LabVIEW can be used in a variety of industries and applications including:

• Simulating heart functions
• Controlling an ice cream-making process
• Detecting Hydrogen gas leaks on the space shuttle
• Monitoring feeding patterns of baby ostriches
• Modeling power systems to analyze power quality
• Measuring physical effects of exercise in lab rats
• Motion control of servo and stepper motors
• Testing electronic circuit boards in computer and electronic devices

It allows users to have complete interactive control of their software systems. User-friendly, graphical block diagrams avoid text-based coding and serve as the building blocks for a complete instrumentation system.

Users easily graphically assemble software modules; they first build the graphical-user interface called the front panel, then they create the underlying program in the graphical block diagram environment.

LabVIEW allows professors to develop low-cost, but extremely flexible and powerful lab setups.

Students are encouraged to be creative and independent; they will be participating in real-world, practical lab experiments.

Other special features of LabVIEW are:

• Modularity--users define, modify, interchange, and combine VI building blocks to meet changing application needs.
• A graphical compiler that generates optimized code with execution speeds comparable to compiled C programs.
• Built-in VI libraries for GPIB (for IEEE 488 instruments), data acquisition, and serial communication.
• Programming structures such as For Loops, While Loops, and Case Statements for sequential, repetitive, and branching operations.

System Requirements:

• Macintosh--68020 processor or higher, 6 MB RAM, 10 MB hard disk space, System 6.0.4 or higher with 32-bit QuickDraw, or System 7.0 or higher.
• Windows--386SX processor or higher, 6 MB RAM, 10 MB hard disk space, and Windows 3.1 or higher.