virtual laboratories for ALL

Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal has launched virtual labs on 23 Feb.2012 -- a collection of 91 virtual laboratories containing hundreds of experiments in nine disciplines of science and engineering. Virtual labs would enable graduate and undergraduate college and university students to perform their required laboratory experiments using only the world wide web, a standard computer, and an internet connection. These labs also allow the sharing of costly equipment across the country, and in rural areas, students will be able to perform experiments that they would not otherwise be able to access. This project is part of the Ministry's National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT), which is aimed at providing easily accessible and high quality education in India. The pilot phase of the virtual labs project started in April 2009. During this phase, approximately 20 labs were developed as proof of concept. The main phase began in April 2010. So far, over 80 virtual labs have been developed, and are undergoing field trials in various parts of the country. Two types of virtual labs have been developed under this project. In the simulation-based virtual labs, the experiments are modeled using mathematical equations. The simulations are carried out remotely at a high-end server, and the results are communicated to the student over the internet. These labs are scalable and can cater to a large number of simultaneous users.

Highlights :

The 91 virtual laboratories will enable hundreds of experiments in nine disciplines of science and engineering.

This project is part of the ministry's National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT).

The primary focus of the labs is to provide graduate and undergraduate college and university students with the ability to perform their required laboratory experiments using only a standard computer and an Internet connection.


Nearly 300 department heads, faculty, and staff representing 152 institutions have been trained across India on the project. Over 20 Nodal Centres have been created from institutions interested in championing Virtual Labs in their organisations and geographical areas.

http://www.vlab.co.in/