Emerging wireless and cellular 5G technologies are bringing a new level of connectivity to cars and enabling many applications to support safety, efficiency, and Internet access. Connectivity is a natural complement to other kinds of automotive sensors that are also being integrated in vehicles.   

A family of high-performance PXI remote control and bus extension modules with PCI Express Gen 3 connectivity has been released by NI. PCI Express Gen 3 technology delivers increased bandwidth that is critical for data intensive applications like 5G cellular research, RF record and playback, and high-channel-count data acquisition.

The PXIe-8301 remote control module from National Instruments (NI) is said to be the industry’s first solution for laptop control of PXI systems using Thunderbolt 3. The module offers PCI Express Gen 3 connectivity through two Thunderbolt 3 ports to maximise performance and delivers up to 2.3GB/s of sustained data throughput.

Multiple antenna User Equipment (UE) support for its LabVIEW Communications MIMO Application Framework has been announced by NI. It is claimed to be the world’s only commercially available physical layer reference design that powers true Massive MIMO prototyping that goes beyond just desktop simulations to fully functional 5G deployments.   

With dedication and a creative approach, University College London (UCL) research is helping to address the world's most urgent problems. Whether designing healthier cities or grappling with issues such as global health and climate change, the challenges of daily life inspire UCL students and academics

An Internet of Things (IoT) teaching approach with a suite of advanced tools has been developed by NI. Professors and students can take advantage of these teaching tools, which consist of the myRIO Student Embedded Device, LabVIEW toolkits, PTC’s ThingWorx software and projects created by Tufts University, to build real-world IoT applications in the classroom.

A baseband model of the second-generation Vector Signal Transceiver (VST) has been unveiled by NI. The PXIe-5820 module is said to be the industry’s first baseband VST with 1GHz of complex I/Q bandwidth and is designed to address the most challenging RF front-end module and transceiver test applications, such as envelope tracking, digital pre-distortion and 5G test.

Two new multislot Ethernet chassis, the cDAQ-9185 and cDAQ-9189 introduce new time-based synchronisation built on the latest Ethernet standards, furthering NI’s efforts in Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) and rugged CompactDAQ hardware for distributed measurements. The nature of physical systems test is rapidly changing as measurement systems migrate from the control room to closer to the device under test.

ATE Core Configurations which deliver core mechanical, power and safety infrastructure to help users accelerate the design and build of automated test systems have been introduced by NI. They target industries ranging from semiconductor and consumer electronics to aerospace and automotive.

LabVIEW NXG 1.0, the first release of the next generation of NI’s LabVIEW engineering system design software has been unveiled at NIWeek in Austin. NI says It bridges the gap between configuration-based software and custom programming languages with an innovative new approach to measurement automation that empowers domain experts to focus on what matters most – the problem, not the tool. 

NI AWR software will be featured in several technical sessions during the 2017 International Microwave Symposium (IMS2017) being held in Honolulu (June 4-8). These sessions enable attendees to directly use NI AWR software products and design a variety of RF/microwave circuits and systems. Advance registration is required for all technical hands-on sessions.

  The Aerospace & Defence Forum 2017 is a one-day industry conference dedicated to managers leading projects in the aviation, aerospace and defence industries. 

The WLAN Test Toolkit 17.0 with support for Draft 1.1 of the IEEE 802.11ax standard has been announced by NI. Combined with NI’s second-generation Vector Signal Transceiver (VST), the WLAN Test Toolkit 17.0 supports 802.11ax waveform generation and analysis for characterisation, validation and production test of products, such as RF front end components, wireless modules and user devices, that implement Draft 1.1 of the IEEE 802.11ax standa...

NI AWR software will be featured at Wireless Technology Park (WTP) 2017, being staged Tokyo (May 24-26). In addition to software demonstrations of NI AWR Design Environment V13 and AntSyn, a 40-minute antenna design seminar will also be offered.

Industry trends and opportunities as well as solutions for selected technical challenges will be topics at the Aerospace and Defence Forum 2017. The industry conference will feature a full day of keynotes, technical presentations, demonstrations and user solutions. Hosted by National Instruments, the event takes place on Tuesday June 20 at the Royal Berkshire Conference Centre, Madejski Stadium, Reading UK.  

A new Control Systems Engineering Laboratory has been opened by NI in partnership with Cardiff University. The laboratory in Cardiff University features NI myDAQ, NI myRIO and LabVIEW to interact or actuate with various control plants and is set to better equip undergraduates studying control systems as part of their Electrical, Electronic, Integrated, Medical and Mechanical Engineering degrees.

A collaboration on one of the world’s fastest and most accurate tools for 5G Millimeter Wave (mmWave) channel characterisation has been announced by NI and AT&T. mmWave frequencies look to play a big role in the future of 5G. They have already been earmarked by the FCC, 3GPP and other standardization bodies for 5G mobile networks.

Sensors have long been a part of electronic systems in practically every industry. They are so fundamental to the operation of these countless systems that it is hard to imagine life without them. Janusz Bryzek, an executive from Fairchild Semiconductor, said that sensors could reach 1 trillion per year and become 15% of the global gross domestic product by 2024.

The world’s first public demonstration at 28GHz of a real-time, over-the-air prototype aligned with the Verizon 5G specification was given by NI at the IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference (WCNC) in San Francisco. The system uses OFDM with eight component carriers in a 2x2 downlink MU-MIMO configuration with hybrid beamforming and a self-contained subframe, yielding a 5Gbit/s peak throughput, and is scalable to over 20 Gbi...

The latest release of NI AWR Design Environment, V13, will be on display at the Electronic Design Innovation Conference (EDICON) 2017, being held in Shanghai, China (April 25-27). In addition to software demonstrations within NI Booth #311, the NI AWR software product portfolio will be featured in one 40-minute workshop and two 20-minute technical sessions.