Lab Concept Research Articles

Arduino Based Physics and Engineering Remote Laboratory

The concept of remote laboratories exists for some time with increasing importance for contemporary education in various fields and at various levels. Advance of remote labs is based on technology development and conceptual improvements with possible mutual influences such as when new technologies can make new concepts possible. Arduino is a family of small inexpensive single board computers (SBC) based primarily on microcontrollers with added Linux platforms on some boards for improved processing and Internet accessibility. Various shields extend interaction functionality of Arduino boards with environment. A number of other brands with quite similar concepts exist, with Arduino as one of very well-known and widespread. Arduino based remote lab concept relies on “Arduino only” implementation which is possible for many not too demanding applications without usual desktop or similar PC platforms. Such concept has many implications like project cheap price, interconnecting of boards for more demanding tasks, small consumption, autonomy, small dimensions, low installation requirements, which is suitable for applications at remote locations and applications requiring mobility. Hybrid solutions including Arduino or similar boards and other more powerful computer platforms may be optimal for more demanding applications. Programming and application development for Arduino and similar boards are supported by large community of developers and users that provide various libraries, solution examples, forums covering various thematic and application aspects. This paper discusses and presents some hardware and software configurations with Arduino and compatible boards that are used for implementation of experiments in physics and technics. Although the considered remotely operated experiments are different in nature, quite similar hardware and software architectures are used.

Practical Clinical Training in Skills Labs: Theory and Practice.

Today, skills laboratories or “skills labs”, i.e. specific practical skill training facilities, are a firmly established part of medical education offering the possibility of training clinical procedures in a safe and fault-forging environment prior to real life application at bedside or in the operating room. Skills lab training follows a structured teaching concept, takes place under supervision and in consideration of methodological-didactic concepts, ideally creating an atmosphere that allows the repeated, anxiety- and risk-free practice of targeted skills.In this selective literature review, the first section is devoted to (I) the development and dissemination of the skills lab concept. There follows (II) an outline of the underlying idea and (III) an analysis of key efficacy factors. Thereafter, (IV) the training method’s effectiveness and transference are illuminated, before (V) the use of student tutors, in the sense of peer-assisted-learning, in skills labs is discussed separately. Finally, (VI) the efficiency of the skills lab concept is analyzed, followed by an outlook on future developments and trends in the field of skills lab training.

Advancing Patient Safety through the Creation of a Mobile Usability Lab

The demand for usability testing is becoming increasingly important as healthcare moves toward a commitment to zero patient harm and higher value of care provided. Usability testing and simulation, techniques used in user-centered interaction design to evaluate healthcare systems, promote safe, high-quality care for patients. We propose the concept of a “Mobile Usability Lab”, a novel way to conduct usability testing system-wide. The Mobile Usability Lab describes a unique opportunity to step away from the standard state-of-the-art usability lab and take a creative approach to usability testing. To demonstrate the utility of this concept, we present a case study detailing a hospital-wide comparative device evaluation of new defibrillators. We recommend that research and clinical teams explore the concept of a mobile usability lab to evaluate products in the clinical environment. This work can reduce preventable harm through the optimization of health care delivery.

Governing Quintuple Helix Innovation: Urban Living Labs and Socio-Ecological Entrepreneurship

Growing urbanization puts pressure on both social and ecological systems. This pressure raises complex and multi-facetted challenges that can only be tackled by collaborative and distributed innovation development processes. However, theoretical frameworks that assess such collaborations are often very conceptual, with little focus on the actual governance mechanisms that facilitate them. This article studies the urban living lab concept as an inter-organizational design and multi-stakeholder innovation development process to govern the quintuple helix model for innovation by means of an action research based multidimensional case study design, which focuses on the concepts of innovation democracy, mode 3 knowledge production, the innovation ecosystem as a system of societal subsystems, and socio-ecological transition. In this way, we provide a more profound understanding of such innovation processes to tackle socio-ecological challenges by means of public–private interactions driven by eco-entrepreneurship. Cities are never random. No matter how chaotic they might seem, everything about them grows out of a need to solve a problem. In fact, a city is nothing more than a solution to a problem, that in turn creates more problems that need more solutions, until towers rise, roads widen, bridges are built, and millions of people are caught up in a mad race to feed the problem-solving, problem-creating frenzy. Neal Shusterman Author of young-adult fiction In Downsiders (2001)

Usability Framework for E-Government Services in Developing Countries

Lack of usability frameworks for developing countries has contributed to designing and deploying systems that fails at a high rate. This paper discusses a research effort on how rejuvenated Living Lab concept can contribute to designing usability frameworks for developing countries. Living Lab is a user centric innovative setting that involves everyday practices and research that facilitates user influence approach in an open and distributed innovation processes. The concept enables engaging relevant partners in a real life context for addressing usability issues.

