Book excerpt: Methods of diagnosis and prognosis play a key role in the reliability and safety of industrial systems. Failure diagnosis requires the use of suitable sensors, which provide signals that are processed to monitor features (health indicators) for defects. These features are required to distinguish between operating states, in order to inform the operator of the severity level, or even the type, of a failure. Prognosis is defined as the estimation of a systems lifespan, including how long remains and how long has passed. It also encompasses the prediction of impending failures. This is a challenge that many researchers are currently trying to address. Electrical Systems, a book in two volumes, informs readers of the theoretical solutions to this problem, and the results obtained in several laboratories in France, Spain and further afield. To this end, many researchers from the scientific community have contributed to this book to share their research results.