Stellar donation boosts college robotics program – Rental Management Media Group

Stellar Industries, Garner, Iowa, a manufacturer of mechanic trucks, cranes, tire service trucks, hooklifts, trailers, and service truck and van accessories, has donated a UR10 collaborative robot to North Iowa Area Community College’s (NIACC) Industrial Automation and Robotics Technology (IART) program. The collaborative robot, also known as a cobot, has a value of $130,000.

Stellar has partnered with NIACC in the past, including participation with the IART program’s advisory board. The UR10 cobot will be used in all three of NIACC’s robotics classes to help students gain skills coding robot labs.

“I can hardly put into words just how important a donation like this is. It’s everything. Without generous gifts like this, we can’t keep up with technology’s demand,” said Bob Franken, NIACC Industrial Automation and Robotics Technology instructor. “This gives us the tools and resources we need to allow students to learn the ever-changing landscape in automation and robotics.”

This UR10 from Stellar puts the program at 21 robotic units. The addition will allow NIACC to expand their course selection options for robotics, allowing for the IART program to offer more opportunities for more students.

“We are thrilled that we were able to provide so many opportunities for the next generation of engineers through this donation,” said Michael Niemeyer, automation engineering manager at Stellar. “Stellar is committed to prioritizing education through technology and we could not be more excited to hand this cobot over to NIACC.”