Modern industrial manufacturing, characterized by high degree of variability and dynamically changing production demands, encourages the development on flexible, adaptable, and reconfigurable automated machinery. Those industrial trends are reflected directly onto the curriculum of contemporary education programs in the fields of automation and robotics. The need for an integrated multipurpose robotics platform for research projects, student educational projects and laboratory exercises motivated the development of a modular, flexible collaborative robotic cell for small parts assembly. The proposed teaching platform allows the students a close-up interaction with real-life industrial technologies and supports the teaching of key concepts, such as: flexible automation, design of modular and reconfigurable systems, and integration of such systems into smart manufacturing facilities. A special emphasis was given to the development of professional and practical competences in collaborative robotics, as the proposed robotic cell provides student with infrastructure to design, develop and deploy their own unique collaborative robotic application along with the accompanying safety solution. From the pedagogical aspect, the proposed platform allows for the effective connection between the theoretical knowledge and practical experience and supports the implementation of modern learning methods such problem-based, project-based and experience-based learning. The described solution thus represents a relevant and modern teaching aid, that adds to the quality of the educational process and the development of competences needed for successful work in modern industrial environments.
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