News

Lake Superior State Students Prototype Robotic Systems with DELMIA

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 04/02/09

Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, MI has selected DELMIA Robotics from Dassault Systèmes to support its $1 million robotics lab in an extension of the multi-year relationship between the university and the company.

LSSU is unique as one of only two public universities in the United States with a designated robotics specialization in its curriculum at the undergraduate level, a differentiator that drives a nearly 100 percent placement rate for LSSU engineering graduates. The university has integrated robotics into its computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering programs, providing students with a background in robotics applications, robotics system design and integration, machine vision, sensors, communications, manufacturing simulation, and automation.

Since 2003 the university has used Digital Enterprise Lean Manufacturing Interactive Application (DELMIA) solutions to drive its robotics program. Students participate in small class sizes outfitted with a robotics lab equipped with 14 industrial robots, machine vision systems, and intelligent sensors. DELMIA allows users to create digital manufacturing process environments on the desktop, such as those involving robotic productions systems, before they're moved to physical implementation.

"Leading companies from the robotics, advanced manufacturing and automation industries are recruiting our students due to the specialized skills and experience they have gained from simulating digital manufacturing environments in DELMIA," said Jim Devaprasad, professor in the department of engineering and technology. "DELMIA allows us to go far beyond the theoretical and helps students simulate and run multiple scenarios, just as they would in an industrial production environment. That practical experience is one of the key differentiators we offer, and is borne out by our demonstrated success."