Robots in the movies might be smart, but robots in real life do only what humans tell them to do.

Paul D. Camp Community College will offer a new robotics technology certificate beginning this fall. Students who graduate will know how to tell robots what to do, instructor Keisha Nichols said.

“Everybody thinks robots are smart,” Nichols said. “They’re not. You’re the one telling the robot what to do.”

Robots in real life don’t look like those in the movies. They can range from electronic door openers and security systems to the advanced technology used at local manufacturing facilities.

“We think it’s going to be a growing field,” Nichols said. “We’re becoming an automated world, and everybody wants it at the snap of a finger.”

Nichols said coursework will include programming, problem-solving, adjustment, maintenance and repair and more. Mathematics, physics and electrical concepts, as well as technical report writing, all will be taught.

“By the time you get to the end, you’re programming the robot to do something in particular,” Nichols said.

She said there are a variety of fields into which students can go. Medical and manufacturing are just some of those in high demand in this area.

“We have local industries that might not use robots, but they use an automated system,” Nichols said. “I encourage adults to sign up for these classes if they’re already working. (Local industries) have assembly lines, and I know somebody has to be operating these machines when they break down.”

The program offers night classes and is only three semesters long, so it is convenient, Nichols said.

Classes begin Aug. 20, and registration is under way now. Grants from Dominion Virginia Power and its Foundation, as well as Smithfield Foods/Smithfield Farmland, are supporting the program.

For more information, contact Nichols at 569-6763 or knichols@pdc.edu.