Warren County Schools is upping its Mechatronics game.

The purchase of a new robot is under consideration by Warren County government. Its Financial Management Committee met to consider bids.

“This is a Mechatronics robot bid,” said Director of Schools Grant Swallows, of the GP7 Yaskawa Robot. “It’s for the dual enrollment class between Warren County High School and Motlow State Community with Mechatronics.”

Two bids were received. The lowest was submitted by Method Tool Limited at a price of $25,900 for the product and $1,900 for shipping.

“We recommend the lowest bidder, Method Tool Limited’s $27,800,” said Swallows. 

The purchase will be funded by a Perkins Reserve Grant applied for by Tracy Risinger, Career and Technical Education director for Warren County Schools. The grant money is offered by the Tennessee Department of Education.

The GP7 Yaskawa Robot will replace an outdated Saturn Robot. Ideal for high-speed assembly and handling applications, the GP7 robot is fast, compact and efficient. 

It’s a bit too fast, says Motlow Mechatronics instructor Melissa Paz.

“It will be set to only run at 25% of its capable speed for student safety and will have a state-of-the-art end effector, a gripper system so that it can perform the pick and place operation that is required of it,” said Paz. 

The purchase of the GP7 Yaskawa Robot from Method Tool Limited received unanimous approval from the county Financial Management Committee. Final approval must come from the full Warren County Commission.