New training centre enables customers to upgrade their programming skills – with hands-on use cases and various robot components from the RBTX marketplace

Robots are being used in more and more areas, from production in factories to care for the elderly. To help companies of all sizes realise the full potential of automation solutions and thus become more competitive, igus is now opening the RBTX Academy. Here, interested parties can work directly on real robots to learn the basics of robot technology or improve their skills in robot programming. The RBTX Academy opened its doors for the first time on 25th January, when igus hosted the dress rehearsal for RoboCup Junior 2025 – one of the best-known and largest robotics competitions for pupils in the world – at the Porz-Lind site in Cologne.

Robots are less and less the privilege of large companies with sufficient expertise and budget. Small and medium-sized enterprises are also succeeding in getting started with automation thanks to the marketplace RBTX by igus, which offers cost-effective and turnkey robotics solutions. To further simplify the use of such solutions for companies, igus opened the RBTX Academy on 25th January 2025. “Customers who purchase a low-cost robot via our marketplace can now book training courses to learn robot programming from scratch or to upgrade their skills,” says Alexander Mühlens, Vice President and Head of Business Unit Low Cost Automation at igus. “The hands-on trainings take place in Cologne in small groups in a familiar atmosphere and are tailored to the individual needs of the participants to offer them maximum benefit. We will also be rolling out the program at other locations such as Munich and Osnabrück as well as internationally in countries such as the USA, China, the UK, Italy and Spain.” Interested parties can register now via the igus website. The dress rehearsal for the RoboCup Junior 2025 took place at the same time, and visitors had already got to know the Academy. igus is giving pupils the opportunity to test their self-developed robots in a competitive situation before they go to the North Rhine-Westphalia qualifying tournament. Robotics experts from igus are on hand to help them find any final technical errors and make optimisations.

From simple motion sequences to a complex integration in system landscapes

In the practical training courses at the RBTX Academy, participants learn how to use the control software igus Robot Control, among other things. The software creates a virtual twin of the robot that simulates movements and operations in real time. This allows movement sequences to be planned, tested and optimised via a user-friendly interface. In the next step, the programs can then be transferred to the real robot, which performs the tasks precisely – for example on the articulated arm robot ReBeL Cobot, which is largely made of high-performance plastic and therefore costs only €4,970. “This method allows for efficient automation even for beginners. They can usually create the first simple movement sequences within an hour,” says Mühlens. However, igus also offers expert training courses for those who want to delve deeper into programming. “Participants learn, for example, how to integrate low-cost robots into complex automation environments and make them interact with other systems.” In addition to the igus Robot Control, course participants can also work with control systems from other manufacturers, including Epson, Universal Robot and Dobot.

Showroom with Low Cost Robotics provides inspiration for future automation projects

During the training, they will also have the opportunity to visit the 400m2 Customer Testing Area. There, igus will present a selection of robotics applications with products from over 130 leading manufacturers, which can also be found online on the RBTX marketplace. Because a robot alone does not necessarily lead to a finished solution. From pick & place on the conveyor belt with a SCARA robot to gluing work with a linear robot to the ReBeL Cobot acting as barista, visitors can experience a wide variety of applications on site. What makes it special: all components on RBTX.com are combined with each other in advance and compatibility tests are carried out. This means that users are on the safe side with every configuration and can find the right solution for their individual application. “Our motto is ‘Automate your factory starting at €2,000’. In other words, we always focus on affordable robotics solutions,” emphasises Mühlens.