live next to firmware folders with a README that lists supply limits and cable lengths. If the README is stale, mentors bounce the review — documentation is part of the test.

We add one fault injection per week, escalating complexity. By the final sprint, teams defend their fault matrix in front of peers.

We do not cover distributed grid runners; the point is repeatable local truth you can carry onto a factory floor.