Regina Lee Archives | Research & Innovation

91��ɫ's rover team finishes second in Mars challenge

fmaquito — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 08:00:00 +0000

The – just call them YURTs – maintained their record of excellence at the international (URC) on the weekend, finishing in second place to a team from Poland in the hot deserts of Utah. ( also covered the team's success).

Above: Members of the 91��ɫ Rover Team pose for a group photo in the cool of the evening at the Mars Research Station, Hanksville, Utah

91��ɫ first entered the challenge, sponsored by TASC (The Analytic Sciences Corporation) Inc., four years ago and has finished in the top three every year, including a first-place finish in 2009. The challenge: "Design and build the next generation of Mars rovers that will one day work alongside human explorers in the field."

Above: EVE travels the hostile clime of the Utah desert

The closest race came between the second and third place teams, and Oregon State University, who were separated by only 16 points. All together, the top three teams of 2011 were the same top three from 2010, but with different results.

“The level of sophistication shown by these teams was overwhelming,” remarked URC director Kevin Sloan. “These teams poured themselves into their rover projects over the past year, and it clearly showed. The level of competition was taken to an entirely new level this year.”

Above: EVE (Enhanced Vehicle Explorer)

The 91��ɫ team left Toronto with its EVE (Enhanced Vehicle Explorer) on May 27 and drove for three days to Hanksville, Utah, arriving early to ensure they could put in some field test time in the environment.

“The past few days have been intense with emotional highs and lows,” said team member Shailja Sahani. “Every team member has been putting in at least 20-hour days to make the competition a success, with some sleeping only five hours in the last three days.

“Everyone came together as a team with no prodding from the leadership; they simply picked up tools and got to work. Although we were well prepared before the competition, the desert environment and harsh operating conditions required many last-minute repairs and alterations.

"Our success came from our ability to fix the rover in situ and get back to the task, while other teams were left stranded,” said team member Jordan Bailey.

Bailey, one of two students responsible for the team's finances and marketing, told CBC News he thinks the current rover is the team's "best one yet." Last year, the team faced multiple equipment failures as a result of the record temperatures, which soared to 38 C in the shade. This year's model has a more robust suspension, a finer control system and better temperature regulation than its predecessor, Bailey said.

Above: Jordan Bailey & Isaac DeSouza work into the night to get EVE ready

The rover cost about $13,000 to build, slightly below the $15,000 maximum allowed. The YURT is sponsored by 91��ɫ, and . The faculty advisers from 91��ɫ’s Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering, Faculty of Science & Engineering were Professor Michael Daly and Professor . The engineering adviser was graduate student Mark Post.

The participants included three teams from Poland, three from the United States and two from Canada. By the end of the competition, one team from each country had placed in the top three. The Magma2 team from the Bialystok University of Technology in Poland pulled away from the other two teams to an impressive victory.

Magma2 was the first European team to win URC. They also were the first team to ever deploy an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as part of the competition.

For more information, visit the website.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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91��ɫ displays research and innovation at YTA Solutions Showcase

fmaquito — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 08:00:00 +0000

91��ɫ researchers and students displayed their research projects and innovations at the 91��ɫ Technology Alliance’s Solutions Showcase event, which took place at the Markham Convergence Centre (MCC) on March 10.

Titled “Game Changers: How local innovations are creating a new ‘business as usual'”, the (YTA) showcase encouraged participants from industry, academia and government agencies to display discovery research and innovations through six-minute Lightning Lectures and a hands-on Demo Lounge.

91��ɫ Professor , chair of the Department of Computer Science & Engineering in the Faculty of Science & Engineering, presented the 91��ɫ-led Centre for Innovation in Information Visualization and Data-Driven Design (CIV-DDD). The project, which involves researchers in the Faculties of Fine Arts and Science & Engineering, along with graduate students and other industry and academic partners, promises to develop the next generation of data discovery, design and visualization techniques by developing new computational tools, representational strategies and interfaces.

Right: 91��ɫ Professor Amir Asif, second from left, chats with visitors at the 91��ɫ Technology Alliance's Solutions Showcase event

Professor and a group of undergraduate students from her laboratory in the Department of Earth & Space Science & Engineering displayed 91��ɫ’s Mars rover and spoke about their successful involvement in international Mars rover competitions. A group of graduate students from Professor ’s laboratory in the School of Information Technology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, also spoke about their recent research.

