1. Reconfigurable weblabs based on the IEEE1451 Std. Ricardo Costa - rjc@isep.ipp.ptrjc@isep.ipp.pt Gustavo Alves - gca@isep.ipp.ptgca@isep.ipp.pt Mário Zenha Rela - mzrela@dei.uc.ptmzrela@dei.uc.pt IEEE EDUCON’10 14 - 16 April 2010 Madrid, Spain

2. Ricardo Costa - 2010 rjc@isep.ipp.pt - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc 2/13 Presentation outline Introduction Laboratory work Laboratory environments Weblabs (Remote Labs) IEEE 1451.0 Std. Conclusions

3. Ricardo Costa - 2010 rjc@isep.ipp.pt - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc 3/13 Introduction (1/3) Technology evolution Social changes People are adopting technology in their lives ! Higher education i) influence this trend ii) must encompass the technological evolution traditional principles replaced by emergent principles reaction of education to the new technological trends (new theories and learning methods) Introduction Lab. work Lab. environments Weblabs IEEE 1451.0 Std. Conclusions

4. Ricardo Costa - 2010 rjc@isep.ipp.pt - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc 4/13 Introduction (2/3) Technology is lowering barriers for accessing information Interaction between people is increasing (more and easier collaboration) Network Learning: connections with people / information for learning support. Connectivism: information and students/teachers are seen as nodes > knowledge. new attitude towards learning (know-what > know-where) (epistemology > ontology) Introduction Lab. work Lab. environments Weblabs IEEE 1451.0 Std. Conclusions

5. Ricardo Costa - 2010 rjc@isep.ipp.pt - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc 5/13 Introduction (3/3) Changes in the traditional in-classroom: i) extended, ii) partly replaced, or iii) entirely replaced. Internet and its associated services fulfill basic requirements: i) dissemination, ii) discussion, iii) discovery, iv) assessment, v) laboratory work. Introduction Lab. work Lab. environments Weblabs IEEE 1451.0 Std. Conclusions

6. Ricardo Costa - 2010 rjc@isep.ipp.pt - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc 6/13 Laboratory Work Fundamental in S&E courses From: Soysal, O. A, “Computer Integrated Experimentation in Electrical Engineering Education Over Distance,” ASEE 2000 Annual Conference, Saint Louis, MO, Jun. 2000. Preferred solution for learning in S&E courses Introduction Lab. work Lab. environments Weblabs IEEE 1451.0 Std. Conclusions

7. Ricardo Costa - 2010 rjc@isep.ipp.pt - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc 7/13 Laboratory Environments … also named as WEBLABS They are a very important solution for conducting experimental/ laboratory work. Introduction Lab. work Lab. environments Weblabs IEEE 1451.0 Std. Conclusions

8. Ricardo Costa - 2010 rjc@isep.ipp.pt - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc 8/13 Weblabs (Remote Labs) (1/2) Traditional weblab Current situation: remote laboratories follow specific and distinct technical implementations (several hardware and software architectures); no standard solution for creating remote laboratory infrastructures. Problems: collaboration among institutions is weak, because it is difficult the reuse and interface different instruments/modules (I&M) used by a specific experiment; some institutions do not apply weblabs in their courses because they don’t have the required technical skills; costs may be high, since creating a weblab infrastructure requires a PC and associated software, together with several instruments (eventually comprehending several futures not required in a specific experiment), and; an architecture based on a single PC poses constraints for running several experiments, requiring scheduling techniques. Introduction Lab. work Lab. environments Weblabs IEEE 1451.0 Std. Conclusions

9. Ricardo Costa - 2010 rjc@isep.ipp.pt - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc 9/13 Weblabs (Remote Labs) (2/2) Traditional vs Reconfigurable weblabs architectures. Distributed architecture proposed for FPGA-based weblabs. IEEE 1451.0 Std. FPGA-based board Introduction Lab. work Lab. environments Weblabs IEEE 1451.0 Std. Conclusions

10. Ricardo Costa - 2010 rjc@isep.ipp.pt - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc 10/13 Provides a common basis for members of the IEEE 1451 family of standards to be interoperable. It defines the functions that are to be performed by Transducer Interface Module (TIM) and the common characteristics for all devices that implement the TIM. It specifies the formats for TEDS. It defines a set of commands to facilitate the setup and control of the TIM as well as reading and writing the data used by the system. APIs are defined to facilitate communications with the TIM and with applications. IEEE 1451.0 Std. (1/2) IEEE Standard for a Smart Transducer Interface for Sensors and Actuators – Common Functions, Communication Protocols, and Transducer Electronic Data Sheet (TEDS) Formats; Approved in 2007 Introduction Lab. work Lab. environments Weblabs IEEE 1451.0 Std. Conclusions

11. Ricardo Costa - 2010 rjc@isep.ipp.pt - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc 11/13 IEEE 1451.0 Std. (2/2) Introduction Lab. work Lab. environments Weblabs IEEE 1451.0 Std. Conclusions

12. Ricardo Costa - 2010 rjc@isep.ipp.pt - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc 12/13 Conclusions Higher education must encompass the technological evolution; S&E courses require experimental work (theory alone is not enough); Currently, remote labs are well accepted in education, namely in S&E courses; by i) comparing different parameters and ii) analyzing related costs, remote labs are seen as good resources for S&E courses (a complement). But… there are specific and distinct technical implementations (no standard !); The proposed solution (adopting the IEEE 1451.0 Std.) will facilitate the standardization of a remote laboratory infrastructure: increases collaboration, reduces costs, simplifies developments, facilitates access managements, promotes better infrastructural stability, etc. Introduction Lab. work Lab. environments Weblabs IEEE 1451.0 Std. Conclusions

13. Ricardo Costa - 2010 rjc@isep.ipp.pt - http://www.dee.isep.ipp.pt/~rjc 13/13 Thanks for your attention ! Acknowledgments: