Monday, July 13, 2015

We're off to the robot races

Move over pokey Google self-driving cars, here comes a pack of accelerated automated automobiles advancing around an outdoor track in a bid to see which one is the fastest.

The race in question is the annual International Autonomous Robot Racing Competition (IARRC), which will be held at the University of Waterloo on July 18 at 11:00 a.m.

Over the two-day event, four student teams will compete to see which of their robots can out-maneuver and speed to victory in a series of circuit and drag races. Besides Waterloo Engineering’s team, Georgia Tech, University of Western Ontario and Waterloo Collegiate Institute (WCI) will test their ability to build a simple, cheap, and autonomous robot vehicle that can drive as fast as possible in an uncertain environment without any external help, says Steve Waslander, a professor in Waterloo’s Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering department .

“Last year, Georgia Tech took home first place over Waterloo, who are now itching to set the record straight,” says Waslander, setting up the scene for an epic robot grudge match. “In 2014, Western and WCI had so much trouble racing indoors because the reflections of cones and walls from the shiny floors of Waterloo Engineering’s Sedra Student Design Centre confused the robots’ visual system. Those teams are gunning to significantly improve their results.” 

This year the competition will take place outdoors on a huge track in the parking lot of the Engineering 5 building on the east side of the campus, which, according to Waslander, will pose its own environmental challenges. Without remote controls, the robots rely upon their own internal systems once the start button is pressed. Like the rover on Mars and other autonomous vehicles used in mining and rescue operations, these robot vehicles depend upon their creators ability to correctly design, build, program, integrate and debug them so they can operate in uncertain environments without assistance.

 “The racing is the fun part for the teams and the spectators,” says Waslander. “But then again building autonomous robot race cars is a lot of fun, too.”

Waterloo Engineering introduced the IARRC in 2005 as a method to promote research in autonomous mobile robotics technology. This is the third time Waterloo has hosted the event. The races are open to the public and begin at 11:00 a.m. In case of rain, the main competition will be held indoors on Sunday, July 19 in Engineering 5's Sedra Student Design Centre. 

Sponsors include Aeryon, ITS Canada and Kik.

Centre for Teaching Excellence updates course offerings

The Centre for Teaching Excellence has updated its list of workshops and other course offerings for the Spring and Fall terms. The CTE's events page has the full listings and instructions on how to sign up, but here are the highlights:

Spring 2015 Term Offerings

• CTE726: Clickers, Thursday, August 13, 12 noon to 1:30 p.m.
• CTE601: Instructional Skills Workshop scheduled August 18 to 21.  This is a limited enrolment 24-hours workshop. Another section of CTE601 is scheduled for December 15-17.
• CTE656: Getting Started in LEARN, Thursday, August 27, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Fall 2015 Term Offerings

• CTE656: Getting Started in LEARN, Thursday, September 10, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. or Wednesday, September 16, 2015, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon or Tuesday, December 8, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
• CTE550: LEARN for TAs, Thursday, September 17, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon or Wednesday, September 23, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
• CTE666: Using LEARN’s Quiz Feature, Monday, September 21, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
• CTE706: Timesaving Tips in LEARN, Wednesday, September 23, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
• CTE727: Using LEARN’s Rubric Feature, Thursday, September 24, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
• CTE668: Using the Grades Tool in Waterloo LEARN, Thursday, September 24, 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.
• CTE686: LEARN Instructor Users Group, Monday, December 7, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.
• CTE601: Instructional Skills Workshop scheduled December 15 to 17.  This is a limited enrolment 24-hours workshop.

In addition, CTE is advising that you should save the date for the upcoming Fall Teaching Week, which is scheduled to take place from October 5 to 8. 

Anyone interested in bringing forward nominations for the STLHE 3M Teaching Fellowships, which are due August 31, should contact Trevor Holmes by email at tholmes@uwaterloo.ca or by calling extension 33408.

As always, contact your CTE Faculty Liaison with any questions you may have about CTE services.

Canada Day video and other notes

Did you celebrate our great nation with us on Columbia Lake Fields last week? From face painting to inflatable rides, exceptional Canadian live entertainment, and delicious festival fare, this #UWCanadaDay was our biggest one yet with over 65,000 in attendance. Check out the many ways our #UWCommunity members shared their national and warrior pride:

On Monday, August 31, Peter Jordan from the department of Housing and Residences will be retiring. "Peter Jordan has been a Waterloo employee since 1985 and a strong fixture in Ron Eydt Village (REV) for the majority of that time," says a note from Housing and Residences. "Peter has seen Waterloo change, evolve and transition over the last 30 years and many of will miss his humour, caring nature and thoughtfulness as a friend, supervisor, colleague and committee member." 

Campus friends and colleagues are invited to celebrate with Peter on Wednesday, August 19 at 3:00 p.m. at Fed Hall.