Virtual and Remote Laboratory Framework Development for Advancing Engineering Technology Education and other STEM Fields

Virtual and Remote Laboratories/experiments (VR-Labs) are an inevitable reality and necessity of Internet enabled education in Engineering and other STEM fields. However, the effective emulation of problem-solving dynamics from hands-on experimentation, is needed for any distance education platform to be integrated into the coursework of educational institutions. Our VR-Labs research is developing a software and hardware framework and infrastructure that allows users/students to access and control both physical and virtual/simulated lab experiments/assignments remotely, via the Internet, with minimal to zero-installation beyond a web browser.

Currently, our framework uses a server and web-pages coded/configured to eliminate the need for browser plug-ins or third party software in order to operate. The workstations that host VR-Labs via web-services are made available through an experiment scheduler to eliminate resource conflicts. To allow rapid development, National Instruments(NI) software and hardware is used for the programing, data acquisition, and actuation of Remote labs. The programing of Virtual labs is done with either NI LabVIEW or Java. Currently we’re developing Digital Signal Processing(DSP) Remote Labs, and creating HTML and JavaScript web-page interfaces for all existing Virtual-Labs to eliminate their required client-side plug-in.

Multiple Virtual labs for Data Communications, AC/DC circuits, and  DSP subjects are available for coursework integration and experimentation. Our Smart Vibration Platform Remote lab presents students the dynamics of active structural control and Smart Martial Alloys. VR-Labs require only web browser, making them highly accessible, and combined traditional physical laboratories, they’ll improve their host institutions efficientcy.