CIM, McGill University
The Center for Intelligent Machines (CIM) at McGill University was established in 1985 in order to aid and promote research on intelligent systems. This inter-departmental and inter-faculty research group, through the use of intelligent systems, allows their machines the capability of adapting behaviors by sensing and interpreting surroundings, making decisions and plans, and completing tasks through the use of physical actions.
CIM aims to stand out in the field of intelligent systems, stressing fundamental research, technology, development, and education. Here, students or members are looking for ways to improve the state of knowledge in robotics, AI, computer vision, medical imaging, haptics, systems, manipulators, computer animation, and machine and reinforcement education.
The collective efforts involving researchers of various interests made it possible for CIM to achieve such a feat. Departments that made this possible are the Department of Computer Engineering, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Also found at CIM is the Mobile Robotics Lab (MRL). This group is responsible for mobile robotics and shape recognition, and its main theme is sensor-based robotics and the use and understanding of collected sensor data. The lab also has six mobile robots equipped with sonar, video, laser ranging, BIRIS, and IR reflectance.
Among notable projects that the CIM-MRL have collectively undertaken is a robotic drone capable of autonomously flying and viewing the environment below it. It features various degrees of freedom and can be manipulated remotely by a human operator. This unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, is capable of receiving commands from its ground operator and can also send data back via its camera.
With the advent of robotic aircraft today, researchers at the CIM-MRL hope to increase the use of its robots in military applications, law enforcement, environmental purposes, and even for hobbyists who wish to create their own drones. Currently, they have developed this UAV into a much smarter drone capable of identifying visual cues on the landscape, and can steer the drone autonomously with the help of their latest UAV control system.
