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The FANUC Robotics LR Mate Education Training Cart MH1; incorporating FANUC Robotics’ latest generation electric, servo-driven mini robot and housed in a self-contained, portable enclosure. The figure also shows the location of the power supply, the compressor, and the single phase LR Mate controller.
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To effectively meet the next generation's workforce needs, the electrical and computer engineering technology undergraduate curriculum must be up-to-date and relevant. It must effectively teach the rapidly changing technology widely used in industry. In order to meet these needs, and further enhance the educational programs in the School of Technol...
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... to practical application areas and economic concerns. This course will be specifically developed with the intent of being very practical and will offer easily applied guidance to personnel involved in manufacturing with the current robotics systems on site or who may exploit robotic systems in the near future. The stand-out topics that will be covered in this course include: the development of industrial robotics; an overview of mechanical design, control, programming, and intelligence; organizational and economic aspects; robotics in progress; robotics in operation; and various applications. Robotics terminology commonly used in industry will also be covered. Due to the very practical content, this course will be a part of Fanuc Robotics industrial certification in robotics and automation. The hands-on experience is an essential part of this course and will occupy 70% of its time. The lab exercise will be devoted to practical aspects of programming FANUC Robotics minirobots. The course “Industrial Robotics” will be designed as a week-long course, totaling 35 hours. The first 10 hours will be devoted to the theory of robots and will cover important safety considerations related to manipulating the robot. The remaining 25 hours will be used to provide extensive hands-on experience working in the lab. The course will culminate in a two-hour exam in which the participants will have to demonstrate an understanding of theoretical background as well as the ability to program the robot for a task given by the instructor. Upon successful completion of the course, the participants will receive the FANUC robotics certificate issued by the FANUC certified faculty of the EET program in the SoT. Due to the nature of the course, it will be offered on demand and may be conducted during winter and spring breaks or anytime in the summer. This flexibility will help to attract students not only from the university, but also participants from industry and students from other institutions. The EET program in the SoT has established collaboration with FANUC Robotics America Inc., the leading company specializing in the development and production of innovative and intelligent robotic solutions. FANUC Robotics deeply supports the educational mission of the SoT and the university as a whole, providing a significant educational discount on educational minirobots. In fact, the EET program has purchased two LR Mate Training Carts MH1 & Certification Package totaling 63,754 dollars. However, the company list price for the same product and services is 648,080 dollars. Given that, the FANUC robotics has already provided an educational “Gift in Kind” valued at 584,326. The mission of the FANUC Robotics Certified Education Robot Training (CERT) Program is to create Certified Education Robot Training that promotes an understanding of FANUC Robotics’ robotic automation solutions through the development and implementation of integrated classroom instruction and student projects. The CERT program is a new certification available to qualified universities. The program certifies instructors at educational institutions to train their students to program FANUC robots. To accompany the CERT program, FANUC robotics provides to the SoT a new innovative educational tooling package that includes an industrial robot, integrated vision system, and ROBOGUIDE simulation software. With this package, students will learn the fundamentals through advanced engineering and manufacturing concepts. Students will utilize the same robots and software that are most widely used in industry. The FANUC Robotics Certification and the right to purchase the unique HandlingTool Operations and Training materials at the academic partner price requires extensive professional development of the faculty involved in the training effort. At least one instructor candidate must complete multiple on-line training sessions as well as on-site training. On-line training involves attending and passing the following on-line courses: The Robot Operations, HandlingTool Operations and Programming, On-Line HandlingPRO, On-Line Advanced HandlingTool Operations and Programming Certification. Upon successful completion of web-based courses, the involved faculty will need to attend and successfully pass a live HandlingTool Operations and Programming class as a student at FANUC’s facility. The candidate also needs to provide an outline of the FANUC-related course materials. After all the requirements are completed, the faculty becomes certified by FANUC as an instructor to teach