Windows 8 takes an inspired new approach to its user interface. The latest OS changes the way you'll interact with your PC—and your test and measurements. If you’re worried that this change will cause complications: don’t. For the most part, software that works in Windows 7 will transition seamlessly to Windows 8.
National Instruments has done extensive testing with our application software and hardware device drivers to ensure that customers who move to the new OS will have few problems. And in 2013, National Instruments will officially support Windows 8 as an OS option for our controllers.
There are also some great features available in this OS. One we’re most excited about for NI is the upcoming Surface Pro tablet, which will run the same version of the OS as desktop PCs. It will allow customers to plug in their USB DAQ devices and run LabVIEW applications on their tablets. The Surface Pro will release in Q1 2013.
National Instruments will also have a version of the NI Data Dashboard available for Windows RT on the Surface tablet in the next few months. Data Dashboard 1.0 for Windows RT will allow engineers to create custom dashboards to monitor LabVIEW applications remotely.
In the coming years, the Data Dashboard might not be the only way to interact with LabVIEW on a tablet.
National Instruments has set out to make portable technology like tablets and smartphones as productive as possible with an ecosystem of mobile applications and instruments. In this NIWeek 2012 keynote address, Kyle Gupton points out that LabVIEW is the most touch-ready language on the planet. Customers can already view their LabVIEW applications through the Data Dashboard for LabVIEW app, which has a new version launch coming up.
Watch as Jeff Kodosky, the father of LabVIEW, demonstrates a “very, very, very early version” of a touch-based interface for LabVIEW in this keynote address from NIWeek 2012. As NI engineers continue to develop interactive software solutions, users can look forward to the possibility of designing and editing LabVIEW diagrams without lifting a finger—literally.
This fall, the LabVIEW Campus Tour is delivering something unexpected to universities. We’re bringing the latest technologies directly to you —and letting you experience a variety of products for teaching and research without leaving your campus or interrupting your class or lab schedule.
The LabVIEW Campus Tour is an exhibition on wheels, showcasing the latest technologies for embedded, control, and measurement applications. Through lots of interactive demonstrations, this tour is the best way to see how you can use NI's industry-standard tools to accelerate your research as well as deliver complete hands-on teaching solutions for your students to "do engineering." Students will be inspired by the variety of projects on display that were developed within LabVIEW in a matter of hours, instead of weeks or months.
On the Campus Tour bus, there are demos for everyone:
For Educators
Measurements
Circuits & Electronics
Controls & Mechatronics
Communications
For Researchers
RF & Microwave Design
Structural Testing
Power Electronics
Active Suspension
Wireless Measurements
For Students
Robots
Design Project Examples
Campus Tour attendees can also learn which NI products are available at their schools, and most importantly, connect with peers and LabVIEW experts. Visit the Tour bus to start (or jump start) your semester.
What level of LabVIEW user are you—a developer, engineer, or architect? Is it even important?
Absolutely. These categories make it easy for NI to tailor helpful resources to your individual needs. By visiting the LabVIEW Skills Guide, you can see what defines these levels and which trainings or guides we recommend each use to help them develop successful applications faster.
Here are a few examples of skills you can learn from the latest guide:
For Technicians or Basic Developers
Troubleshoot and debug LabVIEW code
Apply key LabVIEW elements for relating data (such as arrays, clusters, and typedefs)
Apply design patterns and templates
For Software Engineers
Optimize reuse of existing code for your projects
Design, implement, document, and test code modules for each task
Derive a task list and high-level flowchart to guide design and development
For Software Architects
Analyze, critique, and improve the architecture of a LabVIEW application
Optimize code and resources to effectively reduce development time and costs
Design an application using object-oriented design principles
Best of all, many of these resources are free or available at a discounted price for students. Questions? Post your comments below and we’ll follow up on them personally.
NI just released the NI USRP-2920 and NI USRP-2921 instruments, which offer a new educational platform for true hands-on learning with real-world signals in university RF and communications labs. The new platform combines the NI universal software radio peripheral (USRP) hardware with LabVIEW and lab-ready course material.
The platform provides educators with an affordable solution that exposes students to practical application of abstract mathematical theories that have traditionally been taught using a theoretical, math-focused approach in which students derive formulas and build simulations. Students can now explore the link between abstract mathematical theory and practical implementation through hands-on experimentation with a working communications system.
LabVIEW in Action
To see how people inside and outside of NI are using LabVIEW in some of the most technical, hilarious, and/or DIY applications, keep a lookout on this LabVIEW in Action blog.
