Hands-on education gets boost from NI miniSystems

Posted to News on 7th Sep 2012, 13:38

Hands-on education gets boost from NI miniSystems

National Instruments is introducing NI miniSystems. These miniaturised versions of real-world systems, such as roll-chassis dynamometers and electrical smart grids, are developed in collaboration with educational suppliers to bring instant relevance to math and science theory as students begin to pursue engineering degrees.

NI miniSystems are small-scale replications of customer-inspired, real-world systems that connect with NI educational hardware and LabVIEW system design software. First-year university students can work on the challenges that originally attracted them to the engineering field, and educators can engage and retain the next generation of innovators. All NI miniSystems are compatible with the NI myDAQ hardware device and priced so educators can teach using an affordable, scalable platform.

Lab platforms have historically been too inaccessible for widespread use in a typical classroom and are often disconnected from the professional tools that are actually used in research and industry. Using the integrated hardware and software approach of graphical system design, NI miniSystems eliminate the cost, time and space barriers that limit educators' abilities to overcome theory-only education by engaging students through hands-on experimentation. NI miniSystems give first-year university or college students a tangible connection between their studies and their future jobs.

Dave Wilson, Director of Academic Programs at National Instruments, says: "We've seen how the graphical system design approach helps scientists and engineers be more innovative by giving them a unified language and set of tools. We're extending this approach into our education platform so that all students, regardless of who they are or where they come from, can access the innovations of great scientists, engineers and educators from around the globe."