robotics- related courses and to issue the FANUC Robotics certificate. One of the authors has already completed all the required training, successfully past on-line and on-site examinations, and become certified by the FANUC instructor. The first-pilot course in robotics is currently offered in spring 2010 semester to the students of the university. The FANUC Robotics LR Mate Education Training Cart MH1 shown in Figure 1 incorporates FANUC Robotics’ latest generation electric, servo-driven minirobot, housed in a self-contained, portable enclosure. Portability of the entire assembly is a plus and makes the system mobile, allowing training or demonstration to be performed where needed. The LR Mate Education Training Cart MH1 can be used to teach students how to program a real robot, in real time, in a safe, controlled environment, using FANUC’s HandlingTool software supplied by the FANUC robotics. The LR Mate Education Training Cart MH1 can also be used to demonstrate robot operations during department visits and at open house events, as well as for student recruiting. The self-contained Lexan enclosure provides safety while training. With its compact size and 110 volt power requirements, it can be easily set up to provide hands-on access to a real industrial robot, with minimal risk of the injuries a robot can bring to its work envelope. The FANUC Robotics LR Mate Education mini robot provides multiple benefits: industry-standard components that allow teaching principles of automation, compact and portable design, affordability, safe construction, and an integrated vision system commonly used in the industry. The extremely powerful software solution, ROBOGUIDE developed by FANUC Robotics will allow students to program the robot off-line and simulate its future tasks. HandlingTool software also developed and installed by FANUC Robotics on the controller allows users to learn real-time singularity avoidance and collision protection. The FANUC Robotics LR Mate Education mini robot is a highly upgradable system, and the current educational training package provided by the company will allow demonstrating the basic functions such as vision, collision guard, path tracing, insert, and straight-line accuracy, as well as creating more advanced hands-on laboratories. The SoT at the University offers high-quality, up-to-date academic programs that endeavor to meet the immediate and future needs of industry. The University’s strategic plan calls for us to be nationally recognized for programs that advance technological education through excellence in learning, discovery, and engagement. While we are a technology program, we go beyond most other technology programs by offering significant hands-on lab experiences and applied research opportunities to undergraduates. These experiences complement the classroom experience and prepare our students for careers in a wide range of industries. The EET program at SoT has identified present needs for a new state-of-the-art robotics laboratory that will support the two new courses “Introduction to Robotics” and “Industrial Robotics” and provide students with training that meets industrial standards and provides state-of-the-art, hands-on training. Upon completion, the laboratory will be equipped with six workstations and support class sizes of 30 students. Figure 2 shows a single workstation and consists of an LR Mate FANUC Robotics educational mini robot platform, a single phase R-30iA Mate controller, and a high-end computer with installed ROBOUGIDE software package to be used for off-line training, programming, and modeling. Academic programs in the SoT in the University are designed to prepare technical and/or management- oriented professionals for employment in industry, education, government, and business. The development of new robotics-related courses and a robotics laboratory will promote robotics education and create significant impact on education in the SoT and the University as whole. The benefits derived from the project described in this paper are represented in Figure 3. By strengthening the robotics area, the proposed program will improve the quality of STEM education for undergraduate students by creating innovative learning materials and teaching strategies and by implementing advanced, hands-on expertise valuable to industry. The robotics laboratory will support two newly developed courses. The professional development of involved faculty members will be advanced through extensive training and industrial certification in the field of robotics and automation provided by FANUC Robotics America Inc. This partnership creates an important link between academia and industry. The appealing nature of the field of robotics will be used in our outreach efforts to trigger an interest among the students of the local middle and high schools. Inviting students and K-12 teachers to the organized educational workshops will introduce the current advances in technology and in the field of robotics in particular, to the participants. This will help to create an important and often missing bridge between academia and K- 12 education, and ultimately impact the future student body. The proposed robotics courses will advance undergraduate research within SoT, fostering enhanced robotics-related senior design projects and allowing students to participate in national and international ...
