FCS News

Made up of over 15 people, half from the Faculty of Computer Scienece, the Dalhousie Robotics Team worked together to build a robot worthy of representing Dalhousie in a few robotics competitions this year.

After numerous hours of testing and noisy trials in the Mona Campbell Building, the team was able to get their robot, Segfault, up and running autonomously. Segfault was equipped with an array of sensors including GPS, IMU, stereo cameras and a laser sensor.

The 2013 Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC) had over 50 competing teams including teams from places like Princeton University, the University of Toronto and the Indian Institute of Technology. The competition included a qualification run, basic and advanced courses, along with a side Joint Architecture for Unmanned Systems (JAUS) challenge. This latter challenge had robots navigating to GPS coordinates autonomously. The tracks were in a football field with chalk lanes filled with obstacles the robots had to avoid before reaching the finish line.

The Dalhousie Robotics Team came out in excellent standing in both of these challenges. Segfault placed sixth in the JAUS Challenge, maneuvering through the laid out obstacle course and the team took home the "Rookie Of The Year Award" (eligible for teams competing for the first time) from the overall competition at IGVC!

A few words from team member, Rober Boshra, of the Faculty of Computer Science:

"The Dalhousie robotics team experience was one of a kind. The collaboration between the different disciplines of engineering and computer science was always engaging. Led by Dainis Nams, a graduate engineering student, it was always a constantly growing project. Segfault, Dalhousie’s new grass killing machine, kept evolving day by day to measure up to harsh testing conditions. We will always vividly remember the first time Segfault came to life and navigated autonomously through a test track in the Sexton campus.

The support we had was tremendous: from the encouraging words of passersbys to the funding and trust of our sponsors along with the always helpful faculty members and staff.

Do you ever feel like you want to build a mighty metal robot? Do you want to experience the thrill of seeing your little ,not so much, contraption beat strong competitors from some of the most prestigious schools in the world. You now know which club to look for."

For more photos, visit www.dalrobotics.ca/media.