Remote Programming of Multirobot Systems within the UPC-UJI Telelaboratories: System Architecture and Agent-Based Multirobot Control

One of the areas that needs more improvement within the e-learning environments via Internet (in fact they suppose a very big effort to be accomplished) is allowing students to access and practice real experiments is a real laboratory, instead of using simulations in Marin, R. et al. (2003). Real laboratories allow students to acquire methods, skills and experience related to real equipment, in a manner that is very close to the way they are being used in industry. The purpose of the project is the study, development and implementation of an e-learning environment to allow undergraduate students to practice subjects related to Robotics and Artificial Intelligence. The system, which is now at a preliminary stage, will allow the remote experimentation with real robotic devices (i.e. robots, cameras, etc.). It will enable the student to learn in a collaborative manner (remote participation with other students) where it will be possible to combine the on-site activities (performed "in-situ" within the real lab during the normal practical sessions), with the "online" one (performed remotely from home via the Internet). Moreover, the remote experiments within the e-laboratory to control the real robots can be performed by both, students and even scientist. This project is under development and it is carried out jointly by two Universities (UPC and UJI). In this article we present the system architecture and the way students and researchers have been able to perform a remote programming of multirobot systems via Web