Determinants of an Appropriate Degree of Autonomy in a Cyber-physical Production System

Classical productions systems are migrating step-by-step into cyber-physical production systems. The addition of much more computing power and object-bound data storage will lead to new possibilities for the advancement of autonomy in production systems. Autonomous message exchange and coordination can help to prevent quality problems (for instance wrong pairing of tool and work piece) and improve the disturbance management (for instance by faster information about current and probable disturbances). Due to the fact that nearly all improvements of existing production systems with cyber-physical systems take place in real and active manufacturing sites, on-site experiments for determining an appropriate degree of autonomy for production objects are not feasible. Therefore, a lab approach is necessary. In this contribution a hybrid lab approach to simulate various degrees of autonomy is presented [1]. The paper starts with a definition of autonomy and suggests diverse measurement methods [2]. After a short introduction into the lab concept, the results of some test runs are presented where autonomous objects perform the same production program as “dumb” production objects. Finally, an outlook for further research is given.

Computer-Aided System of Virtual Testing of Gas Turbine Engines

The article describes the concept of a virtual lab that includes subsystem of gas turbine engine simulation, subsystem of experiment planning, subsystem of measurement errors simulation, subsystem of simulator identification and others. The basis for virtual lab development is the computer-aided system of thermogasdynamic research and analysis “ASTRA”. The features of gas turbine engine transient modes simulator are described. The principal difference between the simulators of transient and stationary modes of gas turbine engines is that the energy balance of the compressor and turbine becomes not applicable. The computer-aided system of virtual gas turbine engine testing was created using the developed transient modes simulator. This system solves the tasks of operational (throttling, speed, climatic, altitude) characteristics calculation, analysis of transient dynamics and selection of optimal control laws. Besides, the system of virtual gas turbine engine testing is a clear demonstration of gas turbine engine working process and the regularities of engine elements collaboration. The interface of the system of virtual gas turbine engine testing is described in the article and some screenshots of the interface elements are provided. The developed system of virtual gas turbine engine testing provides means for reducing the laboriousness of gas turbine engines testing. Besides, the implementation of this system in the learning process allows the diversification of lab works and therefore improve the quality of training.

Sustainable Transport in Upper Austria: Case Study for Setting up a Living Lab Concept to Accelerate Innovations

The research team is currently working on defining a suitable path towards the design and implementation of a Living Lab for developing, testing and demonstrating innovations in sustainable transport operations. There are several examples that focus on transport and mobility, either addressing individual or freight transport. The combination of both topics is seen as a unique chance to find new ways for a sustainable transport system and mobility behavior. The region of Upper Austria is used as a research case in order to demonstrate results and findings of an applied research project, called “Mobility Lab Upper Austria.”

Determination of the Optimal Degree of Autonomy in a Cyber-Physical Production System

Classical productions systems are migrating step-by-step into cyber-physical production systems. The addition of much more computing power and object-bound data storage will lead to new possibilities for the advancement of autonomy in production systems. Autonomous message exchange and coordination can help to prevent quality problems (for instance wrong pairing of tool and work piece) and improve the disturbance management (for instance by faster information about current and probable disturbances). Due to the fact that nearly all improvements of existing production systems with cyber-physical systems take place in real and active manufacturing sites, on-site experiments to find out the right degree of autonomy for production objects are not suitable. Therefore a lab approach is necessary. In this contribution a hybrid lab approach to simulate various degrees of autonomy is presented [1]. The paper starts with a definition of autonomy and suggests measurement methods [2]. After a short introduction into the lab concept the results of some test runs are presented where autonomous objects perform the same production program as dumb production objects. Finally, an outlook for further research is given.

