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Research equipment, experiment control devices and even industrial equipment, typically require individuals to be present to make use of that equipment. In many cases, this requires researchers to travel to the equipment or move the equipment to specific locations and operate it. With network connectivity becoming more available, even in remote locations, remote operation of such equipment is increasingly possible. This can reduce travel costs, increase the efficiency of use of such equipment and even help with safety. This paper describes work on the creation of a software platform of generic services for access to and use of devices for research, education and potentially for industrial use. The current set of services, the underlying middleware and architecture of the platform are described. Use of the platform to develop remote operation services for a mechatronics laboratory for use by engineering students is presented. The longer term goal is to make the software available to researchers to allow better remote access to experiments in environments such as undersea, deep space, high radiation, and toxic gases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]