Google Colab and Virtual Simulations: Practical e-Learning Tools to Support the Teaching of Thermodynamics and to Introduce Coding to Students

OpenColab project: OpenSim in Google colaboratory to explore biomechanics on the web

OpenSim is an open-source biomechanical package with a variety of applications. It is available for many users with bindings in MATLAB, Python, and Java via its application programming interfaces (APIs). Although the developers described well the OpenSim installation on different operating systems (Windows, Mac, and Linux), it is time-consuming and complex since each operating system requires a different configuration. This project aims to demystify the development of neuro-musculoskeletal modeling in OpenSim with zero configuration on any operating system for installation (thus cross-platform), easy to share models while accessing free graphical processing units (GPUs) on a web-based platform of Google Colab. To achieve this, OpenColab was developed where OpenSim source code was used to build a Conda package that can be installed on the Google Colab with only one block of code in less than 7 min. To use OpenColab, one requires a connection to the internet and a Gmail account. Moreover, OpenColab accesses vast libraries of machine learning methods available within free Google products, e.g. TensorFlow. Next, we performed an inverse problem in biomechanics and compared OpenColab results with OpenSim graphical user interface (GUI) for validation. The outcomes of OpenColab and GUI matched well (r≥0.82). OpenColab takes advantage of the zero-configuration of cloud-based platforms, accesses GPUs, and enables users to share and reproduce modeling approaches for further validation, innovative online training, and research applications. Step-by-step installation processes and examples are available at: https://simtk.org/projects/opencolab.