Originally published 31 October 2003

As the result of on-gonging and fruitful research collaboration between the University of Warwick and Tianjin University, China, a newly invented robot for rapid pick-and-place operations has been installed, as a comprehensive teaching facility, in the School of Engineering.

The project is sponsored initially by the Chinese National “863” High-Tech Scheme and by the Royal Society UK-China Exchange Programme. It has also received strong financial support from the Civil and Mechanical Division of the School.

This new robot is already of great interest to 4th-year MEng students in their module assignment for Dynamic Analysis of Mechanical Systems. Its installation will create many opportunities for research-led teaching in Advance Dynamics and MEng projects as well as providing case study subjects to a large range of modules in mechanics and control, etc.

Professor Tian Huang is leading the project in collaboration with Professor Derek Chetwynd and Dr Xianping Liu. Professor Huang holds a joint appointment at Warwick, where he teaches and researches for one term per year, and as Dean of School of Mechanical Engineering at Tianjin University.