Physical and Virtual Environment for Automation Education of Engineers and Technicians, Part 2: Laboratory activities in closed-loop control and automation through a virtual and physical environment

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Nowadays, industrial software and communication tools allow the managerial staff, engineers and technicians to enhance the productivity and optimize automated production systems without the necessity of being physically on the production floor. In some instances, equipment providers can even assist plant engineers and technicians in troubleshooting specific equipments from a distant site, using advanced tools providing real-time information (visual, process data, etc.) from the plant. The current project, through the use of recent industrial communication technologies, proposes the reproduction of a similar situation, in joint learning activities for future engineers and technicians. This kind of interaction, in an early educational context at both levels, is unique to the knowledge of the authors. The institutions taking part in this project are the Universite du Quebec a Rimouski (UQAR) and the Cegep de Riviere-du-Loup, located in eastern Quebec. Two activities were initiated, the first as part of a process control course using a stand-alone physical setup, and the second using a currently designed miniplant for recycling beverage bottles and cans as part of a sequential automation course. Results showed that the students at both institutions were able to work together and communicate effectively despite their different background. The training objectives for this phase of the project were successfully achieved and lessons learned will be further exploited to enhance the training level and student-acquired skills during the following phase of the project.