The LABOTRIX OPTICA O2 optics laboratory kit is a student set for practical work and experiments in optics in schools, gymnasiums and higher education institutions. It lets students master the principles of operation of optical systems, study refraction, dispersion, diffraction and the action of colour filters, and determine the focal lengths of lenses and the main optical characteristics of the elements. The kit is used in the optics section of the school physics programme and develops the experimental skills of students; the recommended age of learners is from 10 years, that is pupils of grade 5 and above, who work under the control and supervision of a teacher.
The kit is built around an optical bench 60 cm long with a scale graduated in 1 mm, which allows the optical elements to be positioned precisely relative to one another, and comprises 20 items. It contains 3 lenses with focal lengths of 100 mm, 150 mm and 200 mm, an isosceles right-angle prism, a diaphragm with an aperture of 3 mm, a screen of 120 × 130 mm, two linear diffraction gratings, two slits and two laser sources, a dot laser and a line laser. The frames and supports are made of metal and plastic, the lenses and the prism of optical glass, and the screen is a matt plate. The kit is supplied assembled and needs no additional setup. Operating conditions are a room of an educational institution at an air temperature from +5 to +40 °C and relative humidity from 40 to 60 % without condensate; the service life is 5 years and the warranty period is 12 months. The marking of the product carries the trade mark, the model and a place for the inventory number, and the marking and operating documentation are in Ukrainian.
The set includes an optical bench with a scale, 60 cm; supports for the optical bench — 2 pcs; a light source in the form of an electric lamp; movable supports for frames — 8 pcs; lens holder frames — 4 pcs; a set of lenses with different focal lengths, made up of a lens with a focal length of 100 mm, a lens with a focal length of 150 mm and a lens with a focal length of 200 mm; an isosceles right-angle prism with a stand; a plate with the image of the letter “F”; a diaphragm with an aperture, d = 3 mm; a mirror; a screen, 120 × 130 mm; a block; slits — 2 pcs; diffraction gratings — 2 pcs; a set of colour filters; holder frames for the diffraction grating — 2 pcs; a line laser; a moulded insert tray; a packing box; a dot laser; the passport with the warranty card; and the right of access to the online course with the language-model assistant. All components are placed in a box for storage and transport, and each element is fixed in the moulded insert tray for protection while being carried. A printed methodological manual describing 5 basic laboratory works on this equipment is supplied with the set as a separate printed document, distinct from the online course.
The product is supplied with the right of access to an online teaching support course hosted in a learning management system (LMS) and designed for 70 academic hours of lessons, compiled to the current curricula of general secondary education institutions of Ukraine. The materials are grouped into research modules in the subjects of physics, biology, chemistry and STEM, and each topic contains a lesson plan, a list of the equipment needed, a scenario for conducting the experiment, a step-by-step instruction for the laboratory work with an explanation of the expected result, a video demonstration of the working techniques, and interactive exercises and tasks for independent study, suitable both for individual and for group work. All modules are compiled for this same equipment and have been tested on it, so the course links a unit of equipment, the methodology of its use and the expected learning outcomes.
The kit includes an AI assistant built into the learning management system on retrieval-augmented generation. It selects research tasks and experiments matching the topic of the lesson, describes the procedure of the experiment step by step, identifies typical student errors and gives personalised recommendations for correcting them, adapts task difficulty to different levels of student preparation, supports students in compiling reports on research results and in structuring the conclusions drawn from experiments, and works on a localised knowledge base aligned with the national curriculum of Ukraine. The licence for the course and the software is valid for 12 months; content, interface and learning materials are in Ukrainian. The assistant works with the topics of the optics course on this kit, from measuring focal lengths of the lenses to observing dispersion on the prism and the diffraction pattern from the gratings.
Students work with the laser sources only under the direct supervision of the teacher: never look into the laser beam or its reflection from mirror surfaces, switch the lasers on only for the duration of the experiment and switch them off when the work is finished. The lenses, the mirror and the screen are wiped with a dry or slightly damp microfibre cloth in light movements without pressure, while the working surface of the diffraction gratings is never wiped and the grating is not taken out of its holder frame, because a touch and cloth fibres damage the lines of the grating and distort the diffraction pattern; alcohol, acetone, other organic solvents and hot water damage the optical coatings. Store the set in the closed box in a dry room at a temperature from +5 to +40 °C and relative humidity to 80 % without condensation, protected from dust, direct sunlight and heat sources, and check the condition of the components and clean the optical surfaces before use after storage longer than 3 months.
