Presented demonstrator examples and test results show that SMILE provides a lightweight and accessible approach for physics laboratory automation, conceptually inspired by distributed control systems such as TANGO and EPICS, while remaining focused on small-scale experiments and rapid prototyping.
Abstract
Scalable Modular Instrumentation for Laboratory Experiments (SMILE) is a lightweight framework for the rapid development and networking of laboratory instrumentation demonstrated with a low-cost Arduino micro-controller. The approach extends the fast-prototyping paradigm of Arduino by enabling a seamless transition from standalone devices to distributed, network-accessible systems without requiring complex control infrastructures. The system architecture follows a simplistic and intuitive development workflow: devices are first implemented and defined through a human-readable serial interface, which is then reused without modification by a Python-based driver. The driver can be directly accessed or enabled as a network service via ZeroRPC, allowing transparent remote access to instrument’s functionality. A key feature of SMILE is the automatic mapping of serial commands to Python functions, which facilitates immediate integration of newly defined device commands into higher-level control and automation workflows. SMILE design allows heterogeneous system integration with both custom-built instruments and laboratory equipment with standard interfaces (e.g., GPIB, RS232/485, USB, Ethernet) to be incorporated into a unified distributed system through lightweight software layers. Presented demonstrator examples and test results show that SMILE provides a lightweight and accessible approach for physics laboratory automation, conceptually inspired by distributed control systems such as TANGO and EPICS, while remaining focused on small-scale experiments and rapid prototyping.
Remote experimental platforms enable local simulation models or physical devices to be accessed over a network, but conventional Web front ends typically require a separate page, control layout, and data communication logic for each experiment, which increases development costs. This work validates an established workflow for automatically generating a Web user interface (UI) from LabVIEW virtual instruments (VIs) using the remote interoperability protocol (RIP) and provides a reproducible protocol for implementing it. The workflow constructs LabVIEW VIs that define input controls and output indicators on the Front Panel, registers each VI in RIP Server Configuration, reads the resulting variable metadata, and generates the corresponding Web controls and output displays. Caddy is used as a reverse proxy to unify the front-end static-file path and RIP application programming interface (API) request path. The workflow is evaluated with two distinct systems: a fan speed model and a direct current (DC) motor proportional-integral-derivative (PID) position-control model. In both cases, the Web page identifies the exposed variables, writes user inputs to the LabVIEW back end, reads model outputs, and generates the interface from RIP metadata. These results validate the same automatic UI-generation process across two different dynamic systems and document the steps required to reproduce it.
Zimo Zhou, Zhongcheng Lei, Luis de la Torre et al.· Journal of Visualized Experi...· 0 citations
The accelerating complexity of wireless hardware systems, driven by the proliferation of multistandard radios, multi-band front-ends, and highly integrated system-on-chip platforms, has made
manual RF test methodologies increasingly inadequate for the validation workloads of modern
hardware engineering laboratories. Test automation, the systematic use of scripting frameworks
and programmable instrument control interfaces to execute RF measurement sequences without
manual intervention, has emerged as a foundational engineering discipline that determines the
throughput, repeatability, and traceability of wireless hardware characterization workflows. This
paper presents a comprehensive review of test automation architectures, scripting frameworks,
and instrument control strategies applicable to wireless hardware engineering. The review
examines the evolution of automation approaches from early GPIB-based sequential scripting to
modern Python-based asynchronous measurement orchestration, covering standard
communication protocols including SCPI, LXI, and VISA, scripting environments including
Python, MATLAB, and LabVIEW, specialized RF test frameworks including Keysight PathWave
and National Instruments TestStand, and emerging approaches based on cloud-connected
measurement architectures and machine learning-assisted measurement optimization. The paper
synthesizes design principles for constructing automation frameworks that maximize measurement
throughput while maintaining calibration traceability, and identifies the key challenges of timing
synchronization, instrument state management, error recovery, and data provenance that
differentiate professionally engineered automation systems from ad hoc scripts. A structured
taxonomy of automation approaches is presented according to test complexity, measurement speed
requirement, and deployment context. The review concludes by identifying the most significant
open challenges in wireless hardware test automation, including automated calibration
verification, uncertainty-aware measurement pipelines, and the integration of AI-based anomaly
detection into production test workflows.
Robert Quainoo· International Journal of Eng...· 0 citations
This study proposes a microservices-based software architecture for implementing digital twins (DT) in real-time industrial process control. Unlike monolithic approaches, the proposed architecture decouples acquisition, modeling, prediction, and actuation into independent containerized services orchestrated by Kubernetes. Communication is handled via MQTT for lightweight telemetry and gRPC for low-latency control calls, achieving highly predictable, bounded synchronization latencies below 10 ms under nominal edge conditions. A discrete-time Luenberger observer ensures bidirectional state fidelity between the physical asset and its virtual replica. Experimental validation on an edge cluster with TSN compatibility demonstrates elastic scalability, fault isolation, and 100% operational uptime during a continuous 24 h stress test, validating the architectural mechanisms designed to achieve high availability in production environments. The architecture bridges the gap between passive DT monitoring and active closed-loop control, enabling predictive interventions and real-time adaptability.
Samuel Benjamín Lascano Rivera, Mary Lascano Rivera, Omar Quimbita· Processes· 0 citations
ControlPuc v0 is presented, a stealth-oriented hardware-software framework designed to evaluate endpoint resilience against advanced HID emulation attacks, and highlights critical weaknesses in current heuristic endpoint defense mechanisms.
Anindya Das, Uttalak Mitra· International Journal of Res...· 0 citations
This paper proposes a MicroPython-based implementation of SINETStream optimized for resource-constrained edge devices, and develops a prototype focusing on MQTT, which successfully extends the SINETStream ecosystem to the extreme edge using lowcost hardware.
Takeshi Sakurada, Atsuko Takefusa, Kumiko Kobayashi et al.· Annual International Compute...· 0 citations
Cosylab proposes a framework-agnostic abstraction layer that connects AI services to facility control systems without necessarily modifying operational infrastructure, and explores the possibility of using Large Language Model applications as operator copilots and actuating agents, each with distinct safety requirements.
J. Varlec, Jan Jug, Tilen Žagar· EPJ Research Infrastructures· 0 citations