Mobile Laboratory Model for Next-Generation Heterogeneous Wireless Systems

Failure to integrate heterogeneous wireless systems generally makes it difficult, if not impossible, for the continuation of remote working or remote experiments when human operators and equipment coexist through networks in a collaborative environment. Mobile laboratories using ubiquitous mobile communication for next-generation heterogeneous wireless systems have prospects for increasing the operation of distributed communication and mobile ubiquitous systems. All “technology assessors” concur that tomorrow’s society will have access to smart objects (mobile devices or apparatuses, mobile equipment, e.g. robots) that contain “programs” that will assist with communication in everyday life. However one of the tomorrow’s challenges will consist of programming those objects to cooperate with and control telecommunications technologies. For a Mobile Laboratory to ensure consistent mobility in an environment, it must combine various wireless networks as a single integrated system. In this chapter we propose a Mobile Laboratory Model with mobile devices that take advantage of multiple mobile gateways by using Internet Protocol (IP) as the interconnection protocol to achieve the objective stated above.

Remote Instrumentation for Science Education

This chapter will describe a laboratory of Internet accessible instrumentation that serves students participating in the Center for Authentic Science Practice in Education (CASPiE). The equipment consists of commercially available scientific instruments not commonly available for teaching purposes in two and four year colleges. All are controlled by proprietary instrument manufacturer software which is also necessary for data reduction and analysis. Because the Center is a consortium of a large number and variety of schools, and because the students have little previous experience with advanced instrumentation, security has been a major design goal. The discussion will focus primarily on the types of security and data provenance issues encountered and the methods used to make the CASPiE laboratory a secure part of the educational cyberinfrastructure.

Online Workbenches for the Deployment of Electronics Experiments

The evidence that the field of online engineering has matured is overwhelming, particularly as indicated by the number of online laboratories in operation today. The objective of this chapter is to describe several solutions of online laboratories that were built based on the MIT NI-ELVIS iLab and the collaborative development efforts it has inspired. To this end, this chapter will describe the VISIR Platform (Virtual Systems in Reality), developed at the Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden, as another good example of an online workbench featuring flexible experiments. Work done at Carinthia University of Applied Sciences towards integrating VISIR-based labs on the iLab architecture will then be detailed as an indicator of future collaborative efforts.

Evaluation of Remote Interface Component Alternatives for Teaching Tele-Robotic Operation

This chapter discusses a remote learning study conducted at the Computer-Integrated-Manufacturing (CIM) Laboratory in Tel-Aviv University. The goal is to provide remote end-users with an interface that enables them to teleoperate a robotic arm in conditions as close as possible to hands-on operation in the laboratory. This study evaluates the contribution of different interface components to the overall performance and the learning ability of potential end-users. Based on predefined experimental tasks, the study compares alternative interface designs for teleoperation. The three performance measures of the robot operation task are (1) the number of steps that are required to complete the given task, (2) the number of errors during the execution stage, and (3) the improvement rate of users. Guidelines for a better design of remote learning interfaces in robotics are provided based on the experimental results.

Implementation of Remote Laboratories for Industrial Education

Rapidly changing economics and fast progress in technology require from engineers employed in industry that they constantly refresh and update their professional knowledge. Remote laboratories with learning management systems are very suitable for such industrial education, although they are very rarely used in practice. In this contribution, two solutions for industrial education are presented and evaluated. The first solution is from the University of Maribor, Slovenia. Two different learning platforms with integrated remote laboratories offer courses in basic mechatronics. Courses are applied towards the training of professionals from Slovenian and Austrian industry. The second solution is from the Biel Academy of Applied Science, Switzerland. It is based on the Moodle learning management system and upgraded by the virtual classroom and remote laboratory. Specialized courses that offer a qualification for work with Programmable Logic Controllers are successfully applied in the training of specialists, employed by Siemens, Switzerland. Based on the encouraging results and observed needs of the training participants, a possible future development of remote laboratories and distance learning for industrial education and other potential industrial applications are discussed.

