When designing Captain Basile, the five members of the Projet étudiant de robotique et d’ingénierie de l’Université de Sherbrooke (PÉRIUS) not only wanted to design and build a walking robot in order to take part in the SAE Walking Machine Challenge, they also wanted to set up a research laboratory aimed at improving the mobility performance of robots while at the same time arousing an interest in engineering among young people. This was quite a task for Captain Basile, an approximately one-foot high walking robot whose design was inspired by an insect. Yet the students were able to take up the challenge and their walking robot turned out to be five times faster than its rivals at the international competition. Relying on pneumatic energy and using high-tech electronic components allowing it to be controlled from a distance, Captain Basile is also equipped with a technological structure providing mechanical intelligence, a significant innovation in the world of robotics. Captain Basile’s success can be attributed to the determination of five students yet also to the contribution of some twenty industrial partners. As a source of inspiration, it paved the way for the creation, by the PÉRIUS members, of a course on the technologies they had developed, led to the publication of various articles and motivated a group of fellow students to design their own robot.
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Every year, teams from all four corners of the world meet to compete in the World Championship… of robot soccer players, the RoboCup. Advocating innovation and personal excellence, RoboCup enables the general public to become acquainted with the latest developments in the field of mobile robotics. By bringing into play the most popular sport in the world, the event attracts almost 100,000 people every year. Last summer, at the event held in Osaka, Japan, Robofoot made its grand entry into the international competition, representing both Canada and Québec. The team of six robots designed by 16 students at the École Polytechnique de Montréal brought Québec ingenuity to the forefront and enabled exchanges and partnerships to be established with teams from other countries. Setting themselves apart by their impressive performance in regard to mobility, their pneumatic control system and the power of their kick, the Polytechnique robots are determined to become the representatives of Québec’s entire field of mobile robotics.
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Year after year for 15 years now, dozens of engineering students at the Université Laval have been putting their knowledge and expertise to good use in order to design the best possible prototype for a one-seater race car. The ultimate goal: to rank among the world’s best at the Society of Automotive Engineers’ prestigious annual competition held every May in Detroit. With this aim in sight, the members of the Université Laval’s Formule SAE have strived to surpass themselves and have thus added to their university education in a very concrete manner. Doing their utmost to design a prototype that was increasingly advanced technologically, using new, more resistant and lighter materials as well as more ecological fuel such as ethanol, the 2004-2005 team proved they were equal to the task. They showed great determination and last May ranked 24th out of a total of 140 participants, the Université Laval’s best result since 1994. Moreover, thanks to various promotional activities, the students, who devoted more than 9,000 hours of volunteer work, found a way of gaining recognition for their discipline among the public and, above all, among youngsters.
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