Robotics Retrofit: Renovating Outdated Robotics Platforms to Meet Current Curriculum Requirements Driven by Industry Demand

Many engineering technology programs are implementing robotics and automation platforms into their undergraduate curriculum.Finding affordable solutions for these subjects can prove to be difficult; small-to-midsize institutions may not have the funding available to outfit a laboratory with robotics systems that cost $20k or more per station.Following feedback from our industry advisory board (IAB) members, as well as industry partners, a need was determined to find a way to incorporate these topics into the curriculum with our already limited resources.Faculty members presented a solution by retrofitting several outdated robots, currently in our possession, with newer technologies.These 30+ year-old robots had been slated for disposal due to age, but after some exploration, it was determined that they could be salvaged and updated.The project entailed reverse engineering motor driver circuits, developing new hardware control systems, and programming the user interface.The result is a complete set of robots that operate via National Instruments hardware (USB DAQmx) and the associated software (LabVIEW) eliminating the need for the original teaching pendants and cassette tapes from the 1980s.These systems can now be utilized in current robotics and automation curriculum throughout the engineering technology programs to meet industry demand.