Analysis of Approaches to Creating Laboratories for Remote Automated Control of Physical Objects
Abstract
The paper presents a review of the approaches (technologies and methods) used to create remote laboratory systems that allow for remote control of physical objects. Physical objects are Internet of Things devices, that is, microprocessor systems equipped with communication technologies for interacting with each other and the environment. COVID-19 caused an unfavorable epidemiological situation, forcing teachers and students to work remotely. However, the study of some academic disciplines requires access to physical equipment and network services. In such a situation, it is proposed to use a remote laboratory, i.e., a hardware and software complex that provides access to laboratory equipment located in the physical laboratory and allows the user to perform remote work. These systems also facilitate the organization of education for students who do not have the opportunity to be present in the laboratory. The purpose of the work is to analyze and systematize the existing approaches used to create remote laboratories and propose our own approach to creating a stand for remote control of IoT devices. The article provides a historical overview and analysis of scientific works dedicated to the creation of remote laboratories. The study considers 12 remote laboratories that use analog and digital electronics, microcontroller devices, and physical objects for teaching and research. Among the studied remote laboratories, no systems were oriented towards IoT technology research. These systems used IoT technologies to organize communication between laboratory equipment and users. However, laboratory users did not use IoT platforms for experiments, did not research communication technologies, and machine-to-machine interaction. Based on the analysis of scientific works, a concept of a digital twin – a remote laboratory for studying IoT technologies – is proposed.
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