From Freight Partnerships to City Logistics Living Labs – Giving Meaning to the Elusive Concept of Living Labs

The paper discusses the growing importance of urban freight research given the increasing urban population trends. The complexity of urban freight systems means that it is essential for the public and private sectors to work together - one way to achieve this has been through freight partnerships. A short review of freight partnerships highlights the way in which they have fostered mutual understanding among urban freight stakeholders. The literature on shared situational awareness (SSA) and joint knowledge production (JKP) has been adapted to position freight partnerships and to further develop and link these partnerships to the concept of a living laboratory concerned with urban freight transport. This novel application of the living lab concept is introduced. Next, the first phases of a city logistics living lab brought in practice in Rotterdam are shortly mentioned. The living lab concept fits the complexities of the urban freight system well and has been a cornerstone of a recently started major freight project in the EU (CITYLAB).

Innovative public-private partnership to support Smart City: the case of “Chaire REVES”

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss how French universities can play a key role in generating Smart City (SC) through an innovative Public-Private Partnership (PPP) dedicated to urban transformation. Design/methodology/approach – The authors led an action-research study for five years with several research and pedagogic projects, including users or citizens. Findings – The paper points out main factors of SC development. It also presents shared demonstrators’ characteristics, including industrial scale, sustainability, and citizens’ participation. Research limitations/implications – This research is experimented with only one regional multi-case study. Practical implications – Practical implications of this paper include a University of Lorraine diversification strategy through the “Chaire REVES” supported by public and private partners. Social implications – At the regional level, industrial-university-territorial partnerships could tackle both societal and economical issues “with,” “for,” and “by” citizens. Originality/value – Based on the Living Lab concept, this case study shows a concrete regional university strategy involving: user-centric design, collaborative processes, citizens’ workshops, and new financial and organizational answers enabling collaboration between private companies and public institutions. The paper also argues that innovative PPPs involving users are necessary for developing SC.

Towards the Realization of the ICT Education Living Lab – The TechTeachers.co.za Success Story

This paper presents the success story of the intuitive vision of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) high school educator in South Africa. The growth and evolution of a Community of Practice towards a full-fledged living lab is investigated. A grounded theory study analyses the living lab concept and highlights some of the current challenges secondary high school ICT education face within the South African educational landscape. Some of the concepts, ideas, best practices, and lessons learned in the establishment and running of two web based technologies to support secondary school ICT subjects is discussed. The researchers present a motivation for the use of living labs to address some of the issues identified and highlights how the existing platforms fits into bigger design.

The Road to “ITIV Labs” – An Integrated Concept for Project-Oriented Systems Engineering Education

This article proposes an integrated concept of anongoing lab series giving electrical engineering and informationtechnology students practical experiences in system engineering,project-based and team-oriented work. Labs start at the firstsemester with fundamentals based on simultaneously givenlectures for three semesters. On the graduate level an adhesiveintegrated lab concept is offered for a multi-perspective view inthe concept of project-oriented systems engineering.

Computer-aided system of virtual gas turbine engine testing

The article describes the concept of a virtual lab that includes subsystem of gas turbine engine simulation, subsystem of experiment planning, subsystem of measurement errors simulation, subsystem of simulator identification and others. The basis for virtual lab development is the computer-aided system of thermogasdynamic research and analysis ASTRA. The features of gas turbine engine transient modes simulator are described. The principal difference between the simulators of transient and stationary modes of gas turbine engines is that the energy balance of the compressor and turbine becomes not applicable. The computer-aided system of virtual gas turbine engine testing was created using the developed transient modes simulator. This system solves the tasks of operational (throttling, speed, climatic, altitude) characteristics calculation, analysis of transient dynamics and selection of optimal control laws. Besides, the system of virtual gas turbine engine testing is a clear demonstration of gas turbine engine working process and the regularities of engine elements collaboration. The interface of the system of virtual gas turbine engine testing is described in the article and some screenshots of the interface elements are provided. The developed system of virtual gas turbine engine testing provides means for reducing the laboriousness of gas turbine engines testing. Besides, the implementation of this system in the learning process allows the diversification of lab works and therefore improve the quality of training.