Remote Experiments in Freshman Engineering Education by Integrated e-Learning

In this chapter, we present the outlines of the remote laboratory integrated in the INTe-L system, using the Internet School Experimental System (ISES) as hardware and an ISES WEB Control kit as software. We suggest an architecture for implementing remote laboratories, with data transfer across the Internet, based on standard and reusable ISES modules as hardware and Java supported ISES software. The Learning Management System (LMS) MOODLE turns out to be a highly effective means of organization of physics courses. The first experience on teaching units Free fall (http://remotelab4.truni.sk), Simple Pendulum (http://remotelab5.truni.sk), and Natural and driven oscillations (www.ises.info – see Remote laboratory) is presented.

A LabVIEW-based Remote Laboratory

Current technology enables the remote access of equipment and instruments via the Internet. While more and more remote control solutions have been applied to industry via Local Area Networks (LANs), Wide Area Networks (WANs), and the Internet, there exist requirements for the applications of such technologies in the academic environment (Salzmann, Latchman, Gillet, and Crisalle, 2003). One typical application of remote control solutions is the development of a remote virtual laboratory. The development of a remote-laboratory facility will enable participation in laboratory experiences by distance students. The ability to offer remote students lab experiences is vital to effective learning in the areas of engineering and technology. This chapter introduces a LabVIEW-based remote wet process control laboratory developed for manufacturing automation courses. The system architecture, hardware integration, hardware and software interfacing, programming tools, lab development based on the system, and future enhancement are demonstrated and discussed in the chapter.

A Semantic Portal for Publication and Exchange of Educational Online Laboratories

This chapter presents the research results focused on defining a general model for online laboratories and a Web repository based on Semantic Web technologies to facilitate the use of new tools to publish and exchange online laboratories and other related resources. The developed model is based on existing and well known standards like dc and FOAF, but new vocabularies also had to be created to describe the more specific resources related to online laboratories. Online laboratories are becoming important educational resources because of their increasing availability and diversity. Online laboratories also provide a flexible training option because they can be shared and are available on a 24/7 basis. Modern technologies in the area of online engineering are often prohibitively expensive and the possibility of sharing resources and sharing laboratory facilities is an increasingly attractive option, particularly for universities and other institutions with more limited financial resources. Furthermore this chapter describes in detail the Lab2go Web repository and its functionalities developed to facilitate the creation of semantic content and the search for online laboratories and other related resources.

Stakes and Issues for Collaborative Remote Laboratories in Virtual Environments

The mainstream adoption of remote laboratories and 3D virtual environments for teaching in the field of electrical and electronic engineering education is continuing to grow. This chapter will investigate opportunities and issues related to the integration of remote laboratories and virtual worlds in this context. Some practical implementations of this integrated approach using the Sun Wonderland project and Second Life will be discussed with a particular focus on the perceived advantages of virtual worlds, e.g. collaborative group working, group awareness/interaction, and the 3D Graphical user interface. From this discussion initial guidelines related to creating a standardized architecture for integrating remote labs into virtual worlds are presented and the role of each individual component of the architecture catalogued.

Collaborative Sustainability Strategies for Online Laboratories

This chapter describes a wide range of issues relating to the collaborative aspects of sustaining an online laboratory at both a local and a strategic level. The discussion focuses on the benefits that the key stakeholders can obtain through collaboration, methods for establishing and sustaining collaborations, and the ways in which collaboration can enhance didactics. Current trends and future opportunities for amateur, research, and industry-driven online laboratories are also discussed. The chapter concludes with three case studies which illustrate the recent past, the state-of-the-art and the imminent future of online laboratory learning, and the ways by which progress towards a sustainable infrastructure can be made in a complex and culturally diverse world. It is advocated that the online laboratory community should move beyond a narrow peer-to-peer approach and engage increasingly with the full range of stakeholders.