Waterloo Engineering receives $2.1 million for state-of-the-art research facilities

Friday, May 29, 2015

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) funding announced today will support two Waterloo Engineering research initiatives:

  • The Robohub: a Robotic Test Facility for Multi-Robot Teams ($1,512,194), William Melek, mechanical and mechatronics engineering professor
  • A Platform for CMOS-MEMS Integration and Characterization ($607,448) Raafat Mansour, electrical and computer engineering professor 

The Robohub will be a unique and revolutionary robotics test facility – a

William Melek Picture
state-of-the-art showcase for humanoid, aerial, ground and maglev robot technologies. The facility will provide a vital catalyst for innovation, bridging the laboratory and the real world. Researchers will develop richly heterogeneous robot teams and simulate complex, real-world environments, opening new multidisciplinary avenues to explore the potential of these combined robotic technologies.

Waterloo Region is already home to a dynamic cluster of high-profile robotics companies, and Robohub research will provide the key breakthroughs to grow this burgeoning Canadian industry. Manufacturers will also be able to deploy Robohub-developed automation technology to boost productivity, product quality and job quality. HQP will receive world-class training in cutting-edge robotics, and will graduate equipped to create and lead the tech companies of tomorrow.

Raafat Mansour Picture
Mansour’s research team will contribute key elements to enable the emerging nanomanufacturing enterprise: tools that can see and manipulate matter at the nano scale, with unprecedented high speed at low costs.

For the first time, the highest resolution microscopy instruments, known collectively as scanning probe instruments, will be entirely built on a single microchip. Single-chip microscopes will be made available to high-school and university students alike, so that they may observe and interact with nanoscale phenomena. It is our hope that this experience will plant the seed for a new generation of Canadians to seize the leadership role in nanomanufacturing at the global scale.