Robotics Applications: From an Academic and Industrial Perspective by Gilbert Lai

Abstract:

Robotics continues to evolve at the intersection of theory, experimentation, and real-world deployment. In this guest lecture, I will share insights from my background and from Quanser—a company uniquely positioned between academic research and industrial practice—to illustrate how core robotics principles translate into practical, high-impact applications. This dual perspective will provide the basis for a discussion on how high- fidelity robotic and mechatronic platforms are designed to support both effective teaching and rigorous experimentation.

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Gilbert Lai is the R&D Manager for the Systems and Industrial Team at Quanser. He also manages several development projects, including the Autonomous Vehicle Research Studio. He holds a PhD degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo, where his research specialization is in unmanned vehicle systems and robotics. His focus at Quanser is on solutions development for applied research in unmanned vehicle systems, robotics, mechatronics, and systems engineering. He leads the development efforts on a range of products and solutions covering drones, mobile robots, self-driving cars, motion platforms, and robot integrations for haptic controls and teleoperations. Gilbert is passionate about academic research and education in engineering. He serves as mentor, advisor, and supervisor to numerous project teams at various experience levels to provide guidance to aspiring engineers at academic institutions worldwide, such as at the University of Toronto, York University, and McMaster University in Canada, Sacred Heart University in the United States, and Beihang University in China. He is a member of the Advisory Board for the Mechanical Engineering department at York University. He is also a member of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering (CSME) Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Committee. In addition, TMU Robotics Council Gilbert volunteers with the FIRST Robotics Competition as a mentor to an all-girls team and is a member of the Girls in STEM Executive Advisory Council for FIRST Robotics Canada to help promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM education and career.