WKU, Smart Robots Partner For Unique Student Opportunity

Students at the Artificial Intelligence Lab this semester will be getting first-hand experience in the robotics industry.  The Center for Research and Development and Smart Robots, Inc., have teamed up to provide 14 functional robots for the lab.

The Center's Executive Director Buddy Steen said the benefits of this partnership are two-fold.  "This provides the possibility of growth not only for the university, but for the company involved as well," Steen said. Smart Robots, Inc., utilizes lab space at the Center, along with approximately 17 other companies. 

Dr. Art Shindhelm, director of the Artificial Intelligence Lab, hopes that students will enjoy taking advantage of this opportunity. "It has been my experience that students have a wonderful imagination on using robots in very novel applications," he said.

The robots are equipped with Java and Linux capabilities, two of the more common computer programming languages.

The Smart Robot stands at 3.5 feet tall, and has a 50-pound carrying capacity.  Their capabilities include web connectivity, vision, sensors for detecting movement, as well as limitless potential. They will be used in outreach opportunities with high school students, in interdisciplinary courses on campus, and as a research opportunity for both faculty and students, according to Dr. Shindhelm.

Computer science students next semester will be given the task of choosing a project that incorporates the robot for a semester's worth of work.  They will be required to not only write a program, but implement it using the machine. This is a step that Smart Robots, Inc., CEO Joe Bosworth says most universities don't usually take.

"I know of no other university that has equipped a classroom with as much technology that WKU has," Bosworth said. He explained that while other universities are doing robotics work as well, WKU is giving students a strong, broad education in these technologies that will carry over into the workforce.

Steen said opportunities like this create jobs which will most likely go to WKU graduates.  "Our goal is to make the bridge between a company and WKU as short and wide as possible," he said.

For more information, visit www.smartrobots.com or http://ored.wku.edu/Center_for_Research_&_Development/

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu and at http://wkunews.wordpress.com/. If you'd like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu. 

For information, contact Buddy Steen at (270) 901-3490.