Laboratory experimentation plays a critical role in the education of engineers. With the increase of students choosing to obtain their education online through Distance Learning programs, something must be done to allow them to gain practice with experimental techniques. Remote Laboratories (RLs), or laboratory experiments specially constructed for remote use, have the potential to fill this void. In a "traditional" laboratory experiment, students physically interact with an apparatus to obtain experimental data. Remote Laboratories are meant to offer a similar learning experience that is equivalent to, or as close as possible to the physical one, by allowing a user to control the apparatus from a remote location using mechatronic control hardware, integrated with data acquisition software. Studies have shown there is no significant difference with regard to meeting educational outcomes between students who performed an experiment remotely versus those who carried out the same experiment in-person. The focus of this thesis is on the development of a framework for developing and implementing Remote Laboratories. To do this, this research introduces advances in the following areas: a) Identifying the educational differences between traditional and Remote Laboratories. b) Developing a method for comparing student perceptions about RLs and their laboratory reports through surveys and laboratory report grading. c) Creating a standard Information Technology protocol for hosting and conducting remote experiments. d) Investigating alternative uses for RLs. e) Proposing new methods to best mimic the physical interactions of traditional laboratories. f) Creation of functioning Remote Laboratories. g) Analyzing the findings of their use in a classroom setting. A comparison of surveys and laboratory reports between groups that conducted remote experiments and those which conducted traditional experiments over a period of 4 semesters suggest that RLs have the potential to be used to achieve the same educational outcomes as traditional laboratories.

<p>The purpose of this thesis is to develop a remote control application for personal computers. This application will have two devices implied, the computer to be controlled and a small portable device that will be used as remote controller.</p><p>In this specific case, the portable device picked is the Nintendo DS, for reasons discussed later in this document that make this device interesting as a remote controller.</p><p>The application should allow the final user to create his own set of remote controllers for any computer application he wants to control, and also, to define the commands the application should perform. This makes the developed solution a full customizable universal remote controlling application.</p><p>The first step taken was to do a small research about what kind of devices and software are present actually for remote control applications, so the differences, advantages and disadvantages of using the Nintendo DS will be shown. Then the developed solution will be explained and tested, controlling some computer applications under different scenarios.</p>

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 129-141).

With the increasing popularity of phone application development, a number of features have surfaced that enable users to utilize extended functionalities with their phone. With a single device, a user is now able to have access to the latest trends. As a result, functionalities from various products such as personal computers or GPS devices can now be accessible in one place. While this technology is evolving at a fast rate, it is the embedded technology and hardware that drive it which facilitate the innovative designs and solutions. At the other end of the spectrum of embedded systems, companies continue to maintain legacy products that use embedded chips programmed through their flash memory. With this perceived commitment to stay loyal to their older product designs, it has become rather cumbersome for such companies to stay current with the latest hardware and software trends. The result is higher costs to the customers for their high-end products. While the average user invests in newer and faster Google phones or iPhones, it is unlikely that the same can be said for commercial products such as a refrigerator or a ball machine. What if a development framework existed that allowed customers to have access to better user interfaces and functionalities over the lifetime of their product? In this Masters report, an innovative approach is discussed which demonstrates the latest mobile phone technology combined with an existing embedded device being applied to the conversion of a low-end tennis ball machine into an affordable high-end one. / text

