National Instruments and MobileRobots Inc Collaborate on Foundation Technologies...

National Instruments and MobileRobots Inc Collaborate on Foundation
Technologies for the Robotics Industry

Combined Power of NI LabVIEW and MobileRobots Inc. Autonomous Bases Helps
Speed Cost-Effective Service Robots to Market

AUSTIN, Texas, June 22, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- National Instruments
(Nasdaq: NATI) today announced a collaboration that combines the ease of use
and flexibility of NI LabVIEW graphical system design software and
MobileRobots Inc's MOBILEROBOTSindoors autonomous mobile platforms to help
engineers rapidly deploy service robot applications. Engineers working on
robotics applications often are challenged to assemble a solution from the
myriad of software and hardware tools that offer niche functionality and
limited or no integration with other platforms. The collaboration between
National Instruments and MobileRobots Inc gives engineers a seamlessly
integrated robotics development platform based on proven and robust
technologies.

"The rapid growth of robotics applications has led to a fragmented landscape
of niche software and hardware, and the future growth of these applications is
dependent on the identification of a common architecture that can deliver
robust functionality and open integration with other platforms," said John
Pasquarette, vice president of product marketing for software at National
Instruments. "Collaborations like the one between National Instruments and
MobileRobots Inc are a clear demonstration of how LabVIEW can provide that
common architecture to help engineers simplify robotic design as well as
integrate with other platforms for increased functionality."

MOBILEROBOTSindoors is a general-purpose platform that helps non-programmers
quickly customize and install autonomous robots for applications such as
couriers, guides, kiosks and inspectors. The robots also offer easy
interoperability with third-party vendor solutions. MOBILEROBOTSindoors
technology is the basis for numerous robotics companies' autonomous robotics
solutions, and robots using this technology drive millions of kilometers each
year in factories, hospitals and offices in the United States, Europe and
Asia.

LabVIEW delivers a sophisticated and robust graphical programming environment
that makes it easy to add accessories, including manipulators, sensors and
other task-specific components, to robots with MOBILEROBOTSindoors technology
and to rapidly integrate these robots or robot fleets into an automation
environment such as factories, clinical labs or facility security systems.
LabVIEW simplifies application development by abstracting the underlying code,
making it ideal for robotics engineers, who often have experience with
mechanical or electrical engineering but limited or no software programming
knowledge. With more than 20 years of NI R&D investment, LabVIEW also delivers
powerful features that make it easy to add custom and advanced
functionalities. The performance, ease of use and flexibility of LabVIEW have
resulted in the software's adoption in numerous applications, from
robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery to spider robots used in lifesaving rescue
missions.

The seamless integration between LabVIEW and MOBILEROBOTSindoors is made
possible by a set of LabVIEW VIs, which are available at www.ni.com. Using
MobileRobots Inc's TCP/IP-based protocol, engineers can connect to
MobileRobots platforms and program them with LabVIEW to add custom
capabilities such as speed and directional changes. Engineers also can use the
VIs to take advantage of the Mobile SimBank at the MobileRobots headquarters
to remotely test their simulations for both single robot designs and more
complex fleet applications to reduce disruption when the robots are installed
in a factory or other location.

"Engineers use MOBILEROBOTSindoors autonomy to keep from re-inventing the
wheel and to jump-start solutions with tested foundation technology," said
MobileRobots Inc CEO and Cofounder Jeanne Dietsch, who will be speaking at the
NIWeek 2009 Robotics Summit. "The combination of MOBILEROBOTSindoors and
LabVIEW provides the industry with a complete set of core components and tools
for quickly creating robotics applications. They also form the first
general-purpose system designed to run robotics solutions from multiple
vendors. The NI and MobileRobots Inc collaboration will benefit the service
robot industry by slashing R&D costs for the vendor, lowering equipment costs
for end users and making the return on investment from automation even
greater."

In addition to software customization, the collaboration between the two
companies makes it possible for engineers to add NI hardware such as NI
CompactRIO, NI Single-Board RIO and NI Smart Cameras to MobileRobots
intelligent mobile bases and autonomous navigation systems. Using NI hardware
with the robots, engineers can add more complex manipulators and stereo
vision.

Readers can visit www.ni.com/robotics to learn more about how LabVIEW is used
in robotics applications. Readers also can see Dietsch speak about the future
of robotics at NIWeek 2009, the world's largest graphical system design
conference and exhibition, August 4-6 in Austin, Texas, by registering at
www.ni.com/niweek.

About National Instruments
National Instruments (www.ni.com) is transforming the way engineers and
scientists design, prototype and deploy systems for measurement, automation
and embedded applications. NI empowers customers with off-the-shelf software
such as NI LabVIEW and modular cost-effective hardware, and sells to a broad
base of more than 30,000 different companies worldwide, with no one customer
representing more than 3 percent of revenue and no one industry representing
more than 15 percent of revenue. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more
than 5,000 employees and direct operations in more than 40 countries. For the
past 10 years, FORTUNE magazine has named NI one of the 100 best companies to
work for in America. Readers can obtain investment information from the
company's investor relations department by calling (512) 683-5090, e-mailing
nati@ni.com or visiting www.ni.com/nati.

About MobileRobots Inc
MobileRobots Inc (www.mobilerobots.com) has been making their customers' jobs
easier for fourteen years with thousands of robot platforms and autonomous
foundations for robot solutions worldwide. MobileRobots Inc helped jumpstart
the growth of university robotics programs by providing the first affordable,
general-purpose robot base, the Pioneer DX, introduced in 1995. Now
MobileRobots Inc helps the manufacturing and service robot industries build
reliable, flexible, cost-effective autonomous robot solutions. MobileRobots
Inc operates from a 35,000 sq ft facility in Amherst, NH, 50 minutes north of
Boston, with full RD, production, testing, administration and support
facilities.

CompactRIO, LabVIEW, National Instruments, NI, ni.com and NIWeek are
trademarks of National Instruments. Other product and company names listed are
trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.

Editor Contact: Hilary Marchbanks, (512) 683-5937
Reader Contact: Ernest Martinez, (800) 258-7022

SOURCE National Instruments

Editors, Hilary Marchbanks, +1-512-683-5937, or Readers, Ernest Martinez,
1-800-258-7022, both of National Instruments