TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — An exciting new program is kicking off at Hudson Valley Community College. In partnership with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, students are diving into the world of robotics.

The new course will be teaching robot basics and programming. But not from a textbook. The class will be taught using actual industrial robots that the school recently obtained to offer students a more hands-on learning experience.

“When I started my grad work at RPI, I took Intro to Robotics, but we did robotics in theory and not in practice,” Computer Science and Mathematics Department Chair Dr. Linda Lim said. “And so, if someone had these available, that would have been the greatest thing. That I get to do this now is so exciting.”

It isn’t just HVCC students getting the chance to learn about robotics. Dr. Lim said the program is open to all local high school and college students, and no prerequisites are required.