PLYMOUTH -- Plymouth State University held a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Sept. 27, to celebrate the establishment of its newest multidisciplinary Robotics Open Laboratory space at the Draper & Maynard building on campus.
"We are proud to open this state-of-the-art Robotics Open Lab, which will provide students the space and equipment they need to learn how to operate and design the latest in robotics technology, and enable partnerships with businesses, industry, community colleges and universities," said PSU President Donald L. Birx, Ph.D. "And we are grateful to Sen. Shaheen for securing the federal funding used to outfit this new facility, which will empower our students to prepare for the 21st century workplace and to pioneer engineering feats that will shape the future economy."
During the event, Chris Scott, deputy state director for the office of U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, shared prepared remarks from the senator and PSU Provost Nathaniel Bowditch participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. After a brief ceremony, attendees were given a tour of the facility and its advanced equipment, funded in part by a $1 million federal grant secured by Sen. Shaheen.
The 4,000-square-foot robotics lab, which includes new workspaces, a production floor, classrooms and an impressive collection of advanced robots, was open to the public to view. The lab features a FANUC Robodrill CNC Smart Manufacturing Suite, a high-tech system used in factories to automate and streamline production, a FANUC CR-7i/a "cobot" designed to work collaboratively with a human, a FANUC CRX-10i/a welder, a CNC lathe called a Shopbot 9660, a Clearpath/Rockwell Automation Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV), a fiber laser, 3D scanner and more.
Attendees had a chance to observe the manufacturing suite perform the various steps of production and assembly in tandem with the laser etcher.
Some antiquated pieces of robotics equipment were also on display in the building lobby, including a Heathkit Educational Robot (HERO 1) from the 1980s.
During the event, PSU Robotics Automation Program Coordinator Bret Kulakovich announced that each student who enrolls in the university's first-in-the-state Bachelor of Science in Robotics program will be given their own TurtleBot3 from Robotis, which is a small robot for them to assemble and use over the course of their studies and keep upon graduation.
PSU launched the robotics program in 2021. A year later, the university was granted $1 million in federal funds as part of a congressionally directed spending package, making the creation of the new cutting-edge Robotics Open Lab possible.
Open labs serve as a tool for PSU's unique Integrated Clusters learning model by providing both a setting and an experiential opportunity for collaboration and real-world problem solving. They can be a physical space or project-based learning experiences partnering PSU students with outside businesses and communities.