Development of a Web-based laboratory for control experiments on a coupledtank apparatus

The Internet provides a new environment for developing a variety of applica tions for educational and research purposes. This paper presents the implem entation of a web-based laboratory experiment on a coupled tank apparatus, a Multiinput-Multioutput (MIMO) system. The web-based laboratory has been d eveloped to serve students and staff in the Department of Electrical Engine ering at the National University of Singapore (NUS). The laboratory is an e ducational tool for teaching students the basic principles and methodology in performing a series of experiments on a coupled tank apparatus at any ti me and from any location through the Internet. With the capability to imple ment strategies for manual, proportional integral derivative (PID), general state-space, and fuzzy logic control, the laboratory also provides a platf orm for research staff to test control algorithms. Video conferencing has b een used to provide audio and video feedback, with a camera mounted on a mo vable platform so that the user can control both the zooming and viewing an gle. The laboratory can be accessed at http://vlab.ee.nus.edu.sg/vlab/contr ol/.