In addition to the domain and pedagogic knowledge required to design the laboratory experience, the development and maintenance of the current generation of remote laboratories typically requires a relatively high degree of technical expertise. This has resulted in long development timelines, a lack of engagement from teachers, and limited exploration of new laboratories. This paper explores the feasibility and requirements of a laboratory architecture that simplifies the development of remotely accessed laboratories. The intent is that a non-expert user with limited technical knowledge (typically a STEM teacher) can readily configure an experiment so that it is able to be both monitored and controlled remotely. The solution incorporates a dynamic interface that can detect and configure components automatically. We believe that the result will be a much wider and more rapid exploration of possible remotely accessed experiments — in much the same way that science teachers readily explore variations in hands-on laboratory experiments.

Architectural support for non-expert deployment of remote laboratories

Today in the world, there are numerous educational experiments teleoperetad to support the teaching of engineering, but the number of this remote experiments in the area of metal forming is not enough. This article will show a new remote experiment called Educational Compression Testing Machine teleoperated via Internet. This experiment will create the possibility for the students to do a real compression test and to collect force applied in the specimen and size data during the experimentation process. These data will be useful for the construction of flow curve of metals aiming the calculation for projects of formed parts. The remote experiment is divided in two basic parts: the website and the Educational Compression Testing Machine. For data acquisition, control and data processing, as well as the interface between the user and the machine was used the Raspberry Pi that is a small size and low cost microcomputer. The reduced structure for the experiment and the low cost were defined as priority for this work, aiming to fit the necessity of undeveloped countries.

Educational compression testing machine for teleoperated teaching of the metals flow curves

This work proposes the idea of flipping the remote lab. A flipped remote lab would consist on requesting students to build a remotely accessible experiment, so that teachers would test the lab in order to evaluate it, instead of creating it themselves. Building a remote lab is a multidisciplinary activity that involves using different skills and which promotes long-life learning and creativity. Also, by assigning this task to work in groups, students would also build up abilities such as teamwork, communication and leadership. Because creating a remote lab is a complex task, the idea is to use the experience acquired during many years of development and use of virtual and remote labs for teaching engineering and physics, to simplify the process and make it manageable for students. Given the current state of the technology, providing students with some guidelines and reference designs should be enough to make feasible for them to develop a remote experiment.

Flipping the Remote Lab with Low Cost Rapid Prototyping Technologies

This paper aims to describe the LABCONM, that is an educational laboratory that provides remote access to one remote educational compression testing machine (MDTEC). This laboratory was developed specifically to help in the teaching/learning process of metal flow curves in the metal forming area. Two different types of analysis were defined to validate the laboratory, where the first one considerate the teaching approach and the second one the operation of the laboratory. In the technical analysis, the researchers conducted 20 remotely operated tests, where it was verified the quality and repeatability of the data to demonstrate metal flow. The data shown sufficient quality and repeatability, so that the MDTEC could be used as an educational experiment. In the pedagogical analysis, two classes, which were attending Metal Forming Course, participated. In the group that did not access the LABCONM, 17% of students had unsatisfactory result in the mathematical question. In the group that accessed to the LABCONM, 100% of the students had satisfactory or excellent result in the same question. Consequently, it was possible to conclude that there is an influence of laboratory especially for those students who have more difficulties in theoretical learning.

LABCONM: A Remote Lab for Metal Forming Area

One of the difficulties present in the engineering teaching is the lack of practice and interaction with the phenomena in study. The use of remote experiment can aid in this learning process reducing difficulties and shortcomings related to the lack experimentation and interaction with phenomenon that occur in traditional classes. This paper reports on the use of a remote experiment used for students learning about material elastic properties (Hook's Law). The experiment in this paper is composed of: a helical spring coupled to a didactic press, a Raspberry Pi controller, a local server and a Website for accessing educational content and controlling the experiment. The learning environment also allows access through mobile devices. During the experiment, charts and parameter tables are displayed on the screen. These data are sourceof informationfor students calculating and analyzing the phenomenon observed, relating theory to practice.

Using remote experimentation for study on engineering concepts through a didactic press

The aim of this study is to report the use of RE (remote experimentation) in an educational press. The authors developed this remote experiment with the objective to study the Hooke’s law through the analysis of the coil spring. The remote experiment is available in a website, where the students can manipulate and observe the educational press and confirm Hooke’s statements with the output information. In addition, the students will have the opportunity to read in the website about the educational press, the physical law, and the use of the press in industrial processes. This remote experimentation exerts a force in the mechanical spring creating a deformation. In the defined point, the microcomputer will collect the data from the sensors, and it will save this data in the database. After the process execution, a graph with the data will be plotted in the website. The tests confirm that the educational press has informational potential because it returned values consistent with Hooke’s law and the experiment presented repetition in all tests realized.

/pdf/educational-press-for-remote-experimentation-applied-in-the-53pohei13h.pdf

Lucas Boeira Michels

Papers

Using remote experimentation for study on engineering concepts through a didactic press

LABCONM: A Remote Lab for Metal Forming Area

Educational Press for Remote Experimentation Applied in the Spring to Study Hooke’s Law