SDU at largest robot fair in the Nordic: Brings knowledge and new candidates to industry
The Faculty of Engineering at SDU is a co-organiser of R-22. - We play an important role in the robot cluster, so of course, we must be involved, says head of department Kasper Hallenborg.
Universal Robots was born in the hallways of the Faculty of Engineering at SDU almost 20 years ago. The founder of Mobile Industrial Robots also borrowed a room at the university in the early days of the company's successful life. The director of Uni-Control, who has been declared as one of the best young leaders in the world, also studied at SDU.
The robotics industry and SDU's Faculty of Engineering (TEK) are inextricably linked and have been so since the Lindø shipyard, in collaboration with Odense University, began developing welding robots in the mid-1980s.
Therefore, it is also only natural that SDU is a co-organiser when next week the big nordic robot fair takes place in the halls of Odense Congress Centre (OCC) on 23rd - 25th March.
- SDU is a partner in the R-22 fair because we see great potential in gathering the robot cluster’s talent in one strong Nordic event with a focus on spreading robot technology for the benefit of society, says Kasper Hallenborg, Head of Department, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Institute at SDU's Faculty of Engineering.
The university also participated in the roboticfair in 2018. This year, both researchers and students from the faculty will participate in hope of reaching out to industry and to new potential students at the fair, where more than 100 companies have announced their presence as exhibitors.
Knowledge for companies
They can take a break from the stands and hear about new research and get inspiration when companies, organisations and researchers debate and give their presentations. The Faculty of Engineering is the organiser of two conference options at the fair.
The first will take place on Wednesday 23rd March at 12:00 under the sign Robots as a Tool in Hall A on stage 1. Here the focus will be on the "new" areas where robots can or are already well on their way to being used. It is, among other things, in healthcare, where the UVD robot from Blue Ocean Robotics and the swabbing robot from Lifeline Robotics are great examples. A total of eight presenters will occupy the stage.
The companies Lorenz Technology, Enabled Robotics and ROPCA are participating together with researchers Mikkel Baun, professor software, Ulrik Pagh Schultz, drone professor and Thiusius Rajeeth Savarimuthu, professor in healthcare robotics. As the last event of the day, the audience is introduced to a new robot network, which has been established at the Faculty of Engineering with Associate Professor Oskar Palinko from SDU Robotics at the forefront. DAHRIN (Danish Human-Robot Interaction Network) will focus on relation and interaction between humans and robots.
The second option, which SDU is also behind in the R-22 fair, focuses precisely on human-robot interaction, where several researchers talk about how companies get the most out of research in that field. This option will also take place in Hall A on stage 1 on Thursday 24th March.
In addition to the two conference options, the university will also participate with two stands in Hall A – at number 2506 and 2515. On one stand you can experience activities from SDU UAS Centre, where drones are flown. The second stand focuses on the two conference options where you can see some of the research projects that are highlighted in presentations and debates.
Focus on new candidates
Knowledge and research will not do it alone. New engineers must also be made at the Faculty of Engineering, and this requires new young students. Therefore, there is also a focus on the engineering programmes from TEK in the R-22 fair.
In addition to two conference options and stands, TEK is also running a study day on the fair's last day, on Friday 25th March, where the goal is to attract the oldest students from primary school, efterskoler and high schools. Currently more than 330 have signed up. Through the two workshops, they can get a closer look at robot and automation technology, as you would experience it as a student at the Faculty of Engineering.
For The Technical Faculty, the goal is of course to focus on the strong ties that exist between the research and the educational environment and the industry, which need both knowledge and strong young candidates for the many new jobs. But it is also about describing the many paths and opportunities that exist in the world of robotics and automation.
- Of course, we must be present at the fair, as we have an important role in the development of the Danish robot cluster, and we want to strengthen both dialogue and cooperation with the industry. As a university, we must deliver new excellent graduates to new and established companies in the robotics industry, which constantly need more employees, says Head of Department Kasper Hallenborg.
Therefore, one workshop is talks about what it takes to get into the programme, but also what the opportunities are in an industry that is in rapid development. The second workshop focuses on how to achieve better welfare through robot technology. Both workshops will take place in Hall C at Battle Zone at 13:00 on Friday 25th March.
On the last day of the fair, the Faculty of Engineering is also part of a delegation visit, which has been arranged by Invest In Odense. The Danish and international guests from the industry and the media will visit companies and knowledge institutions, where the delegation will visit the Faculty of Engineering.
Read more about the fair and get your own free ticket here: https://www.roboticsevent.eu/