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Citations
... It is necessary to practice careful discernment regarding the rapid technological fluctuations that are prevalent today. Specifically, industry can be expected to make regular demands of undergraduate preparation to meet their perceived needs [6], [7], [8]. Sometimes these expectations will provide valuable insights into changing career paths, and at other times the demands will be inappropriate, and best understood as related to the "tools and toys" of the trade. ...
... STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is an educational method that aims at interdisciplinarity, among other aspects, addressing various areas of study, including mathematics, science, and technology, and offering new benefits in education at all levels. This approach interconnects all the areas of study necessary for a better approach to industrial robotics, adding that industrial robotics stimulates problem-solving skills, communication skills, teamwork skills, independence, and creativity [3,[5][6][7][8]. ...
The rapid evolution of robotics across various sectors, including healthcare, manufacturing, and domestic applications, has underscored a significant workforce skills gap. The shortage of qualified professionals in the labor market has had adverse effects on production capacities. Therefore, the significance of education and training for cultivating a skilled workforce cannot be overstated. This research work presents the development of a pedagogical approach centered on laboratory infrastructure designed specifically with multidisciplinary technologies and strategic human-machine interaction protocols to enhance learning in industrial robotics courses. Progressive competencies in laboratory protocols are developed, focusing on programming and simulating real-world industrial robotics tasks, to bridge the gap between theoretical education and practical industrial applications for higher education students. The proposed infrastructure includes a user-configurable maze comprising different colored elements, defining starting points, endpoints, obstacles, and varying track sections. These elements foster a dynamic and unpredictable learning environment. The infrastructure is fabricated using Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining and 3D printing techniques. A collaborative robot, the Universal Robots UR3e, is used to navigate the maze and solve the track with advanced computer vision and human-machine communication. The amalgamation of practical experience and collaborative robotics furnishes students with hands-on experience, equipping them with the requisite skills for effective programming and manipulation of robotic devices. Empowering human-machine interaction and human-robot collaboration assists in addressing the industry's demand for skilled labor in operating collaborative robotic manipulators.
... In addition to the unique challenges due to the nature of the subject, there is also a research gap in the pedagogical needs of the rapidly evolving field of robotics. Existing instructional paradigm for engineering robotics rely heavily on didactic approaches via lectures with limited extent of problem-based learning (PBL) [1], [2] or hands-on sessions in laboratories [3], [4], partly due to the stiff prerequisite needed in the subject for immersive experience through active learning. Instructional activities, like PBL and practical hands-on sessions facilitate active learning by requiring learners to engage the tasks at hand with an active thought process and responses under the guidance of the instructor progressively [5]. ...
With robots becoming increasingly ubiquitous, robotics education has become an integral subject in engineering curricula. The extensive prerequisites ranging from mechanics, electronics and computing make the initial learning curve of the subject unnecessarily steep with traditional learning approaches even for engineering students. This paper presents and investigates a pedagogical framework for teaching Robotics via Experiential Active Learning with Immersive Technology (REALITy). The framework includes a learning paradigm that assimilates the syllabus with experiential hands-on operation of a robot arm for task-driven lab activities facilitated by teaching method that is augmented with virtual interface and mixed reality devices. The immersive teaching platform is assessed through a user test based on a representative lab activity on robot programming for task automation using three modes of interaction for learning, namely, physical, virtual and mixed reality interaction. The mixed reality interaction mode demonstrated significant easing of the learning curve compared to pure physical interaction with the robot hardware and is associated with a lower task load index according to learners’ feedback. By exploring this pedagogical framework, we hope to enhance robotics education via experiential active learning by leveraging late-breaking immersive technology.
... Industrial robots have played a major role in modern automated manufacturing operations for all sorts of applications, such as welding, painting, material handling, packaging, labeling, assembling, product inspection and testing, etc. Incorporating industrial robots into current robotics curricula has become a key component for engineering technology programs (Sergeyev & Alaraje, 2010). Recently, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America donated a Kawasaki ZB150S industrial robot to the engineering technology programs at Northern Kentucky University for student robotics experiments. ...
