Remotely operated optical lab equipment for education: a DIY approach

Abstract

Digital and remote education is of growing interest for internationalized education programs that combine state-of-the-art training programs including hybrid and blended elements. Particularly, but not limited to optics and photonics, hands-on experiences in training laboratories are key ingredients of modern academic education programs that cannot easily be replaced adequately. We propose a versatile platform for remote-controllable experiments with a focus on a flexible implementation. We present a toolbox called Extended Reality Twin Lab, which enables teachers and lecturers in academia with a personal commitment to advance and innovate education methods and learning outcomes to build their own remotely controllable optics and photonics experiments. An open-source GitHub repository includes source codes for the server, the respective web applications, and the included microcontrollers. It also contains the 3D printable models used to create the attachments for optical components often used in scientific labs. All parts are modularly designed to enable individual adaptation to a variety of experiments. We exemplify our approach by presenting a fully remote-controllable Michelson interferometer that was readily implemented in an ongoing international master's degree curriculum. With this implementation, international students are now able to attend the course and acquire specific optical knowledge and lab training regardless of their actual physical location. Reviewing this running field experiment, we also discuss students' learning outcomes with respect to optical principles, experimentation, and instruments.