Tony DePaolantonio
AZ
Bio:
Tony DePaolantonio is Director of Test Services and Custom Solutions Manager at W5 Engineering. He helps engineering teams design instrumentation systems, integrate sensors and data acquisition, and determine whether their measurements can be trusted—especially when the first graph looks a little too interesting.
Tony’s technical career began in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he worked on HAWK surface-to-air missile defense systems. He later worked as an independent defense contractor and held roles with Lockheed Martin and TRAX. At Yuma Proving Ground, his work in automotive instrumentation included vehicle and robotics testing.
At Tesla, Tony led the Global Instrumentation & Imaging Team, growing it from three people to 27 while supporting development and validation programs. He also worked at Apple before returning to Tesla and later joining W5 Engineering. His experience spans defense, automotive, robotics, aerospace, and industrial test applications.
Across these settings, Tony has worked through the challenges that arise after a sensor is selected: mounting it correctly, protecting the signal, configuring the acquisition system, and recognizing when the recorded data does not reflect the system under test. He has learned that a loose connector can produce a remarkably convincing engineering mystery. Those lessons form the basis of his presentation on building confidence in real-world measurements.
Tony is a Certified Instrumentation Specialist, an international speaker, and a member of the Sensors Converge Advisory Board for more than seven years.