A Mobile Robots Laboratory will be established at the Silesian University of Technology
From the next academic year, students of the Silesian University of Technology will be able to use the new Mobile Robots Laboratory, which will be opened and equipped by AIUT. The project is a joint initiative of the University and the company from Gliwice, which has been automating Polish and global industry for 30 years. The laboratory will be built at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the University.
The contract for the creation of a new laboratory was signed by representatives of the Silesian University of Technology and AIUT on May 12th, 2023. Here, future engineers will have access to the latest technologies in the field of mobile robotics and intralogistics. Students will be provided with modern teaching stations and self-propelled transport robots.
- The laboratory will be located at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, but ultimately it will be used by all students of our University. The laboratory will provide them with access to modern technologies found in the industry. Thanks to cooperation with the socio-economic environment, we are able to educate students in such a way that in their future work they can meet the requirements of employers, the labour market and technological progress - said the Rector of the Silesian University of Technology, Prof. Arkadiusz Mężyk.
In the new place, students will be able to improve their skills in the design and construction of autonomous mobile robots. Components and vehicles intended for testing will be provided by AIUT, a manufacturer of this type of intralogistics solutions. The company is also responsible for preparing and equipping the new didactic space in cooperation with the Silesian University of Technology.
- Our goal is to familiarize students with new technologies that many will come across after graduation. Mobile robotics is an extremely developing field and the market is absorbing new solutions. AIUT, as a designer and manufacturer of modern intralogistics systems and transport mobile robots that automate the transport of goods in factories and warehouses on a daily basis, is constantly improving its solutions. The market will need specialists in this field, and the possibility of communing with this technology while studying will make it easy for new specialists to find employment - says Brunon Gabryś, vice president of AIUT.
In the Laboratory, students will have six professional teaching stations at their disposal, including a station for learning and testing drive techniques with software for configuration and operation of control and safety systems, as well as advanced navigation systems used in AMR and AGV vehicles.
- Self-propelled AGV carts are used in internal transport in production halls. These are autonomous transport robots that deliver elements, for example, needed for assembly or receiving elements in the production process. In the new laboratory, we will research and teach students technologies related to such vehicles, the data acquisition system or planning such transport - said dr hab. Eng. Anna Timofiejczuk, prof. SUT, the Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. - A student will be able to build such a robot from scratch and test it. I hope that it will also be a place to carry out engineering, master's and even doctoral theses - added dr hab. Eng. Damian Gasiorek, prof. SUT, Vice-Dean of the Faculty.
The designed laboratory will also include a test zone with autonomous AMR mobile robots from the AIUT Formica family. – We want to comprehensively equip students with knowledge in the field of designing fleet management systems for industrial mobile robots based on the latest Smart Factory solutions implemented today in the world and develop their skills in the area of designing and building AMR vehicles. The laboratory will also have a station for learning and testing analytical techniques of industrial data related to the operation of mobile robotics systems - adds Marek Drewniak, Head of the Research and Development Section in the Automation Department at AIUT, coordinating the laboratory opening project.
Thanks to the cooperation between the Silesian University of Technology and AIUT, the University will gain not only a new, equipped laboratory, but also a partner in the field of education, research and human resources. Students will also have the opportunity to complete both apprenticeships and internships in the company and continue cooperation with the company.
