In today’s world, technology is advancing at an unprecedented pace. To keep up with this rapidly changing landscape, educational institutions must keep updating their curriculums and provide students with practical, hands-on experience. That is precisely what the Level 3 students from University College Birmingham did when they visited the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Institute of Technology (GBSIoT) Hub to learn about the Cyber Physical Manufacturing Rig and use the Makeblock kits to build and program an Mbot.
The GBSIoT Hub is a state-of-the-art facility that provides cutting-edge training in advanced manufacturing, engineering, and digital technologies. The Cyber Physical Manufacturing Rig, which the students got to experience, is a high-tech machine that allows for the creation of complex systems that merge the physical and digital realms. This technology is crucial to modern manufacturing, and the opportunity to use it gave the students a glimpse into what the future holds.
The students were also given Makeblock kits, which they used to build and program an Mbot. Makeblock is an open-source hardware platform that allows users to create a variety of robots, machines, and devices. It is designed to be accessible and easy to use, making it a great tool for introducing students to robotics and programming.
During the visit, the students worked in groups, following step-by-step instructions to assemble their Mbot robots. They then used Makeblock’s programming software to write code that would allow the robots to move, detect obstacles, and follow a line. The students were able to experiment with different coding techniques, making adjustments to the code to refine their robots’ behavior.
The experience was a valuable one for the students, as it gave them a chance to apply the concepts they had learned in the classroom to a real-world scenario. The opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology and see how it is used in industry also helped to prepare them for future careers in the field. The visit was an excellent example of how educational institutions can work with industry partners to provide students with practical, hands-on experience that will prepare them for the workforce.
