Multimedia Communications Laboratories: Experimental Research Facilities at KOM

The true value of research artifacts only becomes clear once they have been confirmed to exhibit their expected behavior in practice. Taking research results beyond analytical and theoretical studies alone has been in the DNA of the Multimedia Communications Lab (KOM) at TU Darmstadt ever since its inception. Be it small-scale prototyping, the assembly of exhibits, experimentation on building level, or Internet-scale experiments, KOM has traditionally been an environment that fostered practical innovation and encouraged academic staff and students alike to experiment. Besides a strong focus on the evaluation of technological aspects, experimentation also frequently involved human subjects in order to assess the usability and practical relevance of research artifacts. In this article, we have curated a set of noteworthy highlights of almost thirty years of laboratory-level experimentation on topics related to multimedia communications. This way, we showcase the diversity of topics as well as the diligence and dedication that has gone into ensuring their appealing demonstration. By highlighting the breadth of activities performed by more than a hundred researchers over three decades, we create a memento of the laboratory work performed at KOM.