A large group of students excitedly gathered around in a circle, as a demonstrator held up a control pad and gave a command to “jump.” Shortly after, a dog wearing a bright, pink vest leapt a few feet off the ground, as the students cheered. But this was not an average dog—it was made of metal.  College of the Canyons hosted its second annual “Manufacturing Day” event on Friday for high school students in the William S. Hart Union High School District.  The event was held at the college’s Interim Advanced Technology Center to give students an opportunity to interact with local companies and become more familiar with the manufacturing industry.   The demonstrations included the opportunity to observe a robot dog and other automated machinery, as well as interact with virtual reality technology.  Harriet Happel, dean of Career Education, Integrated Learning and the Employment Center at College of the Canyons, said that she enjoys seeing the students interact with the school’s equipment and show interest in the industry.  “I get very excited because I come from a manufacturing family, so I know the possibilities for a career that one has in the manufacturing industry, and I think for these students, it’s a way that we give hope,” Happel said.   Companies present at the event included Northrop Grumman, Klein Educational Systems and Lockheed Martin.  The interim building has a handful of classrooms, as well as a production and automation lab, where the students saw the robot dog demonstration. There were also machines called “co-bots” that are meant for more human involvement, Happel said.   She said that this particular tech is meant to cut down on the physical aspect of some manufacturing jobs so humans can focus on duties that better suit their skill sets.  “There are co-bots, where we have more human interaction in terms of the manipulation of the arms when they’re doing a particular operation,” Happel said. “Those robotic arms typically simulate the repetition away from the humans, so the humans can actually do what they’re better meant to do, and that’s the programming; using your brain instead of using your wrist until you can’t move it anymore.”  Happel said that there are other events the school does for student outreach, aside from “Manufacturing Day.” The ATC also hosts open houses and community nights.  Happel said she felt it was important to get more students interested in the manufacturing industry for the good of the country.  “These are solid American jobs,” Happel said.  “We’re bringing manufacturing back to America. It’s important for our economy, and I think we can all take pride that most of this technology that’s represented here is American ingenuity.”  The post Students get hands-on experience with factory tech  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.