Remote laboratory experimentation

A method for hosting a remote laboratory experiment, can includes the steps of: receiving from a remote computing node through a computer communications network, student-specified control component configuration parameters; specifying a component configuration parameter filter; configuring at least one control component to provide an input to an experimental configuration according to the received configuration parameters; acquiring experimental data from the experimental configuration; and, providing the acquired experimental data to the remote computing node through the computer communications network. The method can further include the steps of: acquiring an image of the experimental configuration; and, transmitting the acquired image to the remote computing node through the computer communications network.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIG. 1 illustrates a remote laboratory experimentation system configured in accordance with one aspect of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , the remote laboratory experimentation system can include experimental components arranged in a laboratory experiment configuration 112 in a remote laboratory. The configuration 112 can have one or more inputs 112 A and one or more test points 112 B. One or more configurable control components 108 can be applied to the inputs 112 A to effect an operable parameter of the laboratory experiment configuration 112 . For example, configurable control components 108 can be applied to inputs to a signal generator, a motorized incline or a gas supply. Additionally, one or more data acquisition devices 110 can be applied to the test points 112 B which can be, for example an oscilloscope, a volt meter, a flow meter, etc. Both the data acquisition devices 110 and configurable control components 108 can be communicatively linked to a computing node 106 in the remote laboratory. Finally, a remotely controllable camera 114 can be included and communicatively linked to the computing node 106 . Students 100 can obtain a communicative link to the computing node 106 over a data communications network 104 , for instance a local area network, a wide area network, or a public network such as the Internet. Additionally, one or more instructors 102 also can obtain a communications link to the computing node 106 over the data communications network 104 . Once connected, each student can operate the configurable control components 108 so as to perform an experiment in accordance with the instructions of a laboratory exercise. Additionally, each student can operate the data acquisition devices 110 so as to perform data measurements at particular test points 112 B, also in accordance with the instructions of the laboratory exercise. Finally, in the case where a remotely controllable camera 114 is included in the remote laboratory, the students and instructors can operate the camera 114 so as to visually perceive the progress of the experiment. Importantly, the present invention can be illustrated in reference to specific embodiments described herein. Particular embodiments of the present invention can include an electric circuit element characterization experiment for electrical engineering students, a logic design experiment for computer engineering students, a motion and friction experiment for physics students and a metallic elasticity experiment for chemistry and materials science students. The present invention, however, is not limited in regard to the particular application thereof. Rather, the present invention can be applied to any experimental setting including psychology experiments, biology experiments, etc. FIGS. 2A and 2B , taken together, are a pictorial representation of a remote laboratory experimentation system configured to perform an electrical circuits experiment. A remote laboratory experimentation system 200 configured to perform an electrical circuits experiment in accordance with the present invention. The remote experimentation system 200 can include a Web server 202 , a data acquisition and control board 204 , and an electric circuit element analysis experiment configuration including a programmable current source 206 , a volt meter 208 and a resistor 210 arranged in a current loop. The actual experimental setup can include, for example, a data acquisition and control board having an 8-bit digital I/O port, an analog input module, and an analog output module. In another arrangement, a standard computer port can be used for I/O in lieu of, or along with, the data acquisition and control board 204 . Examples of I/O ports can include serial ports as well as parallel ports. Additionally, the Web server 202 or the data acquisition and control board 204 . Further, digital I/O lines can be used to turn on the lights in the remote laboratory, power on the testing equipment, and/or to select a resistor under test. Students remotely linked to the Web server 202 can interact with the experimentation system 200 through graphical user interface (GUI) 212 , such as a Web browser. The GUI 212 can be used by students to perform and analyze the numerous experiments performed by the experimentation system 200 . The GUI 212 also can be Web-enabled to allow for experimentation from remote locations. Finally, a remotely controllable camera can be manipulated by students through a camera window 214 to view the progress of the experiment. Specifically, students performing an electrical experiment can specify a sequence of current values, for example a minimum current of 05.050 mA and maximum current of 14.333 mA with a step of 1.500 mA, to be injected through a resistor 210 under study. When suitable current values have been specified, current injection can be performed through an analog output module linked to the programmable current source 206 through an interface. As would expected, for every current value injected through the resistor 210 , the corresponding voltage drop can be read from across the resistor 210 by a voltmeter interfaced to the data acquisition module 204 through