1 Ultrasound Medical Diagnostics Laboratory for Remote Learning in EVICAB ∗ Campus R. Jurkonis, V. Marozas, A. Lukoševičius Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Kaunas University of Technology Studentų str. 65 - 107 LT- 51369 Kaunas, Lithuania ∗ EVICAB (European Virtual Campus for Biomedical Engineering) project is funded by the European Commission under the program Education and Training; http://www.evicab.eu/ . Abstract- The aim of this paper is to present the development of remote learning laboratory for ultrasound medical diagnostics. We demonstrate the implementation of such laboratory using virtual instrument that is built by using standard PC, ultrasonic transducer with tissue like phantom, digitizer (Picoscope ADC 212/100, Picotech Ltd.), function generator (Hameg HM8131-2, Hameg Instruments GmbH) and popular software package LabView (National Instruments Inc.). By controlling the virtual instrument it is possible to excite and receive ultrasound waves in pulse echo mode then process the received echographic signal and get the characteristics of tissue like phantom. The tissue like phantom is characterized with thickness and density also with the speed of waves propagation and attenuation coefficient. The students are motivated by the assignment of the clear task - to identify the material from which the phantom is made. The implemented virtual instrument is based on NI Remote panel technology. This technology allows to access the virtual instrument remotely using internet browse. The lab preparation materials: goal, theory, quizzes are available from e-learning platform Moodle. We expect the students will improve their knowledge of ultrasound tissue characterization using our remote hands-on labwork. Keywords: ultrasound, medical diagnostics, remote learning laboratory, courseware I. INTRODUCTION John Dewey (1859-1952) was an American philosopher and educator whose writings and teachings have had profound influences on education in the United States and around the world [1]. Dewey's philosophy of education called pragmatism and teaching methods focused on learning-by-doing (experiential learning) rather than rote learning and dogmatic instruction, which were common practices in his days. For Dewey, it was vitally important that education should not be the teaching of mere dead fact, but that the skills and knowledge which students learned be integrated fully into their lives as persons, citizens and human beings. Internet helps to make feasible the Devey’s ideas as new kind of laboratories- remote laboratories appear with real interactive experiments by using internet connected laboratory equipment: measurement instruments and devices under investigation. Emerging technologies of electronic learning and teaching platforms are spreading in the higher education system. Many examples of remote labs for different subjects do exist already: in electronics [2] and microelectronics [3], systems and control [4] and photonics [5]. However, the implementation of remote lab for such specific subject as Ultrasound medical diagnostics is not widely published yet [6, 7, 8]. We can refer to grant awarded implementation by H. Ewald et.al [9] who published their experience in remote ultrasound experiments. The specifics of ultrasound technology and the importance of knowledge in ultrasound diagnostics motivated us to create the advanced courseware for graduates in Biomedical Engineering program. In this paper, we present the development and implementation success of Ultrasound medical diagnostics laboratory for remote learning. II. MOTIVATION AND METHODOLOGY The common established clinical practice of medical diagnostics, sonography, aims to non invasively characterize structure of internal human organs. We can illustrate usage of ultrasound diagnostic systems with a number of these diagnostics cases at university hospital in Lithuania: near 91 thousand procedures per 2004 year [10]. These volumes argue themselves how it is important to maintain the adequate competence of medicine doctors and biomedical engineers in principles of ultrasound medical diagnostics. The most frequent form of sonographic systems is images of internal anatomical structure i.e. qualitative data. Evaluation or interpretation of those images is the specific and complicated expertise field of radiology-sonography professionals. The image processing software tools are applied to interpretation of sonography images often without waves and tissue interaction taken into account. However, the survey of research publications shows the increasing specialization of sonographic systems for diagnostics of particular organs and increasing demand for quantitative data about the tissues under investigation. Description of biological tissue non-invasively in quantitative parameters is called tissue characterization. We can provide a whole row of modern attempts of ultrasonic