The newly formed “Snobots” and the Laurentian Intelligent Mobile Robotics Lab are already making history.
The Snobots, 4th-year Computer Science students Austin Barrett and Nicolas Pottier, showcased their skills at the FIRA RoboWorldCup 2024 in Brazil where they earned four gold medals, a silver medal, and placed first overall in the prestigious HuroCup Adult-Sized Humanoid Competition.
The program is a new addition to the university’s Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Architecture that blends teaching and research, focusing on a range of mobile robots from wheeled platforms to advanced legged humanoid robots.
The two students say they are looking forward to collaborating and developing more advanced robots.
With about 20 students involved so far, the dedicated lab space provides a platform for hands-on learning in programming, control systems, and robot design.
Dr. Meng Cheng Lau, assistant professor in the Bharti School of Engineering and Computation, developed the program, making it possible for the students to form the Snobots.
He says that although he supervised the students and supported them where needed, it was the students’ dedication and collaboration that proved to be the keys to their success at the international event.
Their human-like robot, Polaris, stands as a testament to their hard work and creativity.
At about three feet tall, made of both metal and 3D printed parts, with 20 degrees of freedom for a broad range of motion, Polaris is designed for both durability and agility.
The team used two programming languages, Python and C++, to program Polaris.
Equipped with a webcam-like head and a computer in its chest, Polaris can handle various tasks autonomously by assessing situations and making decisions.