MBA students Navneet Budhia, Boris Chan, Vitaliia Rubinovitch, Eli Ilatov and Shakti Kumar from the Schulich School of Business’ (EVCG) also participated; their members apply their skills to help local entrepreneurs grow their businesses. “It’s really important for students to get off campus and interact with real companies,” said Budhia, president of EVCG. “This is where academia and industry meet to create value for both the companies and the students.”

Left: The Mars rover was on display at the showcase and was accompanied by a team of undergraduate students from the Department of Earth & Space Science and Engineering

Stan Shapson, vice-president research & innovation, agreed. “Universities usually expect companies to come to our campus,” he explained. “By co-locating with industry organizations like YTA and creating a presence in the for our service unit, , 91��ɫ is sending a very powerful message to our partners. We’re helping industry enhance and forge new connections to 91��ɫ’s research and training capacity, which demonstrates our openness to collaboration.

“Paradoxically, we’re finding that it’s sometimes easier to get students and researchers to interact at our new 91��ɫ Region home in the MCC than it is on our main campus.”

Other showcase participants included the and , 91��ɫ Region’s recently announced Regional Innovation Centre. 91��ɫ’s participation in the YTA Solutions Showcase was made possible by a Regional Opportunities Fund grant from NSERC.

The 91��ɫ Technology Alliance Showcase was one of many ongoing events at the MCC that provide faculty and students with opportunities to seek research collaboration and internships with industry. 91��ɫ’s also runs programs and services at MCC providing a space to support collaboration with 91��ɫ Region community organizations and municipal agencies.

To learn more about Innovation 91��ɫ, contact Dan Lynch, manager of industry liaison.

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer

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91��ɫ in the World: Researchers begin nine-day mission to India

fmaquito — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 10:00:00 +0000

A delegation of researchers from 91��ɫ's will begin a nine-day mission to India today to establish partnerships and collaborations with the country's researchers.

The group will visit seven top-tier universities and research institutes during their trip. Along the way they will stop at the India Institute of Technology's facilities in Mumbai (Bombay) and Madras, the University of Calcutta, the Indian Space Research Organization, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research together with visits to other institutes and universities during the nation-wide trip

“Our faculty considers international partnerships as the key cornerstone supporting our strategic priorities. Partnerships like those with India stimulate the spirit of innovation with clear focus on research outcomes that have an international impact,” says Janusz Kozinski (right), dean of the Faculty of Science & Engineering at 91��ɫ and a member of the delegation to India.

The key mandate for the trip is to enable researchers from 91��ɫ and across India to establish joint bilateral research and development projects. Halfway through their trip, the 91��ɫ delegation will pause to participate in a two-day workshop co-sponsored by the International Science & Technology Partnerships Canada, Global Innovation & Technology Alliance, the Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering & Research and India's Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).

The workshop will bring together more than 100 participants from research institutes and universities from Canada and England, and will include researchers and university vice-chancellors from across India. Rajagopala Chidambaram, the principal scientific adviser to the government of India, and Vijay Kumar Saraswat, director-general of DRDO, the secretary of defence research and development and scientific adviser to Indian Defence Minister Raksha Mantri, are among the diginitaries participating in the workshop.

This workshop will give participants the opportunity to discuss advances and innovations in their respective areas of research, exchange information and ideas and create further opportunities to establish research collaborations. The gathering will be held at the DRDO building in New Dehli.

Travelling in the 91��ɫ Science & Engineering delegation are:

, professor, Department of Chemistry;
, professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy and associate dean of academic affairs in the Faculty of Graduate Studies;
, professor, Department of Earth & Space Science and Engineering;
, professor, Department of Computer Science & Engineering
, professor, Department of Languages, Literatures & Linguistics, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
, professor, Department of Chemistry;
, professor, Department of Mathematics & Statistics;
Paulina Karwowska-Desaulniers, research officer, Faculty of Science & Engineering;
, dean, Faculty of Science & Engineering and professor, Department of Earth & Space Science and Engineering;
, professor, Department of Earth & Space Science and Engineering;
Brian Solheim, adjunct professor, Department of Earth & Space Science and Engineering;
, professor, Department of Biology.

For more information about the trip and the 91��ɫ Science & Engineering delegation, visit the website.

91��ɫ computer science Professor Andrew Eckford is also .

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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