Virtual Experiment Environment Research Articles

Virtual parameter-estimation experiments in Bioprocess-Engineering education

Cell growth kinetics and reactor concepts constitute essential knowledge for Bioprocess-Engineering students. Traditional learning of these concepts is supported by lectures, tutorials, and practicals: ICT offers opportunities for improvement. A virtual-experiment environment was developed that supports both model-related and experimenting-related learning objectives. Students have to design experiments to estimate model parameters: they choose initial conditions and 'measure' output variables. The results contain experimental error, which is an important constraint for experimental design. Students learn from these results and use the new knowledge to re-design their experiment. Within a couple of hours, students design and run many experiments that would take weeks in reality. Usage was evaluated in two courses with questionnaires and in the final exam. The faculties involved in the two courses are convinced that the experiment environment supports essential learning objectives well.

Virtual Experiment Environment's Design for Science Education

We present the educational possibilities of the Web based virtual experiment (VE) environments in the science education. As there are a lot of things that cannot be experimented with in the lab among the contents of experiment of science education, there are a lot of difficulties in the teaching-learning process. Therefore, we have developed virtual experiment environments on the Web designed to be compatible to the learner levels through level analysis in the learning contents. The students can select the learning level in the exploring step of learning cycle model: regular, advanced and remedial courses, according to the degree of their understanding or interest about the learning topic. The virtual experiment environments will support students to learn scientific phenomena and concepts focusing on: radiation balance, the earthquake waves, the earth’s crust structure, the movement of sea water, and solar system in the science field of middle school. The VE environments have been evaluated to the responses of learners on a Web. This study shows that the Web-based VE environments in science education can be effectively used as a virtual class.

Course on Dynamics of Multidisciplinary Controlled Systems in a Virtual Lab

The DynLAB project currently developed by an experienced international consortium aims at motivating young people to engineering study, and at improving engineering training using innovative didactic and technological approaches. The resulting web-based training modules are supported across the Internet by tools like a robust simulation engine DYNAST, publishing and monitoring system, and environment for virtual experiments. DYNAST can be used across the Internet as a modelling toolbox for the MATLAB control design toolset installed on client computers.

A novel virtual experimentation approach to planning and training for manufacturing processes--the virtual machine shop

This paper discusses the use of a virtual experimentation environment as a planning and training tool for machining processes. This approach involves the virtual performance of machining processes within a Virtual Machine Shop environment. The features of this environment enable the user to set up a process, to operate a machine tool, to edit and execute an NC part program in an immersive and interactive way. Additional functions are provided in order to support process verification in terms of geometrical, technical and economic characteristics. A test case is presented in order to demonstrate the simulation functions of the Virtual Machine Shop and the capability of the system to deal with machining planning and training problems.

A virtual reality-based experimentation environment for the verification of human-related factors in assembly processes

This paper investigates the use of virtual reality (VR)-based methods for the verification of performance factors related to manual assembly processes. An immersive and interactive virtual environment has been created to provide functionality for realistic process experimentation. Ergonomic models and functions have been embedded into the VR environment to support verification and constrain experimentation to ergonomically acceptable conditions. A specific assembly test case is presented, for which a semi-empirical time model is developed employing statistical design experimentation in the virtual environment. The virtual experimentation results enable the quantification and prediction of the influence of a number of process parameters and their combination at the process cycle time.

Argonne National Laboratory high performance network support of APS experiments

Argonne National Laboratory is currently positioned to provide access to high performance regional and national networks. Much of the impetus for this effort is the anticipated needs of the upcoming experimental program at the APS. Some APS collaborative access teams (CATs) are already pressing for network speed improvements and security enhancements. Requirements range from the need for high data rate, secure transmission of experimental data, to the desire to establish a ‘‘virtual experimental environment’’ at their home institution. In the near future, 155 megabit/sec (Mb/s) national and regional asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks will be operational and available to APS users. Full-video teleconferencing, virtual presence operation of experiments, and high speed, secure transmission of data are being tested and, in some cases, will be operational. We expect these efforts to enable a substantial improvement in the speed of processing experimental results as well as an increase in convenience to the APS experimentalist.