Web-based remote experimentation using a laboratory-scale optical tracker

This contribution presents a remote laboratory approach for experimentation with real plants, which uses the communication techniques of the World Wide Web. The aim of this kind of distance learning environment is to facilitate the access to these plants for students and professionals in the area of control engineering. Furthermore, resource sharing among the involved universities reduces money and time for maintenance or development of new experiments. The new approach for remote experimentation incorporates software that uses the powerful computational engine of MATLAB/SIMULINK together with the Quanser's WinCon realtime system to perform the experiments. Web-based components are used to support the user interface by animation of plant models in virtual reality. A laboratory-scale optical tracker will be used in order to demonstrate the advantages of the realisation of this remote laboratory approach.