Virtual Instruments in Dimensional Metrology

During the last five years, in order to improve understanding of content related to "Coordinate Metrology", the Laboratorio de Metrología y Metrotecnia (LMM) from the Polytechnic University of Madrid offers its PhD students, as a course work, the construction of a virtual instrument. This virtual instrument simulates the imaging of a part to be measured by optical dimensional metrology instruments (microscopes, profile projectors, vision machines). The LMM provides students with images similar to those they would obtain with real instrumentation for the instrument adjustment and calibration process. Working with these images, students should determine the adjustment parameters of the virtual instrument. Once these parameters are set, the student can perform the proper calibration of the virtual instrument. Beyond this process, the instrument is already able to perform traceable measurement. In order to do that, LMM offers students some images of parts. Students should perform some measurements using those images and estimate the corresponding uncertainties.

Laboratorio remoto eLab3D: un mundo virtual inmersivo para el aprendizaje de la electrónica

En este artículo se presenta un recurso educativo novedoso, basado en un laboratorio remoto, que permite a los estudiantes, a través de Internet, la realización de experimentos reales en el área de la electrónica. Se ha creado un mundo virtual 3D donde los usuarios, a través de sus avatares, pueden interaccionar con réplicas virtuales de instrumentos, placas de circuitos, componentes o cables y con compañeros y profesores, de forma similar a como lo harían en un laboratorio presencial. Este recurso ofrece múltiples posibilidades que pueden ser muy útiles en los diferentes niveles educativos. Se han llevado a cabo algunas experiencias educativas de utilización de la plataforma con el fin de valorar sus posibilidades docentes y los resultados obtenidos han sido muy positivos. ABSTRACT. This paper presents an innovative educational resource, based on a remote laboratory, which allows users to conduct real experiments through Internet in the area of electronics. A 3D virtual world has been created in which users, by means of their avatars, can interact with virtual replicas of instruments, circuit boards, components or cables and with peers and teachers, as they would in a traditional laboratory. This resource offers multiple possibilities that can be very useful in the different education levels. Some educative experiences have been carried out using the platform to evaluate its educational possibilities and the obtained results have been very positive.