In 2025, through close cooperation with the Chelyabinsk Forge-and-Press Plant and RusRobot, and with the support of the Governor and the Government of the Chelyabinsk Region, the Industrial Robotics Development Centre of South Ural State University was established. Today, the Centre has presented the results of its first year of work and its plans for the future.
The project is one of the satellite centres within the federal network, the headquarters of which is based at Innopolis University. The Centre has become the first and only hub for attracting and generating expertise in industrial automation for hundreds of enterprises in the South Ural region.
The Centre is designed to integrate industrial robotic systems into real-world production, develop new technological solutions, and train highly qualified specialists for the market of developers and integrators of industrial robotic systems. It focuses not only on the implementation of Russian-made robots, including products manufactured by RusRobot, but also of industrial robots produced abroad, in key and strategically important sectors of the economy: machining, forging and pressing, foundry operations, and painting lines.
“The development of industrial robotics is undoubtedly one of SUSU’s key projects today. Several years ago, we opened a new Faculty of Mechatronics and Robotics at the university, and education got underway, but the next step was needed. That step was the Industrial Robotics Centre with its shared-use facility. This facility makes it possible to combine the efforts of the university and industrial enterprises: on the one hand, robot manufacturers, and on the other, their potential customers. At the same time, we are addressing the task of training and attracting young specialists, including for domestic industries. It is fundamentally important that training here takes place without separating it from the development of real solutions. The Centre has presented some very interesting developments, including the concept of a “dark factory”, where all operations are performed by robots. Today, we face the task of multiplying the number of industrial robots: this is a direct path towards increasing productivity and efficiency. This is precisely what our project is aimed at. We have already spoken with several enterprises, and the solutions developed are being put into practice. Modernized cells are operating in automated mode and producing goods. This is a tangible result of the work carried out, which we support, including through government subsidies,” said Governor of the Chelyabinsk Region Alexey Texler.
The Centre’s scientific and technical developments are finding practical applications. Key projects include the creation of specialized gripper devices, the development of machine vision systems and intelligent robot control systems, as well as the design of an educational and research complex. The activities of the SUSU Industrial Robotics Development Centre are aimed at creating a comprehensive ecosystem for a technological breakthrough in Russian industry.
“Today, I would like to thank SUSU for joining such an ambitious project to train specialists for Russian industry. In fact, SUSU is building a new economy today — an unmanned one, where robots work and people engage in intellectual labour. This is the demand of the times: robotic production is virtually unlimited in terms of scalability. China has shown the whole world that even with a huge population, an enormous number of robots is needed. We have something to learn from, and we are on the right track. The Chelyabinsk Region is our country’s leader in robotics: the largest number of robots is produced here, and the first robotics centre is located here. SUSU is the flagship of this movement. And when an industrial partner is the ChKPZ, which maintains close ties with the university and trains specialists for its own needs, this is a global practice: a robot manufacturer trains people to work with its machines and thereby creates demand. If we train students on Russian robots, they will be happy to work with them,” said Valery Gartung, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Competition Protection.
The guests were given a tour of the SUSU Industrial Robotics Development Centre, which consisted of three blocks: “Scientific Projects of the Industrial Robotics Development Centre”, “Education: Higher Education, Continuing Professional Education Courses, and Project-based Training at the Centre”, and “Integration of Robotic Systems”.
During the first block, SUSU staff presented the Centre’s scientific projects and innovative developments and demonstrated them to the guests. The following presentations were given: “Integration Projects with the Chelyabinsk Forge-and-Press Plant” by Dmitry Shnaider, Director of the Industrial Robotics Development Centre, and Oleg Siverin, Head of the Industrial Robots Integration Office; “Robotic Automation of a CNC Machine” by Vildan Abdullin, Senior Researcher at the Research Department, R&D Unit; “Promobot Robot Cart” by Pavel Shaburov, Researcher at the Regional Youth Laboratory of Electromechanical, Electronic, and Electrochemical Systems; “Integration Projects with LD” by Aleksey Khasanov, Project Manager at the Industrial Robotics Development Centre; “Dark Factory Production Control System” by Vildan Abdullin, Senior Researcher at the Research Department, R&D Unit; “Information Security in Robotic Systems” by Aleksandr Boger, research engineer at the Research Department, R&D Unit; “Software for Building Timing Charts for Robotic Cells” by Veronika Beliakova, research engineer at the Research Department, R&D Unit; “Machine Vision Systems for Industrial Robots” by Vladimir Surin, researcher at the Research Department, R&D Unit; “Educational Research Platform for Robotic Systems” by Dmitry Khriukin, researcher at the Research Department, R&D Unit; “Pneumatic Zero-Point Positioning System for Robotic Systems” by Ruslan Peshkov, Senior Researcher at the Research Department, R&D Unit; “Promising Types of Gripper Devices for Industrial Robots” by Vladislav Salomonov, laboratory assistant at the Industrial Robots Integration Office; and “Software and Hardware Complex for a Welding Robot” by Nikita Cherkasov, research engineer at the Research Department, R&D Unit.
“The Centre is staffed not only by employees but also by SUSU students, primarily from the Faculty of Mechatronics and Robotics, where around 500 students are enrolled, as well as students from the college — around 1500 students in total. As part of real projects commissioned by industrial partners, they acquire skills in programming, data processing, and production management. The Centre is a unique platform for scientists and students, where theory is tested in practice. There are plans to relocate the facility to the world-class “South Ural” campus. For our university, this is a new research and educational area that brings together laboratories for mathematical modelling and artificial intelligence (machine vision, the “sensory organs” of robots), while also making it possible to launch new educational programmes and combine numerous existing competencies,” said Alexander Wagner, Rector of South Ural State University.
During the second block, Ivan Liubimov, a lecturer in the Education Office of the Industrial Robotics Development Centre, presented the Centre’s academic programmes, training opportunities, and educational projects.
The visit to the Centre concluded with presentations by speakers from the third block: Dmitry Shnaider, Director of the SUSU Industrial Robotics Development Centre; Oleg Siverin, Head of the Industrial Robots Integration Office; engineers of the Industrial Robots Integration Office Dmitry Zakharov and Ivan Kulakov; and Elena Lukicheva, Chief Project Engineer of the Industrial Robots Integration Office. They spoke about the possibilities for integrating robotic systems.
The Centre provides a full range of engineering and scientific-and-technical services covering all stages of enterprise automation: from technical audits, development of customized projects and technical specifications to the selection and delivery of equipment, integration, programming, commissioning, personnel training, and service support. A separate strategic area of activity is the integration of computer vision into robotic systems, as well as the reengineering, development, and manufacture of robotic system components, including specialized gripper devices.
The Centre is becoming a driver that transforms existing challenges into new opportunities for the accelerated and sustainable robotization of Russian manufacturing.