Department of Drive Automation and Robotics

The originis of the Department of Drive Automation and Robotics are related to Antoni Marian Plamitzer, who had been operating in Opole at the Consultation Point of the Silesian University of Technology since 1960.The begginings of Antoni M. Plamitzer’s activity in Opole were devoted to organization of laboratories for electric machines and drives, which were located on the ground floor of the building at Luboszycka street 7.The engineers of the Power Plant in Opole made a great contribution, thanks to the great kindness of the then director, mgr inż. Stanisław Rosiński, they devoted a lot of time to the laboratories that were being developed. The cooperating to this day Mgr inż. Stefan Kmiecik, thanks to whom many laboratory stands were created over the course of almost half a century, thanks to whom many laboratory stands were created over the course of almost half a century, and inż. Tadeusz Studencki, later an apparatus engineer at the Higher School of Engineering, who helped in the difficult at that time task of equipping laboratories with the necessary apparatus, also should be mentioned. The Consultation Point was transformed in 1966 into an independent Higher School of Engineering in Opole, where the Division of Electric Machines and Drives, led by associate professor Antoni M. Plamitzer – the first dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering – Division of Electric Machines and Drives was established, under which relatively well-equipped two laboratories: Electric Machines and Electric Drives functioned. The second full-time employee of the ZESPOL was Józef Sójka was hired at Consultation Point in 1964. In the sixties the empoyles of the Silesian University of Technology Marian Kolmer (1960-66), Adam Różycki (1966-67) and Jerzy Hickiewicz  collaborated with the division since 1968.At the beginning of the seventies the first WSI graduates – Antoni Dzierżanowski and Andrzej Puchalak – were hired in 1970, then Stefan Michalski and Małgorzata Czapelska–Kaliciak were employed in 1971. In 1972 associate professor – Jerzy Hickiewicz transferred from the Silesian University of Technology.

The Unit of Electricity Processing and Usage was created in 1975 as part of the faculty reorganization. The Unit consisted of: The Division of Electric Machines and Drives Group and The Division of The Electric Measurement. In 1975 dr inż. Piotr Wach started working initially on commissioned hours, then as a full-time associate professor. The dr inż. Zdzisław Janson (1969÷1997), dr inż. Jerzy Siwiński (1974÷2002), dr inż. Franciszek Duda (1973÷1983) and dr inż. Zygmunt Rozewicz (1978÷1993) established contact with the university initially on commissioned hours, then as contract associate professors, and later as contract professors, eminent specialists in industry and energy.

In 1977, due to assuming the position of the Director of the Institute, Antoni Plamitzer handed over the position of the Head of the Unit to Piotr Wach.

In 1977, Marian Łukaniszyn and Bronisław Tomczuk – graduates of the WSI, and in 1978 Sławomir Szymaniec (previously an assistant at the Unit of Automation and Electronics from 1974) and in 1982 K. Macek Kamińska – graduates of the Wrocław University of Science and Technology – started working in the Unit.

In the eighties the Division of Metrology was disconnected from the Unit of Electricity Conversion and Usage and attached to the Unit of Automatics and Electronics.
As a result of another reorganization, in 1991, the Unitwas transformed into the Department of Automation and Diagnostics of Electromechanical Systems.

In 1993, the Electrotechnical didactic division joined the Department, which until then operated at the Department of Automatic Control and Electronics, and previously existed as an independent Electrical Engineering Division until the 1980s

The personnel changes and changes in the premises took place for many years simultaneously. In connection with the construction of new WSI buildings at St. Mikołajczyk street, as new rooms were commissioned, the administration and laboratories of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering moved to them. As a result, the area of ​​the division, and later the unit, was increased by additional rooms on the first floor and on the ground floor. The first in Poland  Laboratory of Diagnostics of Electrical Machines and Drive Systems, and the Laboratory of Research Works, and then the Laboratory of Power Electronics were established there.In the later years of the Department’s existence, the Electrotechnical Laboratories were expanded, the Robot and Manipulators Laboratory and the Student Computer Laboratory were established, and in the late nineties, two relatively well-equipped computer teaching laboratories were created, improved and they’re intensively used nowThe Electric Drive Automation Laboratory equipped with programmable controllers was also established at that time. Another reorganization of the Faculty took place in 2005, as part of which the departments were transformed into institutes. The Department of Automation and Diagnostics of Electromechanical Systems was transformed into the Institute of Electromechanical Systems and Industrial Electronics, where four departments operated: Electrical Engineering (head of the department – B. Tomczuk), Electrical Machines (head of the department – M. Łukaniszyn), Department of Robotics and IT Applications (head of the department – K. Macek- Kamińska) and Electric Drive, Diagnostics and Industrial Electronics (head of the department  – K. Tomczewski). During the period from 2006 to 2012 dr hab. inż. Krystyna Macek-Kamińska, associate professor was the director of the Institute.In 2013-2015, building no. 1 underwent a thorough modernization as part of two projects co-financed by the European Union.
In 2016-2020, the Institute of Electromechanical Systems and Industrial Electronics consisted of three departments: the Department of Electrical Machines headed by prof. dr hab. inż. Marian Łukaniszyn, Department of Robotics and Applied Informatics, headed by dr hab. inż. Krystyna Macek-Kamińska, prof. PO, Department of Electric Drive, Diagnostics and Industrial Electronics, headed by dr hab. Eng. Krzysztof Tomczewski,associate professor. As a result of the reorganization, from 01/09/2020 the Institute was transformed into the Department of Drive Automation and Robotics.