Name: interactive and visualized online experimentation system for engineering education and research
Uploaded: 2021-11-24T14:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Interactive and Visualized Online Experimentation System for Engineering Education and Research at JoVE.com

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant 62103308, Grant 62173255, Grant 62073247, and Grant 61773144.

In this work, three separate visualized examples are provided to enhance teaching and learning and research, which can be accessed via the Networked Control System Laboratory (NCSLab&#160;https://www.powersim.whu.edu.cn/react).
1. Example 1: First-order system using circuit-based experimentation protocol
<ol>
	<li>Access the NCSLab system.
	<ol>
		<li>Open a mainstream web browser and enter the URL&#160;https://www.powersim.whu.edu.cn/react.</li>
		<li>Click on the ...

<ol>
	<li>De Jong, T., Linn, M. C., Zacharia, Z. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Physical+and+virtual+laboratories+in+science+and+engineering+education.">Physical and virtual laboratories in science and engineering education.</a> Science. 340 (6130), 305-308 (2013).</li><li>Galan, D., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Safe+experimentation+in+optical+levitation+of+charged+droplets+using+remote+labs.">Safe experimentation in optical levitation of charged droplets using remote labs.</a> Journal of Visualized Experiments:JoVE. (143), e58699 (2019).</li><li>Heradio, R., de la Torre, L., Dormido, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Virtual+and+remote+labs+in+control+education:+A+survey.">Virtual and remote labs in control education: A survey.</a> Annual Reviews in Control. 42, 1-10 (2016).</li><li>Lei, Z., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=3-D+interactive+control+laboratory+for+classroom+demonstration+and+online+experimentation+in+engineering+education.">3-D interactive control laboratory for classroom demonstration and online experimentation in engineering education.</a> IEEE Transactions on Education. 64 (3), 276-282 (2021).</li><li>Galan, D., Chaos, D., De La Torre, L., Aranda-Escolastico, E., Heradio, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Customized+online+laboratory+experiments:+A+general+tool+and+its+application+to+the+Furuta+inverted+pendulum.">Customized online laboratory experiments: A general tool and its application to the Furuta inverted pendulum.</a> IEEE Control Systems Magazine. 39 (5), 75-87 (2019).</li><li>Lei, Z., Zhou, H., Hu, W., Liu, G. -. 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T., Hesselink, L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=iLabs+as+an+online+laboratory+platform:+A+case+study+at+Stanford+University+during+the+COVID-19+Pandemic.">iLabs as an online laboratory platform: A case study at Stanford University during the COVID-19 Pandemic.</a> 2021 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON). , 1615-1623 (2021).</li><li>Gomes, L., Bogosyan, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Current+trends+in+remote+laboratories.">Current trends in remote laboratories.</a> IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics. 56 (12), 4744-4756 (2009).</li><li>Santana, I., Ferre, M., Izaguirre, E., Aracil, R., Hernandez, L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Remote+laboratories+for+education+and+research+purposes+in+automatic+control+systems.">Remote laboratories for education and research purposes in automatic control systems.</a> IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics. 9 (1), 547-556 (2013).</li><li>Maiti, A., Raza, A., Kang, B. 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The presented protocol&#160;describes a hybrid online laboratory system that integrates physical test rigs for remote experimentation and 3-D virtual test rigs for virtual experimentation. Several different block libraries are provided for the algorithm design process, such as the electrical elements for circuit-based design. Users from control backgrounds can focus on learning without programming skills. The proper design of a control algorithm that can be applied to a suitable test rig should be considered. It is also ...

Laboratories are vital infrastructure for research and education. When conventional laboratories are not available and/or accessible due to different causes, for example, unaffordable purchases and maintenance cost, safety considerations, and crises such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, online laboratories can offer alternatives1,2,3. Like conventional laboratories, significant progress such as interactive features4 and customizable experiments5 have been achieved in the online laboratories. Before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, online laboratories are providing experimental services to users throughout the world6,7.
Among online laboratories, remote laboratories can provide users with an experience similar to hands-on experiments with the support of physical test rigs and cameras8. With the advancement of the Internet, communication, computer graphics, and rendering technologies, virtual laboratories also provide alternatives to conventional laboratories1. The effectiveness of remote and virtual laboratories to support research and education has been validated in related literature1,9,10.
Providing visualized experiments is crucial for online laboratories, and visualization in online experimentation has become a trend. Different visualization techniques are achieved in online laboratories, for example, curve charts, two-dimensional (2-D) test rigs, and three-dimensional (3-D) test rigs11. In control education, numerous theories, concepts, and formulas are obscure to comprehend; thus, visualized experiments are vital to enhancing teaching, student learning, and research. The involved visualizing can be concluded into the following three categories: (1) Visualizing theories, concepts, and formulas with web-based algorithm design and implementation, with which simulation and experimentation can be conducted; (2) Visualizing the experimental process with 3-D virtual test rigs; (3) Visualizing control and monitoring using widgets such as a chart and a camera widget.

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			<td>Fan speed control system</td>
			<td>/</td>
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			<td>Made by our team</td>
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			<td>https://www.powersim.whu.edu.cn/react</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Made by our team</td>
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	</tbody>
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interactive and visualized online experimentation system for engineering education and research

Experimentation is crucial in engineering education. This work explores visualized experiments in online laboratories for teaching and learning and also research. Interactive and visualizing features, including theory-guided algorithm implementation, web-based algorithm design, customizable monitoring interface, and three-dimensional (3-D) virtual test rigs are discussed. To illustrate the features and functionalities of the proposed laboratories, three examples, including the first-order system exploration using a circuit-based system with electrical elements, web-based control algorithm design for virtual and remote experimentation, are provided. Using user-designed control algorithms, not only can simulations be conducted, but real-time experiments can also be conducted once the designed control algorithms have been compiled into executable control algorithms. The proposed online laboratory also provides a customizable monitoring interface, with which users can customize their user interface using provided widgets such as the textbox, chart, 3-D, and camera widget. Teachers can use the system for online demonstration in the classroom, students for after-class experimentation, and researchers to verify control strategies.

