Distance Education on Automatics and Electronics through Remote Labs

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17979/ja-cea.2026.47.13758

Keywords:

Virtual and remote labs, Perception and sensing, Internet of things, Sensor networks, Remote servicing

Abstract

Distance learning imposes specific challenges to provide quality education. Technology is a great opportunity for educational improvement. In this work we analyze some challenges and we have shown that with the proper use of technology it is possible to overcome them. We introduce here a set of remote laboratories currently being used for control engineering education in our university, which contribute to teach several control engineering topics like perception systems and the use of sensors and actuators, cybersecurity and penetration testing of IoT smart sensors and similar devices that can be found in industry, computer system architecture and low-level programming of microprocessors to implement fast control algorithms. The value of this work lies not only in the utility of remote labs as learning tools but also in their implementation following IEEE standards and integrating modern devices and communication protocols with industrial application.

Author Biographies

  • Luis Díaz-Saco, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)

    Luis Díaz Saco received the M.Sc. degree in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain, 1994 and a post-grade degree in Business Administration from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain, 2005.

    He is working with Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Madrid, Spain, as Associate Professor in Electronic Technology. He has done his military service at Military Operation Research Office of the Spanish Navy working in computer simulation projects of military and secret nature. He was working with Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain as Technology Area Engineer. He has been Innovation Manager in large enterprises managing multiple research projects in different fields.

    Mr. Luis Díaz-Saco has been member of the Smartgrids Technology Platform collaborating in the devolopment of the Strategic Research Agenda of the European Union. 

  • Elio Sancristobal, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)

    Elio San Cristobal is full Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of Spanish University for Distance Education (UNED) Madrid, Spain. He is a computer science engineer and has a PhD in Electronics and Computer Engineering. He is a senior member of IEEE and the elected president of the Spanish section of IEEE education society.

  • Clara Pérez-Molina, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)

    Clara Pérez Molina received her MSc degree in Physics from the Complutense University in Madrid and her PhD in Industrial Engineering from the Spanish University for Distance Education (UNED). She has worked as researcher in several National and European Projects and has published different technical reports and research articles for International Journals and Conferences, as well as several teaching books. She is currently an Associate Professor with tenure of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at UNED.

    She is part of the Doctorate in Industrial Technologies of the Doctorate School of UNED and principal investigator (PI) of the I4Labs Research Group and of the G-TEIC Innovation Teaching Group both at UNED. She has had several academic management positions at UNED as Coordinator of the Master on Information and Communication Electronic Systems and Coordinator of the Erasmus mobility program inside her Department, currently she is Vice-Dean of Academic Management at the Higher Technical School of Industrial Engineers.

    Her research activities are centered on Educational Competences and Technology Enhanced Learning applied to Higher Education in addition to Renewable Energy Management and Artificial Intelligence techniques. She has received the UNED’s Social Council Award for the best Didactic Materials in Experimental Sciences and is senior member of the IEEE.

  • Sergio Martín, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)

    Sergio Martín Gutiérrez is a Full Professor at UNED and Adjunct Vice-Rector for Educational Technologies, specializing in educational innovation, Industry 4.0, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), mobile learning, and remote laboratories for engineering education. He coordinates the I4Labs research group on Connected Industry and Educational Technologies, leading multidisciplinary projects focused on digital transformation and next-generation learning environments.

    He earned his PhD in Electronics Engineering from UNED in 2010 with an award-winning dissertation on mobile and ubiquitous learning systems, and holds a degree in Computer Engineering from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Since 2002, he has participated in numerous national and international research initiatives related to AI, IoT, augmented reality, mobile applications, e-learning, virtual and remote laboratories, and smart industrial systems.

    Prof. Martín has authored more than 280 scientific publications, including journal papers, conference proceedings, books, patents, and educational software contributions. His work has received more than 40 international awards and recognitions, including distinctions from the IEEE Education Society for leadership and innovation in engineering education. He has also coordinated MOOCs, digital learning platforms, and technology-transfer initiatives connecting academia and industry.

    In addition to his academic work, he has held visiting research positions at institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Curtin University, and Northumbria University. His current research focuses on intelligent educational ecosystems, immersive technologies, data-driven learning, and secure digital education infrastructures.

  • Carlos Rejón, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)

    Carlos Rejón Gómez is a researcher at the Department of Electrical, Electronic, Control, Telematics and Applied Chemistry Engineering at UNED’s School of Industrial Engineering. His work is focused on Industry 4.0 technologies, remote laboratories, digital learning environments, and the development of open platforms for engineering education and industrial innovation.

    He is a member of the I4Labs research group at UNED, where he collaborates on projects related to connected industry, IoT systems, remote experimentation, and smart educational infrastructures. His recent research activities include the development of open architectures for Industry 4.0 remote labs aimed at improving accessibility, scalability, and practical engineering training in online environments.

  • Antonio Robles-Gómez, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)

    Antonio Robles-Gómez received his M.Sc. degree in Computer Science in 2004 and his Ph.D. in Computer Science in 2008, both from the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain.

    Antonio Robles Gómez is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Control Systems. From May 2021 to May 2025, he was the Deputy Director of Technology, Infrastructures and Economics at ETSI Informática. He has been Academic Secretary of the Faculty from May 2025 to February 2026. He was also the Coordinator of the Official Master's Degree in Computer Science Engineering at UNED from June 2017 to November 2022. On the other hand, he has been Secretary of the Master's Degree in Communication, Networks and Content Management from April 2010 to December 2013 and of the Master's Degree in Computer Science Engineering from May 2016 to May 2017.

    He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the IEEE Spain Section since July 2017. In particular, he has been elected the Secretary for the 2020-2021 and 2022-2023 terms. In addition, he has been the elected Vice-president for the 2024-2025 term and, currently,  he is the President for the 2026-2027 term. He is also the elected Secretary of the Spanish IEEE SP-COM joint chapter since March 2023. On the other hand, he was also a co-founder member in July 2020 for the IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu UNED chapter, called Nu Alpha Chapter, being a member of this network yet.

    He has participated in many R&D projects financed in public Calls, some of them with special relevance with International Companies and/or Administrations. He has coordinated and/or participated as an active member in a large number of international journals (JCRs, SJRs, etc.) and conferences (GGS, CORE, DBLP, IEEE Xplore, etc.). He has directed several final degree/degree projects and master's thesis, and he is the Principal Investigator of several regional and national research projects. He obtained the ANECA accreditation as an Full Professor in December 2025.

    He has been a Principal Researcher of a National research project from the Ministry of Science and Innovation, In4Labs (2022-2025). He is also the Principal Researcher of the strategic research project awarded by INCIBE through the public call open for the 2024-2025 period (and extended to June 2026). Furthermore, he has coordinated the eNMoLabs (2019-2021), SUMA-CITeL (2022-2023) and LearnIoTOnCloud (2023-2024) projects. Additionally, he is one of the coordinators of the UNED-INCIBE Cybercamp initiative during the 2023-2025 period. 

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Published

2026-09-01

Issue

No. 47 (2026)

Section

Educación en Automática

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Luis Díaz Saco, Elio San Cristóbal Ruiz, Clara María Pérez Molina, Sergio Martín Gutiérrez, Carlos Rejón Gómez, Antonio Robles Gómez

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