Grant: Alliance Grants

This large-scale research program addresses the challenges of autonomous navigation in subarctic environments by focusing on three research thrusts: perception, navigation, and motion. Through a partnership with three other research laboratories (i.e., from General Dynamics Land Systems, Hydro-Québec, and Defence Research and Development Canada), Université Laval will explore these thrusts through the development of applications that require significant knowledge advancement to be successfully executed. The applications include long-distance resupplying missions in off-road conditions, inspection of transmission lines, and monitoring of electrical substations. The experimental setups will rely on three large-scale robots capable of off-road driving. These robots will be mirrored on partner sites to facilitate regular technology transfer activities. The research program includes ten work packages that address specific research questions related to the three thrusts. These work packages will train nine internships, five Master's, eight Ph.D. projects, five postdoctoral fellows, and two research professional positions. The expected outcomes range from characterizing sensors and proposing new algorithms to benchmarking and demonstrating the effectiveness of the developed solutions. Overall, this research program will advance the field of autonomous navigation in extreme environmental conditions such as snowstorms, black ice, fog, and floods. With its strong experimental approach, the research will also provide practical solutions for real-world applications that can be transferred to the industry. By addressing the challenges of perception, navigation, and motion, the program seeks to improve the autonomy and reliability of autonomous vehicles operating in harsh winter conditions, a real concern in Canada. In an unpredictable world where environments are rapidly changing and where repetitive tasks face labor shortages, we expect that applications such as inspecting critical infrastructure and resupplying remote camps can be delegated to autonomous robotic systems.