This report is the result of a master thesis at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Division of Industrial and Economical Development, at Linköping University of Technology. The project was carried out on behalf of Fanerami AB, Mjölby and includes 20 weeks of full time schedule work. Cabinets with vertical mounted roller shutters all share the same problem, namely weight balancing. A roller shutter has an equilibrium area where the sum of the different forces acting on the shutter equals zero. As the shutter leaves that area it will pick up speed as it falls towards the bottom. When the shutter hits the bottom of the cabinet there is a potential risk of getting fingers caught and in this project a solution to prevent this from happening was to be presented. In this project, three concepts have been generated with the following different purposes: •In concept 1 the risk of getting any fingers caught when the shutter closes was to be eliminated in an efficient and inexpensive way. •In concept 2 the roller shutter had to be balanced at all time providing the possibility to keep the cabinet open in any position. •The last and most challenging task was to create a remote controlled TV cabinet. The shutters were mounted horizontally and were to be opened simply by pushing the bottom either on the remote transmitter unit or the cabinet. The first concept uses a small oil damper, often seen in kitchen cabinets and drawers. The roller shutter applies pressure on the damper via a lever that transforms the shutter motion along a certain path to a smaller motion in the direction of the damper. By doing so, a smaller damper with higher pressure can be used. Dampers are available with several different pressures and can be mounted in five different positions; therefore the concept can be adjusted to fit almost any cabinet. Concept 2 consists of a thin cord winded around a wheel. The wheel is equipped with a spring that tightens when the cord is pulled in. The spring produces an equal and opposite force that holds the shutter in balance. As the wheel is mounted in the upper front of the cabinet, underneath the shutter, it will almost be invisible. The concept is easy to adjust to most cabinets by simply attach the shutter at different levels. In that way the spring will be tightened to equal the weight of the shutter. The design of the TV cabinet has been a working progress throughout the whole project. A couple of prototypes were produced before the final concept. The mechanical solution is based on two pinion rackets placed one on each side of a rotating pinion powered by a motor through a planetary gearbox. To control the cabinet Electronic Solutions AB developed an electronic system that made it possible to open and close the shutters with a remote control or a switch on the cabinet.

There is significant interest in the development of hydrogels and hydrogel nanocomposites for a variety of biomedical applications including drug delivery, sensors and actuators, and hyperthermia cancer treatment. The incorporation of nanoparticulates into a hydrogel matrix can result in unique material characteristics such as enhanced mechanical properties, swelling response, and capability of remote controlled (RC) actuation. In this dissertation, the development of hydrogel nanocomposites containing magnetic nanoparticles/carbon nanotubes, actuation with remote stimulus, and some of their applications are highlighted. The primary hydrogel nanocomposite systems were synthesized by incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles into temperature responsive N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) matrices. Various nanocomposite properties were characterized such as temperature responsive swelling, RC heating with a 300 kHz alternating magnetic field (AMF), and resultant collapse. The nanoparticle loadings and hydrogel composition were tailored to obtain a nanocomposite system that exhibited significant change in its volume when exposed to AMF. The nanocomposites were loaded with model drugs of varying molecular weights, and RC pulsatile release was demonstrated. A microfluidic device was fabricated using the low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) processing technique. A magnetic nanocomposite of PNIPAAm was placed as a valve in one of the channels. The remote controlled liquid flow with AMF was observed for multiple on-off cycles, and the kinetics of the RC valve were quantified by pressure measurements. The addition of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in NIPAAm matrices was also explored for the possibility of enhancement in mechanical properties and achieving remote heating capabilities. The application of a radiofrequency (RF) field of 13.56 MHz resulted in the remote heating of the nanocomposites. The intensity of the resultant heating was dependent on the MWCNT loadings. In order to further understand the RC actuation phenomenon, a semi-empirical heat transfer model was developed for heating of a nanocomposite disc in air. The model successfully predicted the temperature rise as well as equilibrium temperatures for different hydrogel dimensions, swelling properties, nanoparticles loadings, and AMF amplitude. COMSOL was used to simulate temperature rise of the hydrogel nanocomposite and the surrounding tissue for hyperthermia cancer treatment application.

