Digital Laboratories for Educating the IoT-Generation Heatmap for Digital Lab Competences

Abstract

The Sharing Economy is the basis for challenging existing business models and the creation of new cooperation’s. The BMBF-funded project Open Digital Lab 4 You (DigiLab4U) promotes the sharing of laboratory (lab) infrastructures for Internet of Things (IoT)/Industry 4.0 (I4.0) related education. Through the digitalisation in education and research, new forms of cross-location networking of lab infrastructures arise. The paper illustrates innovation options for IoT/I4.0 lab infrastructure, exemplary based on a RFID measuring chamber using (I) a Virtual Reality (VR) Mockup, (II) a Service Robot Arm and (III) VR with live data as combination of (I) + (II), to realise cross-location networking. Related IoT-/I4.0-competences within lab education are raised and applied to the curriculum for educating undergraduate engineering. A matrix containing a competence evaluation system for digital labs is provided. Considerations for the evaluation of labs are presented to allow the classification of labs as well as to provide a quick orientation for users with regard to the learning objectives to be achieved. Researchers and participants of digital labs are invited to explore the use of clustering lab experiences according to the introduced method. Clustering real, remote and virtual labs in this way can help to find out which learning outcomes can be achieved in specific labs.