 |
Thursday Keynote Recap
Ray Almgren, NI vice president of academic marketing, closed NIWeek 2007 with his keynote on hands-on and experiential learning. He emphasized the ongoing commitment of National Instruments to engage engineers of all ages in technically challenging, socially relevant engineering and science projects. Almgren described several educational initiatives that National Instruments and LabVIEW are an integral part of, including FIRST LEGO® League, Project Lead The Way, and The Infinity Project. Almgren was joined by young LabVIEW users - from primary school students to university researchers - to demonstrate how they use National Instruments LabVIEW to create applications at home and in the lab. Virginia Tech researchers NIWeek 2007 paper contest winners Karl Muecke and Dr. Dennis Hong showed off DARwIn, a fully articulated humanoid robot powered by NI LabVIEW that recently participated in RoboCup, a robotic soccer competition.
Almgren concluded by encouraging engineers in the audience to actively engage in educational programs in their communities, such as FIRST LEGO League and FIRST Robotics, and then introduced 10-year-old LabVIEW wiz Samuel Majors and his father Pat. Samuel discussed how he has developed and deployed LabVIEW VIs to control a train set and touched on his recent presentations to University of Illinois railroad engineers on the LabVIEW graphical programming environment.
View a video of the keynote
TOP
|
 |
Thursday Guest Keynote Recap
Following Ray Almgren, Chris Anderson, Wired editor-in-chief and author of The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More, described the business potential of the long tail - the rise of niche products as a powerful force in the economy. He discussed how companies such as National Instruments are succeeding in the marketplace by increasing variety and addressing more granular customer needs.
Anderson also presented a project he developed with his kids using LEGO products and a model airplane - an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) created with LEGO MINDSTORMS®. Like NI, he wants to foster interest in engineering and science among children. One creative idea he shared was a competitive scavenger hunt involving the UAV and wireless technology, which he hopes to kick off in 2008.
Anderson explained that the UAV is just one of countless applications possible in a long-tail market, where people can reappropriate goods and mash up applications to create new products previously unimagined.
|
 |
And the Winner Is . . .
NI has announced the winner of the NIWeek 2007 ultimate gaming giveaway. Chris Lynch of Applied Biosystems receives a $5,000 gaming package that includes a Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite system, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, and PSP. The prize package also features a Samsung 46 in. 1080p LCD television, a Panasonic surround sound system, and an Xbox 360 Ear Force - a lightweight, wireless headphone set and communicator. Chris will enjoy this setup with a Boom Chair, a plush gaming chair with built-in audio and vibration.
TOP
|
 |
NI News
Keep Up-to-Date with the NI E-mail Newsletter
Subscribe to NI News, a free semimonthly e-mail newsletter featuring the latest measurement and automation product news, events, and technical support from National Instruments. Once you've subscribed at ni.com/ninews, you can customize the newsletter to your product and industry preferences for information relevant to your job or interests.
TOP
|
 |
NIWeek 2008
Save $200 by Registering Early!
Register for NIWeek 2008 by August 31 and receive $200 off the regular conference price. NIWeek 2008 is scheduled for August 5-7, 2008, with Alliance Day on August 4, 2008. Register now at ni.com/niweek.
TOP
|
 |
LabVIEW Zone Continues Online
Be a Part of the Online LabVIEW Community
LabVIEW Zone is an online community for graphical programmers. From beginning students to skilled LabVIEW Champions, LabVIEW Zone has something to offer. Participate in discussion forums, share example code, watch the latest application videos, learn about user groups, and research third-party tools.
TOP
|
|
|