Incorporating industrial robots into current robotics curricula has become a key component for engineering and technology programs. Recently, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America donated a Kawasaki ZB150S industrial robot to the Engineering Technology Programs at Northern Kentucky University. The entire Kawasaki industrial robot system was installed in a safeguard cage; however, the safeguard cage was not always able to prevent unauthorized students from coming into the working area of the robot. The lab manager/staff expressed an urgent need for a smart tool that could monitor occurrences of unauthorized operating conditions to help them improve laboratory safety. Thus, a Global System for Mobile (GSM)-based intelligent monitoring system has been designed and developed to provide a safe robotics lab operating environment for students. This intelligent monitoring system was divided into two subsystems: one was the Embedded Laboratory Environmental Monitoring and Robot Power Control (ELEMRPC) subsystem; the other was the GSM communication subsystem. The ELEMRPC subsystem received the presence-sensing signals from the light curtains at the cage entrance and disarmed the power supply of the robot when unauthorized students were detected. Additionally, the lab environmental parameters were monitored. The GSM subsystem wirelessly transmitted text messages (e.g., lab safety information) to designated cellular phones. These text notifications can alert lab manager/staff immediately to prevent potential accidents within the footprint of the robot safety cage. This paper discusses in greater detail the design, development, and hardware implementation of the robotics laboratory safety monitoring system.
... In July 2021, the first author was awarded the NSF EIR grant "Integrated Sensor-Robot Networks for Real-time Environmental Monitoring and Marine Ecosystem Restoration in the Hampton River", for which the team of the undergraduate students were expected to conduct research on Machine Learning-based path planning, navigation and control for autonomous Underwater vehicle and unscrewed surface vehicle for water quality data collection. To provide the team with a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of machine learning and robotics together with the specific machine learning and robotics applications in autonomous systems, the first author has explored the Machine Learning Course and Robotics Course currently available in different Universities [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Especially, during her 8 weeks summer visiting at Stanford University, she also had a chance to explore resources to integrate into the course. ...
... However, it necessary to precise that «educational robotics», as a tool that supports the teaching-learning processes from the perspective of education, takes the dimension of means and not of end. It is not intended that students acquire competencies in industrial automation and control automatic process, it is only sought to make robotics an excuse to understand, do and apprehend reality (Polishuk, 2011, Sergeyev, 2010., Francis, 2015. ...
Robots applied to education can offer us many advantages in the learning of students from the early educational stages, from the childhood stage. In addition to entertaining, they are a very powerful tool to motivate students and learn. Educational robotics in Early Childhood Education involves the initiation of computational thinking and support for the development of basic spatial notions (front, back, left, and right). In this paper, different activities are presented to develop spatial reasoning effectively. For the activities proposed we use the blue-bot robot as the application of educational robotics in a teaching and learning context. It is a small, very intuitive robot that draws the attention of children due to its attractive and transparent design. With this robot, programming languages consist only of five movement commands. With blue-bot robot in a playful way as a tool for the effective development of space rationing. This investigation is a qualitative research work, the application of robotic activities has been carried out with a sample of 21 children aged between 6-7 years. Five sessions were held, and participant observation was used in each session. After the application and considering the results and motivation of the young students, we can affirm that the activities and workshops were very beneficial to introduce basic spatial notions using educational robotics. Children showed connections between content learnings with valuable social practices through experiencing.
... The research direction of Manvendra Singh Raghav, Shailesh Jain, Subir Kumar Saha, etc. is "robotics education based on robot competition", they believe that robot competition can promote the development of robotics education (Singh, Jain, & Saha, 2008). Aleksandr Sergeyev and Nasser Alaraje discussed how to promote robotics education from two aspects: robotics course development and advanced robotics laboratory construction (Sergeyev & Alaraje, 2010). Brigitte Denis*, Sylviane Hubert discussed cooperative learning in a robotics education environment. ...
