David St-Onge, a Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department, releases a book on robotics

The book, entitled Foundations of Robotics and co-edited by David St-Onge and Damith Herath, was launched on October 27 at ÉTS. Numerous individuals from the world of higher education in the arts and sciences were on hand, along with representatives from the robotics industry.

The book is an introduction to robotics that is intended for anyone who is interested in the subject, regardless of their background. The authors address a number of topics, including artificial intelligence, ethics, interactions between humans and robots and Design thinking.

The language used is easy to understand, and the book includes examples and exercises that make it useful in all fields, from fine arts to engineering.

Accessible and free content

Thanks to a contribution from Kinova, the academic content of the book is offered in open access, which means it is available online at no charge.

ÉTS is committed to participating in and supporting the dissemination of this and other open access resources. Two chapters have been translated into French so far, with others to follow soon. The chapters that are currently available in French are those on the history of robotics and on manipulator robots.

The French version is available as an open educational resource, and therefore, it is adaptable by other specialists in the field of robotics.

Dancing robotic arms

Professor David St-Onge’s team took advantage of the occasion to present an artistic performance in collaboration with artists who specialize in expressive movement, dance and marionettes.

This creative research project will be ongoing for the next two years.