About 400 Maplesville High School students had the chance to test their skills with operating robotics equipment in a mobile lab Wednesday.

Students in all grades were able to walk through the Alabama Robotics Technology Park’s mobile lab parked beside the school to view robots and programmable logic controllers used in training or education and industrial settings, and to try operating some of the equipment themselves.

“We’re trying to interest these young kids to get in these high-paying jobs,” Automation and Robotics Technical Specialist Art Meadows said. “The more kids we can touch, the better chance we have of getting people in the company.”

Meadows showed students an OTC (Osaka Transformer Company) robot used in the welding industry and led them through how to move and program the robot “to get them comfortable so they would think of it as a job one day.”

A Kuka robot used for material handling and a Motoman robot used to dispense were also on display in the mobile lab.

The mobile lab is part of the RTP’s mission “to provide a technically trained, highly skilled and educated workforce for automation and robotics, to assist public and private entities in developing new robotics systems and technologies, and to promote the creation, growth or expansion of companies through innovative technology solutions.”

“We do training at no cost for these Alabama companies,” Meadows said. “Most jobs today require some technical expertise that you don’t get in high school.”

Meadows said mobile robotics lab visits are free for schools as well, and any school wanting to host the lab may sign up at AlabamaRTP.org.

“It’s a real honor to talk to the kids and get them turned onto this,” Meadows said. “They don’t see this every day.”

Technical Coordinator Steve Pollock said more than 38,000 students saw the mobile unit last year.

The lab also visits community events such as career fairs and leadership conferences.

“I tell students … there is a huge demand for welders all over the country,” Pollock said.

The Alabama Robotics Technology Park consists of three individual training facilities each targeted to a specific industry need.

When completed, the buildings will have an investment of about $73 million including robotics equipment.

Industry-specific training includes: robotics systems (material handling, weld, paint/dispense); vision systems customized training (vendor and company specific); advance manufacturing line (7-robots, 3-PLCs, 4-Visions); manual weld; overhead crane; forklift safety; aerial lift safety; OSHA 10 and 30 hour; 70E Arc Flash Safety; robotic safety; American Welding Society (AWS); and Certified Robotic Arc Welding (CRAW).

For more information, visit AlabamaRTP.org.