... The advent of the Robotics [1] as the most sophisticated technology has caused a sea change in the private and business lives of the human being taking him to the zenith of delight. Nowadays, commercial and industrial robots are offered a red-carpet welcome throughout the length and breadth of the cosmos for carrying out chores with a costconscious approach, at times turning out amazing levels of accuracy and consistency unheard of by the human beings and gaining an unsurpassable edge over those achieved by the most intelligent species in the blue planet [16]. No wonder, the Robot industry has elegantly arrived and efficiently set up itself as one the most vital upcoming industries all through the world, accompanied by meteoric rise in the employment of robotics in the impending world of rosy potentials [7]. ...
... No wonder, the Robot industry has elegantly arrived and efficiently set up itself as one the most vital upcoming industries all through the world, accompanied by meteoric rise in the employment of robotics in the impending world of rosy potentials [7]. The robots are fundamentally deployed in the domains of manufacturing, assembling, packing and transporting within earth and space exploration, surgery, weaponry, laboratory research and safety, also mass production of consumer and industrial goods [16]. In this regard, the Robots designers perform the wonderful feat of carrying out several amazing applications in aerospace, automotive, manufacturing, medicine and other industries [4]. ...
... The Robot is also considered for the purposed of potential substitution to liberate the sucking force and a visual sensor [5]. In the ever-zooming realm of education, robots are doing their stylish rounds performing the interdisciplinary, project-based learning tasks involving mathematics, science, and technology and holding out the olive branches of hopes and prospects full of promising gifts in education at all levels [16]. ...
The robotics casts a vital part in day-to-day life. A large majority of the robots are employed in industries, factories and in our neighbourhood ecosystem. In this regard, diverse kinds of robots are employed for specific purposes. Standing out amongst them are the hexapod robots, endowed with six legs or wheels to move about in the surroundings in a consistent manner. As they have to move quickly in the atmosphere overcoming the roadblocks so as to arrive at the target with the least possible time-frame, we have come up with an innovative technique through this document. The epoch-making technique lends a helping hand to boost the momentum of the hexapod robot thus enabling the realization of the target with a short span of time. For the purpose, we have elegantly employed the Fuzzy rule base technique, to fine-tune the efficiency in performance of the so as to exploit him to the maximum in this sophisticated world of innovation. The milestone methods find it elegantly executed in the working platform of the mighty MATLAB and the outcomes are subjected to deep assessment.
... The EET program in the SoT at Michigan Technological University has already successfully developed and implemented several blended and online courses in the field of Robotics Automation 28,29 . Being a core course, the EM course, has been traditionally taught for years in the SoT serving electrical and mechanical engineering technology students. ...
... Technology has become increasingly important in most aspects of everyday life for individuals around the world. The advancement has not only limited to the development of communities, improve quality of life, it has also heightened the awareness towards the needs on training students, to enhance students' learning and overall development, to be creative and innovative as well as possess high quality problem solving skills in science, mathematics, technology and engineering; in order to unleash their full potential, to be able to apply the learned knowledge and skills into real world through inventing more advance technological devices, prepare them well to enter the 21 st century workforce [1]. ...
... Numerous successful educational experiments and up-to-date curriculum or approaches which utilized robotics has proven it as an effective tool [4], [1], especially for teaching science and mathematics among all level of school students [5] as well as technology and engineering course for high school and undergraduate students [6], [7]. ...
Rapid advancement in technology has called for the needs on training students to be creative and innovative as well as possess high quality problem solving skills in meeting the demand and enhancing quality of life in the 21st century. This paper reveals that robotic education has the potential to become an effective teaching tool focuses on enhancing students' understanding and hands-on experience towards scientific subjects as well as to enhance their physical, emotion, spiritual and social developments. In this paper, we propose a holistic robotic education support program, namely the Transformative Robotic Education (Trans-RoE), which aspires to fulfill the Malaysia National Philosophy of Education in line with the implementation of Secondary School Standard Curriculum (KSSM), and to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in line with Malaysia's national vision to produce highly skilled workers to meet the demand of the 21st Century. It is hoped that this program will spearhead the formal training of robotic education in the Malaysia educational system for the long term benefits of the nation.
