Quanser's Control Technology Takes Center Stage at Two Key Engineering Conferences

It's unusually quiet at Quanser headquarters in Markham today. There are some open spaces in our parking lot (usually hard to find!), a few vacant cubicles in the engineering, sales & marketing departments, and several empty chairs in the lunch room.

The reason? A number of Quanser people have flown to the West Coast to showcase Quanser-developed technology at two of the year's most important engineering conferences.

The first is the 2011 American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE 2011) in Vancouver, BC, from June 26 to 29. Immediately following is the 2011 American Control Conference (ACC 2011) in San Francisco, from June 29 to July 1. Each conference has its own special focus and its own audience.

Where Leading Engineering Educators Meet
ASEE 2011 is a conference dedicated to all disciplines of engineering education. Attendees are engineering and technology education stakeholders such as deans, faculty members and students from engineering schools across North America as well as industry and government representatives.

A Showcase for Quanser Rotary Control Workstations
At Quanser's booth #323, our engineers will showcase some of the most popular experiments from Quanser's 'kitchen': the Rotary Control Collection, along with the course materials that come with the experiments. And if you hear some noise, that's probably a 2 DOF Helicopter, another experiment designed to captivate student and help them connect theory with the practical engineering.

Human vs Robot - Who Wins?
Delegates who visit the Innovation Hub (Booth #741, or simply follow the floor signs) will be in for a treat, because they will see interactive demonstrations of the Quanser Ground Vehicle Robot (QGV) prototype as it autonomously collects objects and avoids obstacles. But that's just for starters. They will also have an opportunity to take the controls and attempt to beat the mobile robot at its own game. Talk about "Man vs Machine"! Well, stop by on Monday, June 27 at 11am, 12pm, 2pm & 4pm or on Tuesday at 10am, 12pm, 2pm and 4pm (all PST).

Competing in the 21st Century - What Do the Experts Think?
What's an engineering conference without a feisty exchange of ideas? We expect plenty of interest and debate at a panel discussion we're taking part in, entitled "How Can Today's Engineers Successfully Compete?". Join your peers on June 28 between 2.30-4pm in the Conference Room #113.

Unveiling the Latest in Control Technology Research
ACC 2011 is the premier automatic control technical conference held in North America - and a key forum for researchers in control technology. It "brings industry and academia together to discuss the latest developments in the area of automatic control systems, from new control theories, to the advances in sensors and actuator technologies, and to new applications areas for automation."

Quanser's Control Technology Takes Center Stage
Quanser representatives will demonstrate the latest open architecture and customizable platforms for research in robotics, avionics and unmanned systems. Among the products on display at booth#5 will be the Denso 6-Axis Articulated Robot, the Omni Bundle and the HiQ and Motion Testbed.

What's New in Mechatronics
Two other activities are sure to intrigue delegates. First, there's the Mechatronics Workshop presented jointly by Maplesoft and Quanser. Entitled "Unified Mechatronic Framework for Research: Efficient High-Fidelity Modeling of Physical Systems & Mechatronic Design", it's devoted to the newest techniques and concepts for modern mechatronic design. Interested? We start on June 29 at 6pm, in the Golden Gate 6 Room of the Downtown San Francisco Hilton Hotel.

Human vs Robot - The Challenge Continues
Second, there's the Innovation Hub. Just as at the ASEE Conference, we expect a lot of interest from the researchers, just as our last year's Innovation Hub did:


As it turns out, the quiet at Quanser is deceptive. We are focused on creating considerable excitement at two of the most significant engineering education and research conferences in North America. You will hear much more about ASEE 2011 and ACC 2011 in upcoming blogs, so stay tuned!