Georg-Simon-Ohm vocational college relies on ReBeL cobots and education kits from igus to give students an easy introduction to robot programming

Getting young people excited about technology: this is the aim the plastics specialist and robotics manufacturer igus pursues with its educational programmes specifically for schools, colleges and universities. This also includes the ReBeL education kit: a learning package designed to give pupils and students a playful introduction to robotics with the help of the ReBeL cobot. The education kits are used at the Georg Simon Ohm vocational college in Cologne, among others. This gives students the opportunity to acquire their first programming skills and try out practical applications.

From electrical engineering and database knowledge to software development: the training programme for information technology assistants at the Georg Simon Ohm vocational college in Cologne covers a wide range of subjects. This includes the programming of robots to provide students with special qualifications in automation technology. “We previously used humanoid robotic systems for our robotics class, but these have become susceptible to faults over time,” explains Kevin Meyer, electrical engineering and robotics teacher at the Georg Simon Ohm vocational college. “That’s why we needed a replacement for the old systems and set out to find robot arms that are easy to use and allow for realistic application scenarios.” The vocational college finally found what it was looking for at the Cologne-based plastics specialist igus.

Learn programming with realistic application examples

“We were already familiar with igus due to its energy chains, but during our search we also came across the Low Cost Automation range and immediately made a consultation appointment on site,” explains Meyer. In the 400m2 Customer Test Area, you can see numerous automation solutions in action and test the feasibility of their planned application together with the robotics experts from igus. In the end, ten ReBeL cobots with six axes including education kits were chosen. “There are many robots on the market, but the alternatives were either too small or too expensive for our purposes. Usability was also important to us.” The ReBeL cobot with a weight of just 8.2kg, a payload of 2kg and a reach of 664mm is available in the fully equipped plug-and-play version for just €4,970. The education kit includes over 100 hours of learning material and project plates that are fitted to a work surface. These can be used to program different scenarios with real-life relevance, e.g. sorting containers into a high rack, taking components of a bicycle from the conveyor belt and placing them in the appropriate position or carrying out a quality control on a bicycle. The free and licence-free igus Robot Control software is also easy to use and offers a simple way to get started with robot programming.

Preparing learners specifically for the modern world of work

The ReBeL cobots and education kits have now been in use for a year in four robotics classes at the vocational college. “Most of the students really enjoy working with the robots. Some of them found it a challenge at the beginning, but in the end everyone managed,” says Kevin Meyer. The software is visually very clear and enables pupils to make quick progress. Alexander Mühlens, Head of the Low Cost Automation Business Unit at igus, emphasises: “Promoting the next generation of robots is very important to us, which is why we are always particularly pleased with projects like this. With our wide range of educational programmes, we want to support schools, colleges and universities in imparting theoretical knowledge in a practical way, preparing learners specifically for the modern working world.”

You can find more information about the robotics training programme from igus here:
https://www.igus.eu/automation/educational-programme