Learning environment for robotics education and industry-academia collaboration

Abstract

It is expected that by utilizing digital technologies, advanced robotics and artificial intelligence, the manufacturing base of Europe will become stronger and allow production re-shoring from other trade areas to take place. The European competitiveness is tied to better competences of the workforce and fast implementation of new technologies. This requires new approaches for formal and non-formal education. For this, we propose a new robotics learning concept and collaboration scheme to support both MSc level education, but also non-formal education with industry. The non-formal education example could be a combination of an education package followed by rapid experimenting with a robot system. In order to facilitate the learning process, we have established the Tampere RoboLab and joint academia-industry education modules for both formal and non-formal education. The Tampere RoboLab operates with similar principles as e.g. Fab Labs (fabrication laboratories), but the focus is on indoor stationary and mobile robotics. Aside from education, the concept allows system interoperability testing and pre-competitive research to be done in the same premises as well as field robotics by providing the state of art localisation and perception sensors, and computation and communication devices. This paper will introduce the concept, used hardware and software configurations, education modules and the forms of industry-academia collaboration.