Used extensively the industrial world, robots are gradually finding places in logistics, catering, services, and other fields. As these trends continue, it’s important for students to get good training early in their studies, so they will be ready for what awaits them in the future. For this reason, the NPUST the Department of Mechanical Engineering held a high school vocational robot experience camp on 9/25 to teach the young learners about industrial robot arms and unmanned vehicles. Three teachers and 34 students from the Industrial Machinery Department at National Fengshan Senior Commercial & Industrial Vocational School took part in the camp which was led by NPUST’s Associate Professor Sun-Li Wu and Professor Hudson Hsu.
Students participating in the activity learned about the operating principles and industrial applications of robots and drones during the one-day course. Practicing on industrial equipment, the students learned how to point position robot arms and write control programs to get the robots to complete specified tasks. The students were also taught how to operate drones, with a “soccer match” designed to help build up their control skills.
Although vocational high schools are already promoting robot education and competition participation, most use teaching robots designed for the general market. The operations of these robots are quite different from industrial ones, so there are limitations on what the students can learn. NPUST, which is strongly emphasizes cross-domain education, hopes to share its professional resources and help bridge the learning gap for vocational high school students through experience camps like this, so they can gain new knowledge and find new aspirations for future studies.
