National Instruments takes a software connected approach to creating a digital thread through every phase of a product’s lifecycle
National Instruments (NI) has enhanced its product set with the aim of facilitating innovation across the production process, from testing and validation to R&D and design.
Today’s rapid pace of technology advancements requires increasingly complex products and more efficient product development. By making use of a software-connected approach, organisations can unlock the value of test data to not only keep up with that pace but get there faster, smarter and with the right data insights to make informed engineering decisions.
NI’s software-connected approach creates a more complete enterprise data and insight chain, collecting and connecting the data that accelerates digital transformation, enabling customers to optimise every step of the product life cycle.
According to Eric Starkloff, NI’s CEO, a digital thread of data across each phase of the product life cycle delivers powerful insights to enhance product performance.
“At NI, our software-connected approach unlocks the power of test, from early research to the production floor and beyond. We continue to aggressively invest in the technology to make this compelling vision a reality,” he says.
NI says that its latest product updates and innovations are designed to help engineers and enterprises save time, reduce costs and ultimately get to market faster. These product advancements include:
* Streamlined SystemLink Software Interface to Increase Efficiency — By connecting test systems and test data to enterprise outcomes, SystemLink software substantially accelerates each phase of the product life cycle. With a unified view of test operations in design validation and production environments, SystemLink manages and simplifies test scheduling, resource utilisation, system health and maintenance. The latest software enhancements include new UI customisation options, simplified product navigation and expanded asset health monitoring capabilities.
* LabVIEW 2021 improves Interoperability with Python and MathWorks MATLAB Software — Open-source software is increasingly important as systems become more diverse and complex. NI’s 2021 version of LabVIEW features improved interoperability with Python and MathWorks MATLAB, improved support for version control with usability enhancements. These updates make it easier for engineers to connect disparate systems and hardware to accelerate innovation, especially in the design and validation environments.
• New PXI Hardware to Enable Software-Connected Workflow in a Smaller, Cost-Effective Package — Like open-source software, modular hardware is also increasingly important to flexibly connect with existing systems and workflows. PXI hardware delivers openness, software options, modularity and I/O coverage for customers seeking to develop adaptive and scalable systems. NI’s first 2-slot PXI chassis has a smaller, more cost-effective package. Modular hardware like PXI enables a software-connected workflow to achieve better results.
* NI is also in collaboration with Seagate to deliver in-vehicle edge storage and data transfer — The next generation of autonomous vehicles requires more real road data than ever before, making efficient data storage exceedingly important. NI and Seagate Technology are enhancing data storage services powered by Seagate’s Lyve Mobile edge storage and data transfer service, enabling original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers to modernise their data storage.
• NI Ettus USRP X410 Software Defined Radio Platform to Accelerate Wireless Innovation — The next generation of wireless technologies, 5G and 6G, are poised to transform the way people and systems connect, making test data insights that much more important. Because wireless technology is becoming increasingly complex, advanced tools to support research and prototyping are needed. The new NI Ettus USRP X410 Software Defined Radio Platform is high performance and fully open source, allowing engineers to achieve a faster time to prototype and accelerate wireless innovation.