NI CEO Previews Future of Virtual Instrumentation at 11th Annual NIWeek
Dr. James Truchard, president, CEO and cofounder of National Instruments, today shared his vision for virtual instrumentation to a record number of NIWeek conference attendees. He discussed the evolution of virtual instrumentation from mainstream test applications to industrial control to an innovative graphical system design methodology that opens new possibilities in embedded design.
“With virtual instrumentation, engineers and scientists now can integrate measurements from the front end of the research phase through simulation, testing and manufacturing,” Truchard said. “Virtual instrumentation has crossed into the mainstream as a standard for building test and measurement systems. We are excited to take the next step with a graphical system design approach to do for embedded design what the PC did for the desktop.”
He explained how the PC offers a reusable, standardized software and hardware architecture with long-term compatibility, delivering a framework of standardization that benefits millions of users and millions of applications. Similarly, Truchard envisions this same standardization in the embedded design space through virtual instrumentation.
Truchard introduced a new diagram to illustrate virtual instrumentation for embedded development, which included three stages – design, prototype and deploy. “Engineers can use LabVIEW throughout embedded development,” he said. “In the design phase, LabVIEW features tools for digital signal and image processing; communications; system identification and advanced control design; and component characterization. Then, LabVIEW FPGA gives engineers and scientists what they need to build flexible, nimble prototypes. Using LabVIEW, engineers validate and test, then deploy their products to the field.”
After Truchard’s speech, John Pasquarette, NI director of software marketing, demonstrated how virtual instrumentation brings productivity gains to embedded development and design from FPGA to DSPs. Applications showcased National Instruments SignalExpress for highly integrated and easy-to-use software on the benchtop; NI CompactRIO and LabVIEW FPGA reconfigurable tools for the industrial market; and LabVIEW for embedded development and wireless communications applications. Jeff Kodosky, the father of LabVIEW, closed the keynote with a glimpse into the future of graphical programming.
“Scientists and engineers in all enterprises have benefited from the large productivity gains provided by LabVIEW,” Kodosky said. “We are continuing to advance the state-of-the-art in graphical programming, while still preserving the core integrity and value of the fundamental concepts in LabVIEW since the very beginning.”
Truchard, a respected veteran of the measurement and automation industry, often advises and counsels industry, academic and governmental organizations on technology issues. He is a member of the University of Texas System Chancellor’s Council and a former member of Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s Advisory Council on Digital Economy. He cofounded National Instruments in 1976 in Austin, Texas, and has led the company through 28 years of growth.
About National Instruments
National Instruments (www.ni.com) is a technology pioneer and leader in virtual instrumentation – a revolutionary concept that has changed the way engineers and scientists in industry, government and academia approach measurement and automation. Leveraging PCs and commercial technologies, virtual instrumentation increases productivity and lowers costs for test, control and design applications through easy-to-integrate software, such as NI LabVIEW, and modular measurement and control hardware for PXI, PCI, USB and Ethernet. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more than 3,600 employees and direct operations in nearly 40 countries. In 2004, the company sold products to more than 25,000 companies in 90 countries. For the past six years, FORTUNE magazine has named NI one of the 100 best companies to work for in America.
