With the rise of the internet as a means of education and information sharing, distance learning is becoming more prominent and accessible than ever before. Currently, this is largely through video lectures, lecture notes, web resources, and online assessments. For some fields like computer science and mathematics, these media of delivery are more than enough for a learning experience comparable to that delivered in a traditional classroom setting. However, the transition has been considerably more challenging for some fields like chemistry and biology, due to the challenge of hands-on lab work. Despite developments of lab kits, there are still many opportunities inaccessible to distance learning students. To address this gap, this research lab aims to further and develop technologies available to create a Telepresence Robot Empowered Smart Lab (TRESL). This website contains information related to the developments and work associated with this project. Ultimately, we imagine a seamless learning experience across all disciplines and projects made accessible to all students through the use of the TRESL architecture.

Athabasca University is primarily an online learning institute which celebrates and embraces technology as an educational tool. While many courses can be taught effectively online, there are some tasks for which it is impractical or impossible to do them at home. Some of these include complex laboratory experiments which require expensive or dangerous chemicals and/or equipment. The TRESL Research Group aims to establish and improve the use of telepresence robots as a tool for distance learning and education. These robots would allow students to participate in their studies from anywhere around the world using an avatar robot to interact with the Smart Lab setting. We hope that this technology will make quality education more accessible and available to all.