Real-World Robotics

Did you know that the robots you create with LEGO^® MINDSTORMS^® NXT are actually very similar to robots used in the real world? Robots are used extensively to build automobiles, airplanes, ships, and unmanned vehicles that can be used to explore difficult and dangerous environments such as the ocean floor or caves. Real-world robots not only have a central computer, motors and sensors, and a communication tool to talk with other devices much like the NXT robots, but they also are controlled using programming software.

In fact, LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT software is an optimized version of the professional NI LabVIEW graphical programming software used by scientists and engineers worldwide to design, control, and test consumer products and systems such as MP3 and DVD players, cell phones, and vehicle air bag safety systems.

Real-World Examples

Microsoft Uses NI LabVIEW and PXI Modular Instruments to Develop Production Test System for Xbox 360 Controllers
Microsoft used a flexible automated test system based on Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft SQL Server, NI LabVIEW, and NI PXI modular instruments to test the functional performance of the Xbox 360 controller, both wired and wireless versions.

Creating a Magnetic Imaging System for Diagnosing Infant Brain Activity Based on NI PXI and LabVIEW
Tristan Technologies developed a noninvasive magnetic imaging system to spatially and temporally map the magnetic fields generated by brain activity in infants at severe risk of developing cerebral palsy and epilepsy, so that medical doctors can intervene at an early stage.

Using Compact FieldPoint for Underwater Crawler Control and Data Acquisition
The National Institute of Ocean Technology built a data acquisition and control system for an underwater crawler that can operate on the seabed up to a depth of 600 m.

Texas A&M University Implements NI LabVIEW DSP in Curriculum
Texas A&M electrical engineering undergraduate students participate in a capstone design course in which they "design, build, and test" a new solution or marketable product to demonstrate their hardware and software design proficiency.

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