A COBOT training seminar was held at HVCC on Aug. 18 and 19. The seminar was given by EWI (formally the Edison Welding Institute) from Buffalo and sponsored by the Center for Economic Growth (CEG) and FuzeHub located in Albany and hosted by the college’s Mechanical Engineering Technology Program.
The seminar offered local manufacturing companies the opportunity to learn about how new generation robots (called COBOTS for their built in collaboration software) can be used in a variety of ways. Several different COBOTS were demonstrated and hands on training was provided.
The COBOT shown below will now be on lease to the Mechanical Engineering Technology group. The COBOT is owned by FuzeHub and is being provided to HVCC via a donation from the CEG. A similar COBOT has been requested for the college as part of an ongoing NSF (National Science Foundation) grant for the further development of Mechatronics here at HVCC.
The generosity of FuzeHub and the CEG will allow faculty involved in the mechatronics program early access to this new technology. Professors Doug Baxter and Peter Czuwala from Mechanical Engineering Technology and Professor Christopher Mascolo from Electrical Engineering Technology attended the seminar.
Unlike traditional robots, COBOTS have multiple built in sensors that provide information about the surrounding environment. As such, they are far simpler to program and can do very fluid manufacturing operations. There is often a reduction in the external safety precautions as some of these features are now controlled directly in the COBOT. Providing STEM students with the opportunity to work on these advanced systems will provide them considerable advantage in the workplace.
Once the lease is approved, the COBOT will be available for demonstration in the AMZ Mechanical Engineering Technology laboratories. The goal is to have the second year students develop a routine to help automate a difficult materials test. The project will involve programming as well as design and manufacture of a grip.
Published: Mon, 23 Aug 2021 12:00:39 +0000 by d.baxter1