Delving into NI’s Test and Measurement Platforms
What you’ll learn:
- Why NI’s platform isn’t just a hardware or software solution.
- What part does LabVIEW play in NI’s platform solution?
- How is Nigel AI Assistant making it easier to use the platform?
Fifty years ago, National Instruments (NI) started building test and measurement hardware. Ten years later, it launched LabVIEW, a graphical programming language and environment (Fig. 1). Graphical programming and test was a match made in heaven. Now the combination is the test and measurement platform from Emerson’s NI Test and Measurement Group.
I talked with NI’s CTO Kevin Schultz about the company’s hardware/software platform, including where it’s headed with the Nigel AI Assistant, which is making inroads into other NI software — not just LabVIEW (listen to the podcast).
NI started building GPIB interfaces, but it now has a range of test and measurement platforms, such as the modular CompactRIO (Fig. 2) in addition to PXI/PCIe-based solutions. CompactRIO controllers incorporate an FPGA for handling real-time chores in hardware.
About the Author
William G. Wong
Senior Content Director - Electronic Design and Microwaves & RF
I am Editor of Electronic Design focusing on embedded, software, and systems. As Senior Content Director, I also manage Microwaves & RF and I work with a great team of editors to provide engineers, programmers, developers and technical managers with interesting and useful articles and videos on a regular basis. Check out our free newsletters to see the latest content.
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I earned a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Masters in Computer Science from Rutgers University. I still do a bit of programming using everything from C and C++ to Rust and Ada/SPARK. I do a bit of PHP programming for Drupal websites. I have posted a few Drupal modules.
I still get a hand on software and electronic hardware. Some of this can be found on our Kit Close-Up video series. You can also see me on many of our TechXchange Talk videos. I am interested in a range of projects from robotics to artificial intelligence.
Kevin Schultz
CTO & General Manager, Test and Measurement Technology Innovation Office Emerson Test and Measurement Business
Kevin Schultz serves as chief technology officer and general manager of the Technology Innovation Office at Emerson’s test and measurement business, formerly NI. In this role, he is responsible for driving long-term, sustainable differentiation through disruptive, customer-focused innovation and the development of foundational architectures and technologies.
Prior to his current role, Schultz served as senior vice president over multiple research and development divisions, including platform, segmenting, RF, and data acquisition and control. He is the inventor or co-inventor of 25 technical patents, representing his work driving strategic innovation, development, and execution.
He holds Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees in electrical engineering from Texas A&M University and St. Cloud State University, respectively, and serves on the Dwight Look College of Engineering Advisory Council at Texas A&M University.
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