Remote virtual laboratory on optical device characterization and fiber optic systems: Experiences and challenges

The paper describes details of the five experiments developed at IIT Kanpur for remote operation, as part of the Virtual Laboratories initiative of the MHRD, Govt. of India under the National Mission on Education through ICT (NMEICT). At present in India there are no Remote Laboratories in the Fiber Optics area. The laboratory used LabVIEW 8.6 as the software platform for remote access. It has been in operation for more than a year and is available for remote operation for about 4 hours during day time. The details of the experiments, experience of running these laboratories and also its impact on teaching, and challenges are discussed. Such laboratories would go a long way in meeting the acute shortage of specialized laboratories and trained faculty in India. In order to have better impact on teaching, more such remote labs must be created with proper administrative and security features.