Lecture week ‘Robotix’ at ZeMA in winter semester 2019/20

Summary:

At the Center for Mechatronics and Automation Technology, Prof. Rainer Müller and his team organized an inter-university lecture in the Greater Region. Students from different disciplines from the different universities of Saarland, Lorraine, Luxembourg and Liège were jointly taught basic and specialist knowledge on the subject of robotics in theory and practice. Students benefit from the novelty, sustainability and intensity of the lectures, exercises, excursions and the cultural supporting program.

As part of the lecture, the master students will be taught a holistic understanding of automation with industrial robots. The focus is on tasks from the Greater Region. For this purpose, different companies from the Greater Region are involved.

Relevance of the lecture for the Saarland

In addition to the planned excursions, current research topics from industry will be taken into account as part of the joint research initiative in preparation for the lecture content. The findings from these research projects flow directly into the joint lecture and thus continuously improve the education of the students. In the selection of research topics, the focus is on problems of companies in the Greater Region. For example, robot-assisted assembly of special components or vehicle modules.

Target group of the lecture

The aim of the Robotix lecture is to create synergies in teaching robotics through cross-border cooperation. The concept of joint lecture and technology transfer largely takes over the main focuses and goals of the Greater Region:

• Strengthening industry
• Counteracting the shortage of skilled workers
• Preservation and expansion of modern jobs.

The target group are master's students of engineering from the Greater Region, i.e. the universities of Luxembourg, Lorraine, Liège and the Saarland with robot-related courses such as systems engineering, etc.

Structure of the lecture

The lecture is structured to present the basics of robotics, from the history of robotics and its kinematics calculations to sensors and safety technologies used in industrial robot-based solutions. Due to the many years of experience of the various professors in this field, many illustrative examples are included in the lecture.

The lecture covers a wide range of main topics in the field of robotics:

• Handling equipment in production
• Basic components for robots
• Control architecture, railway planning and programming
• Human-robot interaction
• Safety concepts
• Task planning for collaborative robot systems
• Sensors and Measuring Technology
• Assistance systems for individual support.

Students receive comprehensive documentation that meets the latest scientific standards. In addition, they have the opportunity to experience robots and live demonstrators at ZeMA as part of a ZeMA tour and thus work in mini-projects. A highlight for all participants was the excursion to the company Robert Bosch GmbH in Homburg, Germany, where not only theoretical knowledge, but also practical examples were in the foreground.  

Organization, breaks and evening program

The organization of the lecture is more comprehensive than the usual lectures during the semester. Since students from different locations were involved, the lecture had to be prepared in different university administration systems. A corresponding time slot had to be found in which as many students, professors and scientific staff as possible were available. In addition, suitable rooms had to be provided for the almost 40 students in order to be able to carry out the lecture as well as the exercises and project work. In addition, there is the organization with regard to lecture and exercise documents, the supporting program and logistics. In order for the guest students to come to Saarbrücken, a bus company and hotels were booked and the dates of the excursions and external experts were coordinated. The support before and during the event week was also more intensive than with the usual courses. In the case of said lecture, lecture time, breaks, rework periods and also leisure activities must be balanced. For our guest students, the day usually started with a shared breakfast at a nearby hotel and a subsequent walk to ZeMA. After each lecture there was a short break during which the students could exchange ideas. The entire event was complemented by a team-building supporting programme. This is another particular advantage of the concept, which also has an impact far beyond the realm of science and research.

The students also had the opportunity to meet with several industry sponsors who were able to answer the students' questions and broaden their horizons as part of a networking event.

It was very gratifying that not only the Saarland, but also the Luxembourg and Belgian students participated in the programme.

Exams, internships and final theses

The lecture will be concluded with an oral examination at each of the above universities. During the meeting with the sponsors, a representative of the University of the Greater Region presented the various possibilities to the students to join the research groups participating in the Robotix project that interest them. In recent years, applications have been received from students who have taken part in the robotics lecture and have shown their interest in internships or diploma theses.

Conclusion of the lecture 

The response to the event in Saarbrücken was consistently positive. The event was concluded with a feedback round in which the students gave their feedback on the content as well as on the organization. They have also shared their suggestions for minor changes or improvements. The organisational burden goes far beyond ‘normal’ engagement. The team, the team spirit and the willingness to ‘do something for the site’ is the basis for the resonance and success. With this view, effects are already being achieved in the short and medium term (new employees at ZeMA, increasing number of participants in the lecture), but also PR effects for the competencies of the universities and the location. For example, a significant increase in project requests was registered at ZeMA.

The awareness of new generations about the current state of automation and the integration of robotics in production lines has been achieved and the awareness of the limits and possibilities has been raised.

thank you

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Rainer Müller and his team would like to thank the students who worked so well together during the week and thus contributed to the success of the lecture. We would also like to thank Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Plapper, Prof. Olivier Brüls and Prof. Dr. Gabriel Abba as well as their teams for their contributions to the lecture, exercises and projects. Thanks also to the Robert Bosch in Homburg for the examples from industrial practice and the excursion. In particular, we would also like to thank the sponsors, without whose financial support the lecture would not have been possible in this form.