Open Source Applications for Industrial Automation Erasmus Project

Project Title

Open Source Applications for Industrial Automation

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Open and distance learning

Project Summary

Europe is looking to Industry 4.0 – or the Digital Transformation of Industry – as the opportunity to lead the world in advanced technology. Automation, greater flexibility, adaptive control and autonomous decision-making processes are at the core of this transformation. The OPENIN project aims to help higher VET, HEI´s institutions and technical Universities, as well as enterprises using automation systems (especially SME´s) to cut costs and embrace innovation by providing them with training materials for both students/employees and teachers, using free open source hardware and software for designing and configuring automated systems.

In consequence the OPENIN project aimed to and carried out the following:
• An analysis of the teaching possibilities that free hardware / software offers the design of automated systems
• Development of teaching materials for designing automated systems using the Arduino open source application (considered the best software option after research)
• Development of innovative high technical level training materials for higher VET, HE institutions and enterprises
• Creation of pedagogical tools for the training of students based on real cases
• Creation of a working methodology that allows the adoption of common criteria for designing automated systems

The project subsequently developed the following:

1. An OPENIN Course for students in Industrial Automation using the Arduino open source application
The fully developed training course for students in the field of Industrial Automation at EQF level 5 or above is freely available on the project web site (http://www.openinproject.eu/). The revised course covers the following topics over 14 units of learning
A. – Introduction to basic programming (Units 1-6)
B. – Industrial Sensors (Units 7-8)
C. – Industrial Actuators (Units 9-11)
D. – Industrial Communication (12-14)

Beyond the initial scope of the project and in response to pilot student requests, the partnership also facilitates access to “hands on” design development practice for students/those with no access to Arduino boards via an OPENIN online Arduino lab. The Ardlab can be accessed and reserved via the homepage of the project website for individual use.

2. An OPENIN training course for teachers and employers
The OPENIN training course for teachers and employers is also available on the project website to prepare trainers to apply open source applications in their schools or companies. Materials for staff include the advantages of using open source platforms and applications, supporting, units of learning for use with students/trainees, pedagogical explanations, a list of pre requisites for each unit, solutions to different cases and exercises, expected learning outcomes, credit allocation and assessment criteria suggestions.

The 4 OPENIN project partners, three HEI – ISEP (PT), TEI Crete (EL) and Politeknika Txorierri (ES), and one VET institution APRO (IT) actively promote free open-source software as an effective way to modernize educational technical training and small or medium sized industrial organizations and support innovation.
Each partner has widely piloted the OPENIN training materials with teaching staff in their countries in 30 h´ training courses between 2017-2018, with full follow up testing of materials with students in their organizations carried out in 2018. All materials for students (units of learning) are available in English, Greek, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. Explanatory and pedagogical materials for teachers are also translated into the four partner languages with sections B, C and D as well as solutions available in English.

By offering training, easy to download materials and further open source access to an online Arduino lab for “hands on” experimentation, integrating automation systems learning is now widely available to high level technical educational institutions/students and employees of SMEs who wish to upskill and prepare their workforce for Industry 4.0 digital parametres. During the project lifetime the OPENIN project has had a significant impact on the four partner institutions and network institutions as well as their industrial partners with the OPENIN training embedded into their educational offer for students and into their teacher training catalogues. Partners are now continuing to promote the project broadly to more educational and industrial stakeholders.

The tested and revised materials using open source arduino platforms as well as the freely accessible project Arduino lab will continue to be of considerable use in the educational and industrial fields of Electrical, Electronics and Informatics Engineering where Industrial Automation is part of the course curriculum and an increasingly prevalent part of the industrial-economic landscape. Those who have the need to prepare/update or to prepare others for the realities of the Industry 4.0 can now more easily do so at minimum cost and effort.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 159951 Eur

Project Coordinator

POLITEKNIKA IKASTEGIA TXORIERRI S.COOP & Country: ES

Project Partners

• INSTITUTO POLITECNICO DO PORTO
• Apro Formazione S.c.a.r.l.
• TECHNOLOGICAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CRETE