Abstract.Within education, concepts such as distance learning, and open universities, are now becoming more widely used for teaching and learning. However, due to the nature of the subject domain, the teaching of Science, Technology, and Engineering are still relatively behind when using new technological approaches (particularly for online distance learning). The reason for this discrepancy lies in the fact that these fields often require laboratory exercises to provide effective skill acquisition and hands-on experience. Often it is difficult to make these laboratories accessible for online access. Either the real lab needs to be enabled for remote access or it needs to be replicated as a fully software-based virtual lab. We argue for the latter concept since it offers some advantages over remotely controlled real labs, which will be elaborated further in this paper.We are now seeing new emerging technologies that can overcome some of the potential difficulties in this area. These include: computer graphics, augmented reality, computational dynamics, and virtual worlds. This paper summarizes the state of the art in virtual laboratories and virtual worlds in the fields of science, technology, and engineering. The main research activity in these fields is discussed but special emphasis is put on the field of robotics due to the maturity of this area within the virtual-education community. This is not a coincidence; starting from its widely multidisciplinary character, robotics is a perfect example where all the other fields of engineering and physics can contribute. Thus, the use of virtual labs for other scientific and non-robotic engineering uses can be seen to share many of the same learning processes. This can include supporting the introduction of new concepts as part of learning about science and technology, and introducing more general engineering knowledge, through to supporting more constructive (and collaborative) education and training activities in a more complex engineering topic such as robotics. The objective of this paper is to outline this problem space in more detail and to create a valuable source of information that can help to define the starting position for future research.Key words: virtual laboratory, dynamics based virtual reality, virtual world, distance learning for engineering/STEM education, immersive education IntroductionRecently we have seen a number of new ideas appearing in the literature concerned with the future of education and in particular for the teaching of Science, Technology, and Engineering (STE 1 ). Some of these notions are novel while others are a re-imagining of existing ideas but in a new context. Technological examples most relevant for this study are: distance learning, elearning, virtual laboratories, virtual reality and virtual worlds, avatars, dynamics-based virtual systems, and the overall new concept of immersive education that integrates many of these ideas together. Many highly reputable institutions 2 have gathered around this challenging concept, withi...

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Throughout the history of technological progress, attempts have been made to build a machine that looks and behaves like humans. This paper presents a semi-anthropomimetic robot. The robot structure consists of a human-like upper body mounted on a mobile platform (mobile base, cart). The robot uses the three-wheeled mobile platform with two driving wheels and one passive (caster) wheel. The configuration and model of the upper body are represented as an anthropomimetic, compliant robot with antagonistically coupled drives. Robust control is evaluated in order to ensure stability of the robot position. The aim of this work is not the synthesis of control, but rather the examination of the limits of the adopted robot control strategy and the robot behaviour under disturbances (analysis of tip-over stability). The paper analyses both disturbances from the cart motion and external disturbances due to interaction with the environment (external impulse and long term external force). In order to analyse the balance of the robot and to avoid tipping over, different situations are tested and the appropriate dimensions of the cart are estimated (relying on the ZMP calculation).

This paper describes the process of designing models and tools for an automated way of creating 3D city model based on a raw point cloud.Also, making and forming 3D models of buildings. Models and tools for creating tools made in the model builder application within the ArcGIS Pro software. An unclassified point cloud obtained by the LiDAR system was used for the model input data. The point cloud, collected by the airborne laser scanning system (ALS), is classified into several classes: ground, high and low noise, and buildings. Based on the created DEMs, points classified as buildings and formed prints of buildings, realistic 3D city models were created. Created 3D models of cities can be used as a basis for monitoring the infrastructure of settlements and other analyzes that are important for further development and architecture of cities.