RobUaLab.ejs: a new tool for robotics e-learning

Carlos Alberto Jara, Francisco Andrés Candelas and Fernando Torres

Virtual and remote laboratories have improved learning and training in the academic community. They allow students to acquire methods, skills and experience related to real equipment in an intuitive and cost-effective way. The purpose of this paper is to present the development and the implementation of an e-learning environment in the field of Robotics. This application allows students to simulate and to teleoperate a robot arm in an easy and user-friendly way. The application has been developed using Easy Java Simulations (EJS), an open-source tool for people who do not need complex programming skills.

A LabVIEW based Remote DSP Laboratory

Athanasios Kalantzopoulos, Dimitrios Karageorgopoulos and Evangelos Zigouris

Remote laboratories provide the students with the capability to perform laboratory exercises exploiting the relevant equipment any time of the day without their physical presence. Furthermore, providing the ability to use a single workstation by more than one student, they contribute to the reduction of the laboratory cost.

Turning to advantage the above and according to the needs of post graduate modules in the fields of DSP Systems Design and Signal Processing Systems with DSPs, we designed and developed a Remote DSP Laboratory. A student using a Web Browser has the ability via internet to turn to account the R-DSP Lab and perform experiments using DSPs (Digital Signal Processors). For now, there is the opportunity to carry out laboratory exercises such as FIR, IIR digital filters and FFT as well as run any executable file developed by the user. In any case the observation of the results is carried out through the use of specially designed Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs).

Remote Automation Laboratories

Jose Luis Medina Garcia and Joaquim Ros Florenza

The remote laboratory for Industrial Automation is based on a server computer with operating system Linux in which it has installed a platform Moodle, which allows the record of the users (teachers and students) and to guard the contents in objects of learning SCORM in order that teacher organizes the contents of the subject depending on his needs.

A program realized in PHP language, allows to the user to realize an hourly reservation in a module of the Moodle for each of the working stations of the laboratory.

Every working place is composed by a computer, with the software adapted for the control of a Schneider Electric’s PLC M340, two models that simulate industrial processes for accomplishment of practices and a webcam, which allows to the student to visualize and to control how the process is executed.

The student, by means of the moodle’s application, can connect remotely to the working station and realize the practices as if he was in front of the equipment.