SWAT Visits Quanser

Recently, I, along with a few of my SWAT 771 teammates, came to visit Quanser after Dr. Lai invited us for a tour. Being involved in the FIRST Robotics program and working as an engineer for a career are two completely different things, so to be able to learn the ins and outs of an actual engineering facility was an eye-opening and unforgettable experience.

When we got there, we went into the boardroom to listen to a presentation and learned about what Quanser really was, a global company making innovative machines to make lives easier and more efficient. We also listened to a presentation about how we can make our FRC season run much smoother by Peter Martin, the lead mentor of  Team 4001. Learning about the dynamics and work ethic of teams other than our own was great and gave us a new perspective with which to tackle this season.

Once the presentation was over, Dr Lai and Mr Martin gave us a tour of the facility, where we saw the workshops, research centre and got to look at many innovative projects. The workshop was much larger than the one we get to build our robot, and nearly everyone was speechless. The projects were something else entirely, even though many of us visiting Quanser haven’t had the opportunity to take physics yet (we were Grade 10’s mainly) the projects were still breathtaking. Being a race car driver, my personal favourite was the active suspension that was connected to a computer with a car simulation.

Seeing a day in the life of an engineer was a very great and interesting experience I’m sure SWAT will not forget. With the kick-off to our robotics season coming closer and closer, the knowledge we learned is going to make us a stronger team. Thank you to everyone for letting us into your workplace and hopefully we will keep in touch!

~ Taegen Poles,
SWAT 771
St. Mildred’s-Lightbourn School from Oakville, Ontario