1、Advantages of Using LabVIEW in Academic Research优势利用LabVIEW的学术研究 外文翻译#Advantages of Using LabVIEW in Academic Research#Overview#Scientists and researchers around the world have applied LabVIEW and National Instruments products successfully for research and development （R&#D） in academia. This paper
2、considers some of the advantages of applying the National Instruments platform, including LabVIEW, to build virtual instrumentation and take an effective graphical system design approach that can effectively leverage the opportunities and take on the challenges of modern academic research and develo
3、pment. #Opportunities and Challenges of Modern Academic Research#Academic research and development usually encompasses discovery, innovation, experimentation, and creation;# however, in todays highly competitive and global economy, it also involves patents, licensing, technology transfer, and partne
4、rships with industry. In other words, it is about creating “new knowledge” and building “new bridges” with industry while having a positive impact on the community and society in general. Due to the convergence of technologies and science, multidisciplinary research is required. This means that hard
5、ware and software tools must be adaptable to different disciplines. As technology evolves quickly, laboratories must be updated periodically as well as be able to extend the useful life of current and legacy equipment and software. New research may require custom instruments and application programs
6、 （software） that are not readily available on the market to be built using commercial off-the-shelf （COTS） technologies.#Scientific research is also evolving. Traditionally, basic scientific principles have posed questions that can be investigated empirically （and experimentally）, so that a scientif
7、ic hypothesis can be viable. The scientific method is commonly built around testable hypotheses for which models （conceptual and theoretical） are developed, and then tested through experiments （and tests）.#Figure 1. A common approach to scientific research works to prove an initial hypothesis;# mode
8、ls are developed and confirmed with experimental results.#This hypothesize, model, and experiment approach to scientific research complements a new method in which large data sets that are created from a variety of measurements coming from sensors and data acquisition systems are modeled, analyzed,
9、and mined to “discover” knowledge. In this new approach, models and patterns are identified in the data using analysis and data mining techniques;# the goal is to “find knowledge” and meaningful information in those large sets of data, leading to new scientific discovery and innovation. This process
10、 that starts with measurements and ends with new designs is defined as “designing with measurements.”#Figure 2. With the “designing with measurements” approach to research, sensors and other sources of live signals provide the basis for new discoveries.#Virtual Instrumentation#Virtual instrumentatio
11、n is the combination of user-defined software and modular hardware that implements custom systems （“virtual instruments”） with components for acquisition, processing/analysis and presentation. Virtual instruments commonly leverage mainstream technologies, platforms, and standards such as the PC, Eth
12、ernet, GPIB, USB, IEEE 1394, PCI, PCI Express and others. Virtual instrumentation combines such technology with an application-specific selection of modular hardware for signal I/O, instrument control, connectivity and other tasks.#Virtual instrumentation software is user defined and focused on the
13、needs of the application. For instance, researchers can build custom virtual instruments that can apply real-time mathematics for processing, analysis, and control involving online （live） and/or offline （from a file / database） signal I/O. Using the virtual instrumentation approach, applied mathemat
14、ics is combined with real-time measurements, which helps researchers reduce the time to discovery and, potentially, the time to market and/or time to commercialization of potential products and services that result from research and development （R&#D）.#Figure 3. Virtual instrumentation includes comp
15、onents for data acquisition （signal I/O）, analysis, and presentation.#National Instruments introduced the concept of virtual instrumentation more than 25 years ago and now offers an extensive platform of hardware and software for creating virtual instruments. Since its inception, the virtual instrum
16、entation approach has gained widespread acceptance around the world. For instance, in 2004 National Instruments sold more than 6 million channels of virtual instrumentation in 90 countries. Working with the National Instruments platform, scientists and engineers have employed the virtual instrumentation approach successfully in both industry and academia. The approach is popular in experimental research, finding use in applications such as big physics, automotive, biomedical, com
