134 teams of Capital region high schoolers played with robots at the Lansing Center March 20 and 21, and the man servicing those devices suggests some of those students may one day be operating robots for a sizable salary.
Mike Pullman, of Lansing, is all for encouraging students like those at the FIRST Robotics Competition, which is dedicated to inspiring an appreciation of science and technology in young people.
Pullman works for Rochester Hills-based Fanuc Robotics America, Inc., a subsidiary of Fanuc, Ltd. of Japan. He fixes robots, and teaches people working with them to operate robots properly.
“Kids are going to need to get into the science and math classes now that will prepare them to become electrical or mechanical engineers,” Pullman says.
Robots are already in heavy use in many local businesses, including 850 robots at Lansing’s Delta Township General Motors plant, and 400 at the Lansing Grand River plant, Pullman estimates. They do everything from welding to spraying adhesives or sealants.
Symmetry Jet Engineering, on Aurelius Road, uses robots to cater to the aerospace industry, with machines that put sheet metal together and laser weld it, and help feed the hot furnaces and presses.
At Gestamp U.S. Hardtech in Mason, robots are used to assemble safety features for the auto industry, like bumpers and door beams.
And the robotics industry is ready to
explode, Pullman says. Gov. Jennifer Granholm is talking about chasing after the industry even more, he adds.
“A robot is nothing but a machine. Does a car run itself?” he asks
rhetorically. “Robotics represents simply a transfer of jobs,” he says.
The machines will do no better than the people who run them.
“Robots need a lot of care. Introduce the human factor and they break sooner,” he laughs.
Source: Mike Pullman, Fanuc Robotics America, Inc.
Gretchen Cochran, Innovation & Jobs editor, may be reached here.
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