The proposed laboratory system has been used in several different disciples at Wuhan University, such as the Automation, Power and Energy Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and other universities, such as Henan Agricultural University6.
Teachers/students/researchers are provided with great flexibility to explore the system using different virtual and/or physical test rigs, define their control algorithms, and customize their monitoring interface; thus, users at differ...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Interactive and Visualized Online Experimentation System for Engineering Education and Research at JoVE.com

Interactive and Visualized Online Experimentation System for Engineering Education and Research

This work describes an online experimentation system that provides visualized experiments, including the visualization of theories, concepts, and formulas, visualizing the experimental process with three-dimensional (3-D) virtual test rigs, and visualizing the control and monitoring system using widgets such as charts and cameras.

Experimentation is crucial in engineering education. This work explores visualized experiments in online laboratories for teaching and learning and also ...

Our protocol realizes remote and virtual experiments in online laboratories for teaching, learning, and also research. Theoretical knowledge and experimentation practice are combined to enhance the teaching and learning through our protocol. It provides a unified framework that enables theory-guided implementation, web-based algorithm design, customizable monitoring interface, and three-dimensional virtual and remote experimentation.Zijie Wie and Shengwang Ye will help to demonstrate the procedure. Wei is working towards her master degree and Ye is working towards his PhD degree. To begin with, open a mainstream web browser and enter the URL www.powersim.whu.edu.cn/react.Click on the start experiment button and write W-H-U-T-E-S-T as username and password to log into the system. Enter the WHU lab in the left side sub-laboratory list and choose WHU typical links for the experimentation, then enter the algorithm design sub-interface. Click on the create new model button and enter the web-based algorithm interface.Build a circuit diagram using the provided blocks. Double click on the corresponding blocks to set the parameters, then click on the start simulation button. The simulation result will be provided in the interface.Click on the start compilation button and wait until the design block diagram is generated into an executable control algorithm. This control algorithm can be downloaded and executed into the remote controller deployed at the task rig side to implement control algorithms. Click on the request control button to apply for the control of the circuit system.Then click on the return button to the algorithm design sub-interface. Find the executable control algorithm under the private algorithm models panel. Click on the conduct an experiment button to download the design control algorithm to a remote controller.Enter the configuration sub-interface and click on the create new monitor button to configure a monitoring interface. Include four text boxes for parameter tuning and one curve chart for signal monitoring. Link the signals and parameters with the selected widgets and set the x-axis range of the chart to 8S.Click on the start button to start the experiment. Set the input voltage to zero volts and tune the capacitor C to five microfarads, Then set the input voltage to one volt. Log into the NCSLab system and enter the process control sub-laboratory.Choose the double tank test rig and enter the algorithm design sub-interface. Design a proportional integral derivative or PID control algorithm following the steps described in example one. Double click on the PID controller and set proportional equals 1.12, integral equals 0.008 and derivative equals 6.6.Then click on the start simulation button. Click on the configuration parameters button and enter the compile config panel to set the solver to ODE4. Generate the executable control algorithm and download the control algorithm to the remote controller.Configure a monitoring interface with four text boxes for set point, P, I, and D.Include a chart for monitoring the water level and the corresponding set point. Set the x-axis range of the chart to 200S. Choose a 3D widget which can provide all angles of the test rigs and animations of water level connected with the real-time data.Then click on the start button. Set the set point from 10 centimeters to five centimeters and then set I equals 0.1 when the height of the water level in the controlled tank reaches and stabilizes at five centimeters. Reset the set point from five centimeters to 15 centimeters.Tune I from 0.1 to 0.01 and reset the set point from 15 centimeters to 25 centimeters. The overshoot gets eliminated and the water level stabilizes at the set point value of 20 centimeters. Log into the NCSLab system and choose fan speed control in the remote laboratory sub-laboratory.Enter the algorithm design sub-interface and drag the blocks to construct the IMC control algorithm diagram. Then generate the executable control algorithm. Employ the fan speed control system to verify the designed IMC algorithm.Configure a monitoring interface and link two text boxes with set point and lander for tuning. Then link a real-time chart with the set point and speed for monitoring. Select the 3D model widget of the fan and the camera widget and click on the start button to activate the real-time experimentation.Reset the set point from 2, 000 RPM to 1, 500 RPM. And then finally, reset it from 1, 500 RPM to 2, 500 RPM. The real-time experiment of the first order system with the design control algorithm is shown here.The parameters are tuneable and the signals can be monitored with the provided widgets. The representative images show real-time experimentation with the dual tank system after tuning the integral term from 0.1 to 0.01. The set point is reset from 15 centimeters to 25 centimeters.The overshoot has been eliminated here. Real-time control can be achieved and the fan speed can be monitored using the fan speed control remote laboratory combined with a 3D virtual fan system. The physical fan system is located at Wuhan University and provides remote laboratory services to users worldwide.coordinated control experiment for multi-agent can also be done, which can demonstrate the coordinated control performance agents in the remote laboratory. This technology realize the online sharing of experimental equipment and diversify the development of experimental teaching providing a good demonstration for the development of remote and three-dimensional virtual combined laboratories.

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