News

Ryan Gariepy (BASc '09, mechatronics engineering, MASc '12, mechanical engineering*) and his co-founders, who are also all mechatronics alumni, established Clearpath Robotics in 2009 at a time when the robotics industry in Canada was still finding its footing, and it wasn't common to see Canadian startups taking technology that involved physical robots from the lab to the global market. Now that's changed, and Gariepy is happy to see it. 

Three incoming mechanical and mechatronics undergraduate students have been awarded Schulich Leader Scholarships as they begin their degrees, supporting exceptional talent.  

A newly minted mechanical engineering alum has received three awards for his academic excellence.  

Jeffrey Lee, a PhD candidate in Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, is being celebrated for his tenacity as a teaching assistant and has received the Amit and Meena Chakma Award for Exceptional Teaching by a Student. 

Dr. Duane Cronin has received a Safety Engineering Excellence Award from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at the 28th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety Vehicles (ESV) in Toronto on May 12, 2026, for his commitment to advancing road safety.  

In the Arami Research Lab, researchers are developing next-generation exoskeletons that better align with natural human movement, rather than forcing patients to adapt to the device.    

Dr. Sushanta Mitra, a professor in the department, along with two professors in chemical engineering, have been awarded $600,000 by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) through the Call for Proposals on Plastics Science and Innovation for a Cleaner and More Sustainable Future.  

University of Waterloo Alternative Fuels Team (UWAFT), a mechanical and mechatronics-focused team, has been selected from among 20 universities across North America and is one of two Canadian universities to compete in the EcoCAR Innovation Challenge on the Stellantis track.  

Capstone team Project Sisyphus designed and built an engine that uses regenerative cooling, circulating fuel through built-in channels to prevent the chamber from melting. The 3D-printed copper parts made through additive manufacturing also help with this.

For over three decades, co-op students like Smita Basak have helped drive innovation at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada.