A Scalable Platform for Remote and Virtual Laboratories
Aziz, E.-S., Esche, S. K. & Chassapis, C.
World Transactions on Engineering and Technology Education, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 445-448, 2006.
Abstract
Web-based multimedia technologies are being applied to create content-rich and flexible student laboratory environments for usage in undergraduate mechanical engineering lecture and laboratory courses at Stevens Institute of Technology (SIT).
This paper describes the development and implementation of a scalable platform for remote and virtual laboratories.
The overall system architecture, hardware and software configuration and system implementation are presented.
The system supports both remotely operated hardware-based experimental stations as well as software-based virtual laboratory exercises.
It offers tremendous flexibility by enabling the access to laboratory resources at any time and from anywhere without the students having to be physically present in a laboratory facility.
This paper summarizes specific outcomes and provides sample screenshots at key stages of a representative experiment – the classical strength-of-materials problem of determining the deflections and stress concentrations of a cantilever beam of linear elastic material with stress raisers.