ReImagine Lab: Bridging the Gap Between Hands-On, Virtual and Remote Control Engineering Laboratories Using Digital Twins and Extended Reality

Practical work is one of the most important instructional tools in control engineering. To address concerns linked to the cost and space requirements of traditional hands-on laboratories, technology-enabled laboratory modes, such as virtual, remote, and take-home laboratory modes are proposed. Each of these alliterative laboratory modes has its own set of benefits and emphasizes a distinct learning goal. Furthermore, due to lockdown and physical proximity restrictions imposed by policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the employment of these laboratory modes has been quickly increasing. The laboratories’ development, operation, and maintenance become more fragmented as a result of these many possibilities. In this study, we propose “ ReImagine Lab” as a framework for leveraging digital twins and extended reality technologies to streamline the development and operation of hands-on, virtual, and remote laboratories. By increasing the level of interaction, immersion, and collaboration in technology-enabled laboratory forms, this framework intends to boost student engagement. The benefits of this framework are demonstrated by examining several use cases, and a 37-person “system usability study” is conducted to assess the usability of virtual laboratories employing desktop computers and immersive virtual reality.