Noah Johnson Daily Press A robot automatically moves boxes back and forth from a pallet to a rack during the Making Michigan Innovation Expo held at Bay College on Tuesday.

By Noah Johnson

njohnson@dailypress.net

ESCANABA – A local college showcased the future of technology on its campus on Tuesday.

Bay College, the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC) and Automation Alley hosted the Making Michigan Innovation Expo at the Escanaba campus in the Joseph Heirman University Center (JHUC) conference room.

The day was an opportunity for industry partners and manufacturers to see different technologies they could use in their field and a chance for the local Delta-Schoolcraft Intermediate School District (DSISD) students to learn about new technology.

“They (MMTC) are doing their roadshow across the state of Michigan right now where they’re visiting different communities, bringing solutions around innovation, robotics, cyber, AI, to manufacturers and industry partners to kind of share what the latest and greatest is in terms of technology and innovation,” said Bay College Vice President of Workforce Innovation and Strategic Partnership Cindy Gallagher.

MMTC Senior Business Advisor for the Upper Peninsula Ryan Galerneau said Michigan is working to help small to medium manufacturers adopt industry 4.0 technology.

“That’s kind of like a catch-all for things that include cyber security, the internet of things, automation, robots, things like that. And so these demonstrations are a way to kind of showcase what technology is available, (and) showcase what it takes to get it implemented,” Galerneau said.

Automated technology, or technology in general, is deemed expensive and complicated, but that’s not the case at all, according to Galerneau.

“They’re super easy to program. Some of them you can just program using a phone, and basically move the robots where you want it to go. So, you don’t need any kind of special talent on staff,” he explained.

After signing in and entering a raffle for a free 3-D printer, guests headed in to see and hear the future of technological innovation.

The free-to-attend event featured a special presentation by Andrew Halonen, president of Amatrium, who spoke about machine learning and generative Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The event also featured a panel discussion featuring representatives from Bay, MMTC, Karhu Cyber and Steve Mason, the president and CEO of Great Lakes Sound & Vibe.

Attendees also heard from Bay College President Dr. Nerita Hughes, MMTC Manager of Operational Excellence Chuck Werner and a video message from Congressman Jack Bergman.

Werner welcomed attendees and gave insight into what MMTC is.

“We are a Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP); we are the one for the state of Michigan. What we do is support small to medium manufacturers to make sure they can grow, thrive, and survive. We will also help you find funding to do so,” Werner explained.

Hughes said Bays’ strategic plan fits in with the MMTC expo, citing the college’s fourth pillar of the plan: build industry-responsive partnerships.

“The other piece that I want to kind of hone in on that’s a part of our strategic pillar is adopt future-ready technology. So you just heard about artificial intelligence, there’s also virtual reality as well. And so those are high tech areas that we really try to focus in on here at Bay College,” Hughes said.

In between presentations and speakers, attendees roamed the conference room, observing different robotic machines completing various tasks.

One robot was a simple rubber cart, roaming around the conference room equipped with water bottles for guests. The cart detects obstacles, such as people, and automatically comes a stop. Once the path is clear, the cart continued its route.

One demonstration showed a robot moving boxes back and forth seamlessly, while another could draw the state of Michigan with an expo marker without human assistance after it was programmed.

MMTC plans to continue its road show, visiting other colleges and universities around the state.

“It gives the colleges and universities a chance to kind of showcase what they’re doing to help companies adopt new technology,” Galerneau said.

Gallagher reiterated the college was thrilled to welcome MMTC to its campus.

“Bay College is really committed to building industry partnerships for our community to make sure we’re helping close the gaps workforce needs and as an educational partner… So, we’re excited to be a part of this event today and having MMTC on campus,” she said.