Items 1, 2 (machine control), and 5 clearly are areas where LV is already used. Items 3 and 4 may be more dependent on sensor technology than on software, although obviously complete systems in those areas will include much software.
LV can be used as a tool in almost any kind of research, but the research topic choice should not be driven primarily by the tools available. The way you worded your query it is like a mechanical engineer saying, "I have a hammer. I want to do mechanical research which will make use of the hammer."
To stretch that analogy way too far: It would be better for that mecahnical engineer to say, " I want to study the strength of materials. One of my constraints is that my equipment budget is limited to the price of a hammer." Then he might decide to study nails.
Consider item 4. digital scent technology. If you do not have access to suitable sensors, you could only do simulations in software, and the quality of the simulations would depend on the accuracy of any published models of the sensors. If you have a gas chromatograph and a mass spectrometer, you could create profiles of scents which could later be used in a portable device. Without knowing where you are in that range os possibilities, it is impractical for someone to make useful suggestions to you.
Lynn
