Performing Automated Experiments with EJsS Laboratories

Abstract

Existing software allows the development of high quality interactive applications that permit their implementation in laboratories, both virtual and remote. To perform an experiment, the user needs to know how these applications are implemented. In addition, when coding an experiment, the user has to manage the language in which the simulation was created and needs to handle fluently a simulation language just to perform experiments. In the academic field these simulations are used to create virtual and remote laboratories. The authors propose a tool to develop automated experiments for these laboratories. It is intended that the experiments use a powerful and simple language to improve students interaction with the laboratories. That is, avoid repetitive tasks using simple algorithms, data collection and analysis of results, among other features. A new environment for the development of experiments in the authoring tool Easy java(script) Simulations (EjsS) is proposed. It permits the decoupling of the application design phase from the experiment design. It has been equipped with a language capable of encircling all the expected commands, such as creating events, launching simultaneous applications or modifying their variables. Set with a high level layer, the language allows less experienced users to create their own experiments without having any knowledge of how the application was made. These features will be explained throughout the paper and some physic and control examples of use, as a controller for a cylindrical and a circular tank or a motion controller for a remote robot, will be given to demonstrate the potential of this new environment.