Water infrastructure on Aboriginal communities in Canada, and specifically Northern Manitoba is in sub-standard condition. A recent Government of Canada study indicated that an estimated $1.5 billion would need to be spent to improve this infrastructure. September 2003 through July 2004, an examination of the effectiveness of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) in a Northern Manitoban Aboriginal community took place. This study was intended to identify and test an appropriate and effective solution for the lack of adequate wastewater treatment in these communities. The MBR system, employing a Zenon ZW-10 ultrafiltration membrane, was designed and constructed at the University of Manitoba. It was installed and tested in two phases at the Opaskwayak Cree Nation Reserve in Northern Manitoba. Phase I was a direct comparison between the pilot-scale MBR and the community’s existing Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) with sand filter. This phase occurred from September 2003 until December 2003. The MBR, with an SRT of 20-days and an HRT of 10 hours, outperformed the SBR in every category despite 2 mechanical/electrical failures that resulted in the loss of biomass from the MBR. The SBR/Sand filter combination had BOD, TSS, and TKN concentrations of 30.3 mg/L, 27.5 mg/L, and 8.4 mg/L, respectively. By comparison, the BOD, TSS, and TKN concentrations in the MBR effluent were <6 mg/L, <5 mg/L, and 1.3 mg/L respectively. Phase II, from March 2004 through July 2004, tested the overall MBR efficacy and intended to assess a novel remote control and monitoring system. The MBR SRT was adjusted to 40-days and, as expected, the MBR MLVSS concentration increased to a relatively stable 5000 mg/L. The MBR continued to provide high quality effluent with some exceptions. Despite the 0.034 μm pore size, the total coliforms and TSS measured in the effluent were higher than in Phase I. This indicates a compromised membrane, faulty sampling procedures, or biological regrowth downstream of the membrane. This failure could point to the need for some form of tertiary disinfection. Also in Phase II, a remote control and monitoring program was implemented. The controlling PC was controlled via the internet using pcAnywhere software. The software allowed for real-time monitoring and complete control of the pilot system. In conclusion, the pilot-scale MBR yielded consistent, high quality wastewater effluent and this would benefit the pristine environments existing in Manitoba’s north. The potential hands-free operation could be utilized to provide support to communities lacking sufficient wastewater treatment know-how.

Water infrastructure on Aboriginal communities in Canada, and specifically Northern Manitoba is in sub-standard condition. A recent Government of Canada study indicated that an estimated $1.5 billion would need to be spent to improve this infrastructure. September 2003 through July 2004, an examination of the effectiveness of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) in a Northern Manitoban Aboriginal community took place. This study was intended to identify and test an appropriate and effective solution for the lack of adequate wastewater treatment in these communities. The MBR system, employing a Zenon ZW-10 ultrafiltration membrane, was designed and constructed at the University of Manitoba. It was installed and tested in two phases at the Opaskwayak Cree Nation Reserve in Northern Manitoba. Phase I was a direct comparison between the pilot-scale MBR and the community’s existing Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) with sand filter. This phase occurred from September 2003 until December 2003. The MBR, with an SRT of 20-days and an HRT of 10 hours, outperformed the SBR in every category despite 2 mechanical/electrical failures that resulted in the loss of biomass from the MBR. The SBR/Sand filter combination had BOD, TSS, and TKN concentrations of 30.3 mg/L, 27.5 mg/L, and 8.4 mg/L, respectively. By comparison, the BOD, TSS, and TKN concentrations in the MBR effluent were <6 mg/L, <5 mg/L, and 1.3 mg/L respectively. Phase II, from March 2004 through July 2004, tested the overall MBR efficacy and intended to assess a novel remote control and monitoring system. The MBR SRT was adjusted to 40-days and, as expected, the MBR MLVSS concentration increased to a relatively stable 5000 mg/L. The MBR continued to provide high quality effluent with some exceptions. Despite the 0.034 μm pore size, the total coliforms and TSS measured in the effluent were higher than in Phase I. This indicates a compromised membrane, faulty sampling procedures, or biological regrowth downstream of the membrane. This failure could point to the need for some form of tertiary disinfection. Also in Phase II, a remote control and monitoring program was implemented. The controlling PC was controlled via the internet using pcAnywhere software. The software allowed for real-time monitoring and complete control of the pilot system. In conclusion, the pilot-scale MBR yielded consistent, high quality wastewater effluent and this would benefit the pristine environments existing in Manitoba’s north. The potential hands-free operation could be utilized to provide support to communities lacking sufficient wastewater treatment know-how.

Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio University, August, 2002. / Title from PDF t.p.

Thesis (M.S. in Computer Science)--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2004. / Thesis advisor(s): Curtis Blais. Includes bibliographical references (p. 49-50). Also available online.