What is FutureTruck? FutureTruck is a unique four-year program in which 15 top North American university engineering schools compete to re-engineer a sport utility vehicle (SUV) to improve fuel economy while reducing emissions. The FutureTruck competition brings together government, industry and academia to explore clean, fuel-efficient automotive technologies. Held at locations in Arizona and California, National Instruments is a Major Sponsor of FutureTruck 2003. This is an innovative program that brings together industry, government, and academic leaders in an exciting effort to address the environmental and energy-related impact of sport-utility vehicle (SUV) usage.
The U.S. Department of Energy and Ford Motor Company challenge 15 teams of student engineers from top universities with reengineering a conventional, mid-sized Ford Explorer into a low-emissions vehicle by increasing fuel economy by 25 percent while maintaining vehicle performance, safety, and affordability.What is National Instruments' role as a second year sponsor? National Instruments is proud to be a sponsor of the FutureTruck competition for the second year in a row. From the company's early roots, education has been an important part of NI culture, from helping develop future engineers and scientists to partnering with universities to develop advanced teaching tools.
At the heart of this commitment is NI's sponsorship of the FutureTruck competition, where NI provides technology, products, training, and assistance to facilitate innovation with future automotive technologies. As a major sponsor, National Instruments donates LabVIEW software and measurement hardware to student teams interested in designing, monitoring, and testing their hybrid vehicles using virtual instruments, which leverage commercially available PC technologies and industry-standard software. Students also benefit from a dedicated NI technical mentor who coaches them throughout the year with challenging design issues.
NI to Sponsor the "Most Innovative Use of Virtual Instrumentation" National Instruments awarded a team of University of Tennessee engineering students the Most Innovative Use of Virtual Instrumentation award at the FutureTruck 2003 competition. The team used an innovative virtual instrumentation approach by combining NI LabVIEW Real-Time software and Compact FieldPoint industrial measurement and control hardware to simulate, design, test and implement their hybrid control system in a re-engineered 2002 Ford Explorer. The "Most Innovative Use of Virtual Instrumentation Award" was created to encourage the use of PC-based technology in designing and controlling a cost-effective FutureTruck.
This was awarded to the team that exhibited the best use of Virtual Instrumentation to achieve the goals of the FutureTruck competition. Please note that participation in the Most Innovative Use of Virtual Instrumentation Award is not a requirement for teams requesting NI equipment.
Also note that all FutureTruck teams are eligible to participate in the award whether or not they are utilizing virtual instrumentation (VI) provided by NI.The students learn and apply the theories of reliable, deterministic control algorithms with the latest embedded technologies.Please visit www.ni.com .
