International surveying technology company Trimble ‘‘generously’’ gave five robotic total stations to the School of Surveying/Te Kura Kairuri.
Surveying lecturer Richard Hemi said the instruments would help modernise teaching and provide students with a class set of robotic equipment.
“It’s probably the first time we’ve had enough to do teaching as a group.
“The robotics will help students to get hands-on experience with more modern instruments.”
Senior students doing professional courses in their final year would particularly benefit by gaining access to the latest technology before heading off to the workforce, he said.
In total, the equipment is worth around $260,000.
Robotic total stations track and follow the surveyor instead of having a surveyor behind an instrument and an assistant at a distance — therefore reducing the number of people needed and speeding up the process.
They can also track construction machinery, including graders and diggers, following them to make sure the levels are right, and controlling the hydraulics.
The donation from Trimble also included tablet controllers with embedded surveying software which communicate with the robotic stations and store data.
The donation was organised by Trimble geospatial robotic total stations marketing manager Derek Shanks, who graduated from the surveying school in 2010.
He is based at Trimble in Colorado in the United States, but has been working remotely from Christchurch over the past few months.
It meant he was able to personally present the robotics and ancillary equipment to the school.
“The robotics and tablets have allowed us to update our equipment and students can feel they are getting marketplace access to these types of instruments,” Mr Hemi said.
