EXTENSION OF THE VISIR REMOTE LABORATORY FOR IOT AND INDUSTRY 4.0

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive extension of the VISIR remote laboratory, designed to meet the emerging educational needs in IoT and Industry 4.0. The original system’s hardware and software have been thoroughly redesigned while preserving compatibility with existing modules. This update addresses several known limitations, including dependency on proprietary components, lack of impedance control, limited scalability, and high operational costs. As a key innovation, a Raspberry Pi platform has been integrated as an additional instrument, enabling interaction with both real and emulated sensors. Moreover, new extension boards were developed to support industrial signal conditioning experiments, allowing students to work with voltage dividers, constant current sources, 5–20 mA loops, and Wheatstone bridges. The redesigned system is entirely open source, facilitating integration with other platforms like Arduino, ESP32, or Red Pitaya. Additionally, architecture supports virtualized environments and remote desktop access for secure experimentation. The result is a flexible, cost-effective, and pedagogically enriched remote laboratory that enables hands-on learning in electronic and industrial engineering fields. This work sets the foundation for scalable, modern engineering education tools, with future extensibility and open collaboration in mind.