Teleworking in research networks and

remote laboratories

Kaunas University of Technology

Lithuania

Rimantas Šeinauskas

Outline

Introduction Computer-Aided Design on the Internet The Remote CAD Laboratory Conclusions

Introduction

Cheap telecommunications, the spread of computing, and globalisation are creating major change in the location of research, within and between countries.

There is a growing recognition that the globalisation process plays an increasingly important role in shaping research patterns.

Research Networks

Each Research Network provides a range of activities and forms of interaction to stimulate debate.

These include workshops and networking events, research studies and topical briefings , web-based commentaries on emerging issues.

Each Research Network operation focuses on its members’ needs and preferences.

Real research work can be done by local teams only

Research laboratories

Research laboratories are an essential part of the research experience.

However, equipping a laboratory is a major expense and its maintenance can be difficult.

Research assistants are required to set up the laboratory, instruct in the laboratory, and grade laboratory reports.

Research laboratories

These time-consuming and costly tasks result in relatively low laboratory equipment usage

What if some of the basic laboratory experiments could be made available 24 hours a day, seven days a week?

What if a research team wanted to make their expensive research equipment available to others when they went home for the evening?

Remote research Laboratories

All of these and many more exciting applications are now easily achievable with the new technology available with Remote research Laboratories.

A remote laboratory is defined as a computer-controlled laboratory that can be accessed and controlled externally over some communication medium.

Remote research Laboratories

A remote laboratory is an experiment, demonstration, or process running locally on a computing platform but with the ability to be monitored and controlled over the Internet from within a Web browser.

The client can be any computer connected to the Internet running a simple browser.

Internet Control of a Remote Laboratory

A Collaboratory

A Collaboratory is a “... ‘center without walls,’ in which the nation’s researchers can perform their research without regard to geographical location by interacting with colleagues, accessing instrumentation, sharing data and computational resources, accessing information in digital libraries.”

Computer-Aided Design

Computer-Aided Design (CAD) of circuits in modern electronics is highly complicated and demands a lot of computing resources.

To improve the competence of electronics, numerous international and national programs support research of CAD by premium licensing of the software for the Universities.

Anyway, both the foundation and the maintenance of a CAD laboratory are very expensive.

Computer-Aided Design

The design systems of extended applicability’s, such as CADENCE, demand high performance computers, a lot of disc memory, and the maintenance of their software can be managed only by systems programmers of high qualification.

Only few of Universities and Departments can afford such laboratories.

Modern capabilities of the Internet open the ways of using any CAD system via any computer, connected to the Internet.

The Remote CAD Laboratory

3Com Link Switch 1000

NT server : Pentium Pro 200 MHz, 128MB RAM, 2MB Video, 6.1GB HDD, 17” Sony Monitor Sun Ultra Enterprise 1 167MHz,

512MB RAM, 4+4+9+9GB HDD

Sun Ultra 5 167MHz, 512MB RAM, 4+4 HDD

10 PCs : Pentium 133 MHz, 64MB RAM, 2MB Video, 1.6GB HDD, 17” Sony Monitors

Printer Laser Jet 5M, 6MB RAM, 12ppm APC Smart UPS 1400

Sun Backup Unit

Two US Robotics Courier 28 800Kbps modems

Cadence -5, COSSAP -5Synopsys - 2 licenses

FPGA - 5 boards

Visual feedback

The Electronic design use widely configurable field-programmable gate arrays ( FPGA).

At present such experiments can be done via a network.

Visual feedback is an excellent way to enhance a remote laboratory and sometimes is a necessary requirement for a successful remote laboratory.

Special software

Special software like LabVIEW makes the creation, implementation, and administration of a remote laboratory very simple.

There is no longer any need for additional programming to enable your laboratory for the Web, and the control of the remote laboratory is exactly the same as it would be on the local server.

LabVIEW also contains all the necessary administration and security tools to create a complete remote laboratory solution.

Conclusions

Remote laboratories are used in Academia to enhance classroom lectures, share research equipment, and supplement the learning process.

Typical laboratories have relatively low usage, and remote laboratories can eliminate some of the barriers found in traditional laboratories.

Remote laboratories can remove the need to have a teaching assistant on hand, reduce the cost associated with a traditional laboratory, and can also be made available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.