The Mobile Remote Lab Station: Hardware Meets Software

Remote labs need physical infrastructure somewhere. At TU Bergakademie Freiberg, we built a custom station that hosts four embedded systems labs in a portable, automated setup—demonstrating that remote lab hardware can be practical, space-efficient, and intelligent.

We needed hardware infrastructure that could:

The solution? A custom-built mobile station constructed from modular aluminum parts.

The station stands tall enough for good vertical organization, narrow enough to fit through doorways and position against walls.

Key features:

The aluminum construction provides structural stability while remaining lightweight. We can reposition the entire station—four labs, cameras, computers, and all—in minutes.

Mobile Lab Station Overview

Each of the four shelves hosts a different embedded systems lab:

Each lab’s components are housed in a dedicated box on its shelf, keeping hardware organized and visible to the overhead camera.

Above each lab shelf sits a camera and a controllable LED light. Here’s where software enhances the hardware setup:

The problem: Leaving lights running 24/7 wastes energy and generates unnecessary heat. But manually controlling them defeats the purpose of remote access.

The solution: Automatic station-aware lighting.

We built a custom system using:

When a student enters a station (joins that lab room in Edrys), the module detects the state change and sends a request to the Node.js server, which commands the corresponding light to turn on. When the last student leaves, the light turns off.

This creates an intelligent, responsive environment where:

Two computers power all four stations:

Each computer runs the PyxTerm.js Terminal Module in Docker containers, managing code uploads and serial communication with the connected hardware. The cameras feed live video through the Streaming Module.

This dual-computer architecture balances load while keeping the setup compact. If one computer needs maintenance, half the labs remain operational.

This physical setup demonstrates several principles for remote lab infrastructure:

Portability: Wheeled design means we can demonstrate labs at conferences, move between classrooms, or relocate for building maintenance.

Scalability: The modular design could easily accommodate more shelves, different lab configurations, or upgraded components.

Automation: Smart lighting shows how software can enhance hardware infrastructure, reducing operational overhead.

Resource efficiency: Two computers serving four labs proves remote infrastructure doesn’t require one-to-one hardware-to-lab ratios.

Visibility: Overhead cameras with automatic lighting ensure students see hardware clearly regardless of ambient room conditions.

From an operational perspective, the mobile station provides:

The intelligent lighting system alone saves significant energy over a semester of continuous operation.

While students access labs remotely, the hardware exists somewhere physical. Our mobile station shows that infrastructure can be:

The combination of thoughtful physical design and smart software automation creates efficient, sustainable remote lab infrastructure.

Whether you’re setting up one lab or dozens, thinking through the physical setup—mobility, organization, automation, resource efficiency—pays long-term dividends.

Ready to build remote lab infrastructure? Start with the hardware that matches your needs, then add intelligence through software.

Learn more about Edrys-Lite: edrys-labs.github.io

Explore our labs: github.com/edrys-labs/lab-tubaf-embedded-systems