Stellar Industries, a manufacturer of high-quality mechanic trucks, cranes, tire service trucks, hooklifts, trailers, and service truck and van accessories that is 100% owned and operated by its employees, has donated a UR10 collaborative robot to North Iowa Area Community College's (NIACC) Industrial Automation and Robotics Technology (IART) program.

The UR10 cobot, valued at $130,000, will be used in all three of NIACC's robotics classes to help students develop coding skills in robot labs.

Stellar has a long-standing partnership with NIACC and has actively participated in the IART program's advisory board. The donation of the UR10 cobot marks a significant milestone for NIACC, enabling the institution to expand its course selection options for robotics and offer a multitude of opportunities to more students. The cobot from Stellar is a testament to the program's growth, being the 21st robotic unit in the program.

Bob Franken, NIACC Industrial Automation and Robotics Technology Instructor said, "I can hardly put into words just how important a donation like this is. It's everything. Without generous gifts like this, we can't keep up with technology's demand. This gives us the tools and resources to allow students to learn the ever-changing landscape in automation and robotics."

Michael Niemeyer, Automation Engineering Manager at Stellar, said, "We are thrilled that we were able to provide so many opportunities for the next generation of engineers through this donation. Stellar is committed to prioritizing education through technology and we could not be more excited to hand this cobot over to NIACC."