Views: 3 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-05-30 Origin: Site
Mechatronics and Robotics Working Group
It's more important than ever to support young talent in the STEM fields and open up new horizons for them. Harmonic Drive® helps: In collaboration with Dr. Andreas Kayser, development engineer and team leader for calculation and simulation at Harmonic Drive SE in Limburg, the Fürst-Johann-Ludwig School in Hadamar offers a Mechatronics and Robotics Working Group. The mechatronics expert has been passionately supporting students with advice and support since 2009.
"It's not necessary to awaken enthusiasm for technology in young people; it's often already there. A helping hand is all it takes for the first steps and practical experiments, and this is best achieved in a group of like-minded people. A school-based study group, in addition to math and science classes, offers the best conditions for this. What quickly became apparent was that not only the students enjoy participating, but many teachers also contribute with great commitment. The FJLS now offers mechatronics courses from 5th grade up to the final year of secondary school or high school," says Dr. Andreas Kayser.
Insights into everyday working life
In addition to donations of materials, the partnership is full of activities: joint trade fair visits in Munich, exhibitions of robot models developed by the working group at the Harmonic Drive® booth in Nuremberg, and at the MINT trade fair in Wiesbaden – at the latter, the students were delighted to receive a special prize from the German Mechanical and Plant Engineering Association (VDMA). Additionally, the participants were invited to a factory tour of Harmonic Drive SE, where they gained insight into everyday working life. Some students took advantage of this opportunity to make their first contacts in the world of work and secured internships at the Limburg-based company.
Stefanie Bender, a mathematics and physics teacher at the FJLS and head of the robotics club, explains: "The club is aimed at students of all school types from grade 10 onwards who are interested in mechatronics - regardless of their previous knowledge in this field. Through the diverse projects and practice-oriented teaching, we are able to support each student individually. Those who have had no previous contact with mechatronics quickly overcome their initial inhibitions about practical work with electronic circuits and, with increasing knowledge and experience, significantly increase their technical skills. Students who already have prior knowledge from their private lives or from mechatronics classes, which are offered as part of our school's elective courses in grades 9 and 10, can further deepen this knowledge, contribute their own ideas, and concretize their career aspirations in this field. The collaboration with Dr. Kayser, who supports the participants with his extensive knowledge, is particularly beneficial in this regard. as well as practical professional experience, and can provide them with expert support and insights into the professional world in this field. This allows us to directly connect school and career, and past experience has shown that we can provide students with career guidance and support them in entering the professional world through internships at Harmonic Drive®."
Inspiring Young People to Get Inspiring for Technology
Experimental investigations of electronic components and sensors, the construction of everything from simple to complex robots, and first-hand experience with the Raspberry Pi – the planning and implementation of one's own projects are not neglected in the working group. The students not only improve their knowledge of mechatronics and their manual skills, but also learn how to control robots.
"In addition to the fun of trying things out, understanding the background, and learning how to connect things, the working group also pursues the goal of actively supporting young talent. This is also very important to me personally. I'm naturally pleased that some former members have now begun technical studies. Perhaps one day they will develop the next generation of Harmonic Drive® drives. Or one day they will supervise young people in a technology working group themselves," comments Dr. Andreas Kayser.
Especially in times of a shortage of skilled workers, technology experts are in high demand in German companies to meet the challenges of the future. For this reason, Harmonic Drive® has made it its mission to inspire young people for technology, to qualify them and to bind them to the company.
