Teleoperation in the undergraduate physics laboratory-teaching an old dog new tricks

A common undergraduate physics experiment is modified for remote operation over the Internet. The software interface for such remote operation is particularly easily implemented using the National Instruments LabVIEW programming environment, which includes remote access of data acquisition hardware in its driver software. Necessary hardware modifications are also described. The value of such an activity lies in giving students an introduction to the process of “teleoperation,” which is already commonplace in some technical fields and is becoming more evident in others.