Interactive Lab Experimentation and Simulation Tools for Remote Laboratories

New extensions and features to the remote laboratories currently used for undergraduate courses in automatic control laboratory at the School of Engineering of University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland are presented. This paper shows how lab experimentation and lab simulation can be linked in a complementary way. In fact, their adequate combination offers the students the opportunity to apply classroom theoretical knowledge while conducting a real experiment. Besides, the lab-based simulation tools can be used for experiment modeling and controller design. Simulation tools also facilitate analyzing and interpreting data and finally validating the results. We discuss different technical implementing trends as well as several pedagogical approaches in the way remote lab exercises are performed including real-time data acquisition, experimentation environment within user friendly interface and simulation tools.