Electropneumatic system for industrial automation: a remote experiment within a web-based learning environment

The design and implementation of a web-based laboratory, which enables engineering students to remotely perform experiments for an undergraduate course on industrial automation, is presented here. The laboratory was developed using LabVIEW (R) virtual instrumentation and it allows remote control and monitoring, in real-time, of the actual laboratory equipment. The experiment represents the automation of an industrial process by means of pneumatic equipment, which can be remotely operated from a web-based learning environment. The overall structure of the system and the developed virtual environment are described in this paper. The proposed system allows students to carry out experiments at their own pace and with less schedule and location restrictions than in conventional laboratories. The performance of the system was validated and evaluated by a sample of students in order to determine its functionality. Preliminary results obtained from the experimental set-up are presented. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of CIIECC 2013