Niagara College’s award-winning Research and Innovation division has passed along a piece of specialized equipment to an organization that is inspiring the next generation of engineers and technologists.
This winter, the Niagara Robotics Association was excited to accept the RoamIO- a 200-kilogram robot that was previously used by the College for a smart-farming applied research project that wrapped in 2023.
NC acquired the robot in 2018 through funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s (NSERC) College and Community Innovation (CCI) Program. The technology, developed by Korechi Innovations Inc., was used to help grape farmers/industry partners detect weather patterns and identify diseases in their vineyards. The advanced, rugged land rover patrolled vineyard rows, helping farmers increase profitability or save their crop from damaging weather.
Marco Giorgi with NC’s School of Trades moves the RoamIO robot out of the Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre building in December 2024. Research and Innovation has donated the robot to community non-profit Niagara Robotics.
Niagara Robotics Association President Rob Peters says the technology will be an excellent learning tool for the Quickstrike Niagara 6978 team, made up of grade eight to 12 students from the Niagara region who compete in First Robotics competitions.
Peters shared that the students will work with the equipment to enhance the engineering skills they are learning through the team.
“We will teach the students to program the unit in the existing environment or use this as an opportunity to rewire and recontrol the unit. Either way, it will be a good learning experience,” he said. “We will also brainstorm ideas for how the Roam IO system could be used to benefit the community and design any new attachments and program the unit to provide the functions. All of these tasks will help build their skills and make them more competition ready.”
NC Research and Innovation is pleased to donate the RoamIO to its new community partner.
“We are thrilled that the RoamIO will serve a new purpose with Niagara Robotics to help teach local youth valuable skills that they can apply to a future career in STEM,” said Neil Wilkinson, Associate Director, Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (WAMIC).
NC’s Welland Campus will play host to a First Robotics competition this March. The Niagara Robotics Quickstrike team will be competing at the event with the hope of advancing to future competitions at the provincial and world levels.
For more information about the team, visit niagararobotics.com.
The RoamIO was used for a smart-farming applied research project that wrapped in 2023.
From left: Neil Wilkinson and Brian Klassen from NC Research and Innovation with Niagara Robotics Association President Rob Peters
Rob Peters, Niagara Robotics Association President (far left) tours NC’s Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre at the Welland Campus in December 2024. Also pictured (from left): WAMIC Associate Director Neil Wilkinson, third-year NC Mechanical Engineering Co-op student Nathaniel Gingras, and Research Laboratory Technologist Brian Klassen (R and I).