an analog input module. The voltage drop measurement can be transmitted back to the remote student and displayed in the Web browser 212 . Finally, students can observe the actual experiment through the controllable camera windows 214 , which can include panning and zooming controls 216 . Once the students have observed the actual experiment and the experimental data, the students can plot the current/voltage (I/V) characteristic graph which relates to the values of voltage compared to corresponding current values. As will be recognized by any electrical engineer, if the I/V curve is a straight line, the student can rightfully conclude that the resistor under study has a linear coefficient. By comparison, if at high current values, the curve begins to bend, the student can rightfully concludes that the resistor has lost its linearity due to a thermal effect. Notably, where a temperature sensor is added to sense the resistor temperature, more specific information can be concluded regarding the characteristics of the IN curve which then includes the thermal behavior. FIGS. 3A and 3B , taken together, are a pictorial representation of a remote laboratory experimentation system configured to perform a force and motion experiment. As will be recognized by one skilled in the art, the force and motion experiment consists of two major components. The first component, illustrated in FIG. 3 A, includes an experimental device 300 formed of a ramp 304 , pulleys 306 , a motor 302 , multiple sensors and controls 308 and a micro-controller 310 to enable force and motion testing. The micro-controller 310 can act as the electronic stage between the mechanical/physical components and software executing in a computing node. The second component of the experiment can include Graphical User Interface (GUI) 312 . An exemplary GUI and some of its functions are detailed in FIG. 3B . The GUI 312 can be used by the students to perform and analyze the numerous force and motion experiments of the experimental device 300 . As with the previously discussed electrical experiment, the GUI 312 also can be Web-enabled to allow for experimentation from remote locations and a remotely controllable camera can be manipulated by students through a camera window 314 to view the progress of the experiment. In conjunction, the two components, experimental device 300 and GUI 312 , comprise the force and motion remote experiment system. By interchanging different aspects of the experimental device 300 and the GUI 312 , instructors can vary the difficulty of the experiment. For instance, a sample experiment could allow younger students to experiment with the pulley and weight system. A more involved experiment could measure the power generated by the motor to lift an unknown weight up the incline. Students then could be asked to determine the weight of the object and or the coefficient of friction of a mat placed on the incline. Data from the GUI 312 can be used to generate graphs of velocity and acceleration. Advanced tests can be conducted from a remote location via the Web. For example, a group of students could try and determine loads, angle and friction coefficients of the experimental device 300 by running remote tests via the GUI 312 without ever coming into contact with the experimental device 300 . A second group of students could be responsible for setting up the experimental device 300 to challenge the first group, and visa-versa. Competitions can be established to identify which team of students can “out-stump” the other student teams. FIGS. 4A and 4B , taken together, are a pictorial representation of a remote laboratory experimentation system configured to perform a materials experiment. In the field of physics and material engineering, an experimental device 400 is shown which can test the elasticity of a metallic beam 406 . A metallic beam 406 of known dimensions is mounted in horizontal position as shown in FIG. 4A . The free length of the beam 406 has the length L and cross-sectional area A. The force controller 410 can be communicatively linked to, and remotely operate, a data acquisition board 404 . On-line students can apply a sequence of known forces Fi on the free edge of the beam 406 . Additionally, students can alter the temperature of the metallic beam 406 using hot air gun 412 which has a feedback sensor for measuring temperature. Subsequently, using the light reflection sensor 408 , the students can measure the amount of displacement di which is proportionally due to the applied force at the current temperature. The mathematical relationship of these quantities is depicted in the graph of FIG. 4B . For every temperature reading, the various readings of force Fi and displacement di are plotted on a graph. For every force value, after displacement is measured, the force can be removed to allow the beam 406 to restore to its original straight shape. Once the force F reaches a maximum value at which the beam 406 does not restore to its straight form (permanently bent), this last force reading is considered the breakpoint. After each break point, the beam 406 is automatically straightened by applying the same force backwards. From the graph students can visually observe the elastic behavior of a metallic beam 406 to determine if it is linear or nonlinear. The students also can learn how fast elasticity is lost to temperature increase. FIGS. 6A and 6B , taken together, illustrate a mechanical engineering experiment which has been configured in accordance with the present invention. In particular, a experimental setup 600 can include a rotating disc 614 controlled by a braking apparatus 612 . The disc 614 can be controlled through the Web server 602 to rotate at varying speeds according to a pulse width modulated signal applied to the gearing apparatus 606 . Varying weights 610 having varying frictional surfaces can be applied to the disc 614 to stall the motion of the disc. Sensors 608 can monitor not only the speed of the disc 614 , but also the positional aspects of the experiment. The control points for the gears 606 , weights 