Implementation of a Virtual Control Lab to Support Teaching in Engineering Control

Abstract

Because engineering is a practicing profession, laboratory experiments are considered to be an imperative component of engineering curricula by all stakeholders involved in the education process. Therefore, virtual and remote laboratories represent unique solutions to support teaching activities in online learning from the actual condition of the 2020 year. This paper describes a case study of implementation for a virtual twin of a pneumatic workstation using facilities offered by Automation StudioTM software. The challenges and opportunities from engineering education make from the virtual lab a bridge to Industry 4.0 paradigms, reaching superior modelling and simulation techniques. Furthermore, this paper highlights some advantages of approaching virtual experiments over real ones.