A proposal for a remotely shared control systems laboratory

The authors present a futuristic approach to sharing one of the most expensive components of engineering education, the laboratory. The objective of the shared laboratory is to improve the effectiveness of the control and instrumentation laboratory experience for undergraduates. An experimental station can be operated from a computer in a classroom, or from a computer at a remote location or another campus. A multimedia configuration using a graphical user interface and remote logon capability is envisioned. The system will provide the tools to predict system performance with a simulation, show data as they are generated, analyze data after they are taken, and show a visual presentation of the experimental configuration with video disc. This facility will permit cooperative development of laboratory experiments and comparison of pedagogical approaches with others who use the experimental packages (software and hardware)