610 and braking apparatus 612 can be communicatively linked to the Web server 602 through the data acquisition device 604 . Values can be provided by students through the Web interface 620 shown in FIG. 6B . Additionally, the sensors 608 can provide sensed data to the Web server 602 over the communicative link. The sensed data can be viewed through the Web interface 620 . A logic design (LD) laboratory experiment configured in accordance with the inventive arrangements differs from other more physically grounded experiments in that LD laboratory experiments require less data acquisition and control. LD laboratory experiments involve electronic breadboards and interconnectivity logic. In a conventional LD laboratory experiment, students use breadboards to mount logic chips, such as NAND and NOR gates which the students can interconnect using breadboard wires. Subsequently, the students can connect the breadboard to a power supply and verify by observation whether the circuit is functional. If the circuit is not functioning, which is almost always the case for the first few trials, the students can rewire the breadboard and repeat the process. During their physical presence in the LD laboratory, students are merely rewiring the breadboard, staging certain inputs, and observing the resulting output. If these three actions can be performed remotely, as they are in the present invention, the remote LD laboratory experiment becomes possible. In an LD laboratory experiment, the first and third experiment steps include the I/O portion which could be replaced by a standard computer interface with the proper instrumentation device. As a result, any computer communicatively linked to the standard computer interface can perform the I/O operations, even, for example, through the Internet. Importantly, the use of a host computer in the foregoing instances ought not to be confused with well-known software simulation as in the present invention, unlike software simulation, students still physically manipulate the performance of the experiment through physically operating electronic components. Moreover, the students maintain the freedom to make any connections in the experiment that the students so choose. Unlike software simulations, in the present invention, the computer merely provides a front-end interface through which the students can lay out the connection on-screen and implement the layout on the board. Importantly, to perform the second experiment step of wiring and rewiring, conventional breadboards can be replaced by interactive breadboards whose pins are connected to a programmable interconnect network controlled by a local computer with a corresponding software interface. A connection between any pin to any pin is accomplished through the software interface. If all necessary LD components (NANDs, NORs, Flip-Flops, etc. ) are placed on the interactive breadboard, then a full experiment can be conducted through the computer software interface without touching the breadboard. Notably, an immediate advantage of the present invention of time sharing will be apparent to one skilled in the art when comparing the LD laboratory experiment of the present invention to a conventional LD laboratory experiment. Specifically, the actual run time for the LD laboratory experiment lasts momentarily for but a few seconds. Thus, many students can use the same LD laboratory experiment configuration seamlessly in a concurrent manner. In contrast, in a conventional LD laboratory experiment, students occupy the LD setup for hours just thinking and rewiring. Finally, to facilitate the interaction between lab assistants and students, a synchronous network communications system can be used to interactively explain the laboratory experiment and any problems encountered in performing the experiment. The synchronous network communications system allows students logged either into a lab session or into an instructor's remote office system to interact using an electronic whiteboard. The electronic whiteboard allows a moderator to graphically annotate diagrams and equations on the whiteboard. Further, any student remotely logged into the system can graphically annotate diagrams and equations on the whiteboard. FIG. 5 is a pictorial representation of a synchronous mode aspect of the remote laboratory experimentation system 500 configured in accordance with the inventive arrangements. To facilitate proper interaction between students performing remote laboratory experiments and laboratory instructors, a Web-based application-sharing system can be provided for distance learning purposes. A major application of this system is to give teachers an added convenience in explaining their ideas to students while teaching classes online. With the provision to write freehand on the electronic whiteboard 502 , a teacher can explain and illustrate ideas more effectively to the audience. This effect is similar to writing on a blackboard in a conventional classroom setting. Notably, the present invention can be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The method of the present invention can be realized in a centralized fashion in one computer system, or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware and software could be a general purpose computer system with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that it carries out the methods described herein. The present invention also can be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods. Computer program or computer program means as in the present context means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after one or both of the following: a) conversion to another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different material form. While the foregoing specification illustrates and describes the preferred embodiments of this invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction herein disclosed. The invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following claims, rather than to the foregoing specification, as indicating the scope of the invention.