Structured remote laboratory development

Abstract

The use of remote laboratories has become a common technique in universities to provide educational services related to engineering. However, the development efforts of these laboratories have not been contemplated in a structured way, with no specific methodologies that allow the reuse of such laboratories or parts thereof. This problem of structured and methodological development is associated with a number of disadvantages which imply that the development of new labs or their integration with other services is a complex task. This paper shows how this goal can be achieved using RELATED (REmote LAboratories exTendED). It is shown the development model proposed by this methodology, as well as the services provided by this development framework. The article shows an example of application of this methodology, using a magnetic levitation system, which is prepared for “on-site” experiences. From this laboratory, and following specific methodological steps, is shown as is possible to reuse developed code and provide a set of remote experiments for the magnetic levitation system.