A Java/Matlab-based environment for remote control system laboratories: illustrated with an inverted pendulum

In this paper, a novel environment is described that provides 24-h-a-day access to a Web-based lab for the remote control of different didactic setups. The control of an inverted pendulum is used to demonstrate the use of such an environment. The main attributes of this Web-based lab are: 1) the on-line interactivity with the didactic setup, 2) the possibility of defining different experiments by using parameter files, and 3) the open architecture of the environment which allows easy development of new experiments with other didactic setups. The structure of this Web-based lab not only provides students with quantitative information feedback but also allows visual supervision. Now, a remote-controlled camera plays an important role within a remote experimentation environment with mobile parts. Students can handle the camera on-line, just as they can control the didactic setup over the Internet.