Potential of multimodal and multiuser interaction with virtual holography

Virtual holography is a disruptive technology that can inspire innovations in variety of fields through blending the physical world with sensory-rich virtual world. The technology enables users to naturally and intuitively manipulate objects and navigate in 3D space. The zSpace virtual holography platform is described. The platform provides a 3D display and head-tracking technology that transforms PCs into virtual-holographic computing facility using a stereoscopic user interface with an interactive stylus. The major components of the platform and its potential benefits, along with some of the current applications are briefly described.The use of the zSpace platform to explore and manipulate a number of space system models is outlined. The models considered include Titan Saturn system, a joint NASA/ESA mission; Mars Science Lab concept; James Webb Telescope; and a Lunar Lander concept. In each of the applications considered, the platform is enhanced by using multimodal interactions, and providing support for multiuser collaboration. The multimodal interactions, which enable more engaging, enhanced accessibility, are achieved by fusing information from a set of stylus input, 3D gestures, and neural input. Simultaneous and collaborative multiuser interactions are described, which support both local and distributed teams, using variety of displays.Emerging and future enhancements of the zSpace platform are outlined, along with novel future applications.

P525: An evaluation of the concept of Flanders Care Living Labs

P525: An evaluation of the concept of Flanders Care Living Labs

Concept of mobile lab for electric vehicle systems research and testing

When one wants to research different systems (measurement, control, etc.) on electric vehicles it is useful to have some sort of test bed for researched system. In order to enable such research at the closest way possible to real thing, the design and large part of actual realization was already made on an actual electric vehicle that should pass homologation and be able to drive among other cars. That vehicle with all its present and designed future research possibilities will be presented here.

The Ideas Lab Concept, Assembling the Tree of Life, and AVAToL.

In August 2011, a week-long NSF-sponsored workshop focusing on the Tree of Life (ToL) took place in Lake Placid, New York. This workshop, called AVAToL (Assembling Visualizing, and Analyzing the Tree of Life), was the first application of NSF’s Ideas Lab concept to systematics. In this article we outline the history and motivation for the Ideas Lab approach and its application to the ToL, explain the nuts and bolts of the Ideas Lab process and look to the potential contributions of AVAToL funded projects to help enable the future of ToL and more broadly, comparative biological research.

Circulating Regeneration and Resource Recovery of Flue Gas Desulfurization Residuals using a Membrane Electroreactor: From Lab Concept to Commercial Scale

Desulfurization residuals (using NaOH sorbent) were regenerated electrochemically, and at the same time sulfur in the flue gas was recovered as H(2)SO(4) and H(2) was produced as a clean energy. Since industrialization should always be the final goal to pursue for lab technologies and the evolution of pilot- and full-scale commercial reactors has taken place relatively slowly, this paper is aimed to develop an electroreactor on a sufficiently large scale to evaluate the application potential of the proposed regeneration process. The following key design parameters are discussed: (1) voltage distributions over electrode, membrane, and electrolyte; and (2) scaling up correlation based on lab-scale reactor operation parameters. Thereafter, in the developed reactor, the desulfurization residuals using NaOH sorbent from a semidry flue gas desulfurization (FGD) facility of a power plant in Shandong Province were regenerated and it is significant to note that the electrochemical efficiency of the designed reactor is comparable to that of the chlor-alkali industry, showing that the technology is environmentally friendly and economically feasible. If this technology is to be employed for FGD, the facility could be a profit-generating manufacturing part instead of a currently money-consuming burden for the plants.

Developing an Engineering Data Bank Service for the Precision Machinery Industry Cluster Using the Living Lab Concept

In Taiwan the precision machinery industry has always played an important role in promoting important industrial upgrades. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) account for the vast majority of participants in this industry. Because of their size and number they face a number of problems. These include difficulty in responding quickly to market demand, a low level of collaboration, and insufficient interaction between designers in central factories and the subcontractors who manufacture components for them. Taiwan’s i236 initiative applied a Living Lab Concept, along with information and communication technology (ICT), to develop a cloud-based ‘Engineering Data Bank Service’ to act as a hub for gathering data together from a local precision machinery industry ecosystem. The Taichung City Precision Machinery Innovation Technology Park was selected as the test site. After deploying the service to more than 400 SMEs, it is found that this service has a low deployment cost, and can indeed effectively enhance the working efficiency of R&D personnel and increase the interaction between central factories and subcontractors, thereby enhancing the international competitiveness of the precision machinery industry in Taiwan.