What is a virtual instrument?

According to the definition of American National Instrument Company, the founder of the concept, virtual instrument (English) technology is to use high-performance modular hardware combined with efficient and flexible software to complete various testing, measuring and automation applications. Flexible and efficient software can help you create a fully customized user interface, modular hardware can easily provide all-round system integration, and standard software and hardware platforms can meet the needs of synchronous and timing applications. Only with efficient software, modular I/O hardware and software-hardware integration platform can we give full play to the four advantages of virtual instrument technology, such as high performance, strong expansibility, less development time and good integration.

Virtual instrument pays more attention to software. Through the measurement and control software, the data of the instrument can be collected, analyzed and displayed, giving full play to the powerful computing function of the computer. At present, the development direction of virtual instrument software is configuration and low coding. Typical representatives are LabView and PathWave abroad, and domestic Gesi measurement and control masters.