Robotics Lab Equipment for Schools

In this section we will cover robotics lab equipment designed specifically for education and training of industrial skills necessary for future robot technicians, operators, and programmers.

 

STEM Robotics vs. Industrial Robotics

These days the field of robotics is addressed at various levels of education and with various expected or desired outcomes. At Edquip we broadly categorize “robotics for education” into two different fields: STEM Robotics, and Industrial Robotics. Explanation about how they differ below:

STEM Robotics

The aim of STEM Robotics is to use the field of robotics to teach science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in an interdisciplinary and applied way. STEM robotics programs are also

STEM Robotics programs are run both in formal education as well as informal education (after school programs etc.), mostly at primary and secondary education level.

Instructional technology used for teaching STEM robotics can be described as educational kits comprising a mix of hardware, software, and content.

Industrial Robotics

The aim of Industrial Robotics Education is (not to teach STEM, but) to teach the skills necessary for any future technician to be able to operate, program, maintain and generally manage industrial robotics.

Industrial Robotics is taught in technical high schools, vocational training centers, community colleges, polytechnics, and universities.

Instructional technology for industrial robotics is always built to closely mimic industrial processes and tools which students will encounter in the working life after their education or training.

 

	Educational Aim	Educational level	Instructional technology
STEM Robotics	Teaching STEM & other life skills	Primary and secondary (formal & informal)	Science kits, hardware, software, content
Industrial Robotics	Vocational skills for effective employment	Technical high school, vocational training, college, and university	Industrial grade components, to mimic real processes and tools

 

At Edquip you can find instructional technology for teaching Industrial Robotics, if you are rather looking for STEM robotics, we would suggest our friends at STEMfinity.

 

Why teach Industrial Robotics?

Against the backdrop of rapid technological growth, key areas in our economies such as manufacturing has started a journey of increased automation, which currently has no end in sight. The International Federation of Robotics has released a positioning paper for the Next Generation Skills which delivers a few important conclusions:

• Manufacturers are turning to advanced automation and flexible manufacturing to cost-effectively respond for demand for smaller, customized production runs.
• Automation will not replace employees but is shifting skills requirements to higher-skilled, better-paid jobs.
• Advances in robotics will significantly change manufacturing jobs and skills profiles over the next 10 years.
• Automation and increasing robot adoption is creating new, interesting roles in manufacturing.
• Manufacturers today struggle to hire workers. A shortage of qualified workers at all skills levels is forecast to continue unless action is taken.

It becomes clear that anyone who jumps onto the bandwagon of change and applies a continuous lifelong learning approach can have a great career in manufacturing and industrial robotics.

 

Future skills for Industrial Robotics

The continuous changes in advanced manufacturing and industry 4.0 will impact various traditional roles in different ways, for example, production operators, technicians, engineers, and production managers will not be impacted similarly, but there are a few trends that will be true for all these positions.

Work will be increasingly multidisciplinary, where employees work with wider ranges of machines, different software systems, many collaborative robots, distinct sensor technologies, pneumatics, vision systems etc.

Consultancy McKinsey predicts that by 2030 manufacturing workers will spend 58% more of their time using technology skills, and 27% less of their time doing physical and manual work, than in 2016. Simultaneously it is also expected that employees will spend almost a third more of their time using social and emotional skills.

 

Best practice teaching Industrial Robotics

Looking at a two flagship projects across Europe and USA it is clear that developing future skills in Industry 4.0 in order to remain competitive in Manufacturing, is of highest priority.

As a response to supporting Europe in adopting industry 4.0, the European Commission has launched the EIT Manufacturing program, where one out of three key pillars is specifically promoting, developing and funding Manufacturing Education (23 funded projects).

Also, in the USA the Department of Defense stands behind a consortium called the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM Institute) which highly stresses the need to develop an Industry 4.0 skilled workforce (69 funded projects).

If we look at already funded education and training projects, by both EIT Manufacturing and the ARM institute, it is clear that they both favor programs with “hands-on” (kinaesthetic) learning components.

I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.

- Confucius

 

Types of Industrial Robotics Training Equipment

The page above lists products from several manufacturers, but here is a framework for understanding the main categories of industrial robotics training equipment.

Articulated Robot Trainers. Six-axis industrial robot arms (or educational equivalents) mounted on a workstation with safety enclosures, teach pendants, and controller units. Students learn programming (typically in the robot manufacturer's native language — RAPID for ABB, KRL for KUKA, Karel for Fanuc), path planning, I/O configuration, and basic maintenance. These are the core of any industrial robotics programme.

Collaborative Robot (Cobot) Trainers. Cobots from UR, Fanuc, KUKA, or similar, designed for safe operation alongside humans without full safety enclosures. Students learn force-limited programming, hand-guiding, risk assessment, and the specific applications where cobots are appropriate (assembly, pick-and-place, machine tending). Cobot training is increasingly demanded by SME manufacturers adopting automation for the first time.

SCARA Robot Trainers. Four-axis robots optimised for fast, precise pick-and-place and assembly tasks. Common in electronics manufacturing and packaging. Training systems teach SCARA-specific programming, vision-guided pick-and-place, and cycle time optimisation.

Robot Integration Cells. Complete workstations that combine a robot with other automation components — conveyors, PLC control, vision systems, grippers, sensors, pneumatic actuators. Students learn system integration: how to make a robot work within a larger automated process, which is the actual skill most employers hire for.

Mobile Robotics and AGV Trainers. Autonomous Guided Vehicles and Autonomous Mobile Robots for warehouse logistics and intralogistics training. A growing segment as e-commerce and automated warehousing expand.

Robot Simulation Software. Offline programming and simulation environments (RoboDK, RobotStudio, KUKA.Sim, Roboguide) that allow students to design, test, and optimise robot programmes before deploying to physical hardware. Increasingly standard as a complement to physical trainers, not a replacement.

 

How to Evaluate Industrial Robotics Training Equipment

The first question every buyer asks about robotics training equipment is: which robot brand? The answer depends on your local industry.

Robot brand alignment. Fanuc, ABB, KUKA, and Yaskawa dominate industrial robotics globally, but regional market share varies significantly. In the US, Fanuc has the largest installed base. In Europe, KUKA and ABB are strong. In Asia, Fanuc and Yaskawa lead. If your graduates will work in local manufacturing, choose the brand most common in your region — each manufacturer uses its own programming language, and employers expect brand-specific fluency.

For programmes serving diverse industries, some training systems use brand-agnostic PLC-based control or offer multi-brand configurations where the robot arm can be swapped while the peripheral equipment stays the same.

Integration capability. A standalone robot arm teaches programming basics. A robot cell with PLC, vision system, conveyor, and end-effectors teaches integration — which is where the real employability value lies. Prioritise systems that include peripheral automation components.

Safety infrastructure. Industrial robots require safety enclosures, light curtains or safety scanners, emergency stops, and proper floor mounting. Budget for the safety infrastructure, not just the robot. Collaborative robots require less safety equipment but still need risk assessment documentation.

Payload and reach. Educational robots typically have 3–10 kg payload and 500–900 mm reach — sufficient for training tasks without requiring the heavy infrastructure of full-scale industrial robots. Match the payload to your training applications (material handling, welding simulation, assembly, machine tending).

Curriculum and certification. Some robot manufacturers (Fanuc, ABB, KUKA) offer their own educational certification programmes. Training equipment aligned with these programmes gives students an employer-recognised credential alongside their institutional qualification.

Software licences. Robot programming software, simulation packages, and PLC programming environments often require annual licences. Factor these into the total cost of ownership — a $30,000 robot cell with $5,000/year in software licences looks different over a five-year budget cycle.