In an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) demonstration using a mountain bike tricked out with sensors and instrumentation, ThingWorx, a PTC business, revealed how an operator might see an industrial machine’s metrics in real time by looking through a mobile human-machine interface (HMI) or a head-mounted display. The NIWeek demo on Aug. 5, 2015, used myRIO embedded hardware programmed with NI LabVIEW.
In an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) demonstration using a mountain bike tricked out with sensors and instrumentation, ThingWorx, a PTC business, revealed how an operator might see an industrial machine’s metrics in real time by looking through a mobile human-machine interface (HMI) or wearable HMI, such as a head-mounted, hands-free display.
The Aug. 5, 2015, NIWeek keynote demo drew applause as Mike Campbell, executive vice president of PTC, showed John Graff, NI vice president marketing, how ThingWorx 3-D solid model technology and National Instruments (NI) hardware and software can widen IIoT capabilities. The demo started with the 3D model of the bike and then showed the values on the model (see photo).
Heads-up display, critical measurements
On the actual bike (see video clip), values updated in real time through the Apple iPad display after clicking on a 2D code, showing live updates of speed at the front wheel, fork displacement, pedal speed, steering angle, acceleration, and other attributes. These could be critical measurements on a manufacturing line, machine tool, packaging machine, power generating plant, oil and gas operations, or other facilities or equipment, linking the cyber-physical world to the real world. The NI myRIO embedded hardware fastened to the Santa Cruz mountain bike was programmed with NI LabVIEW system design software.
Graff called the on-machine live display of measurements in real time a "great example of the disruptive impact Internet of Things can have."
NIWeek was in Austin, Aug. 3-6.
– Mark T. Hoske, content manager, CFE Media, Control Engineering, [email protected].
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