A First Official Outing Focused on Robotics, Knowledge Sharing, and Community Engagement
For its first official outing in Canada, our THALAMUS robot could have been showcased at a trade show or as part of a strictly professional demonstration.
Instead, Glocal Robotics chose an academic and neutral setting—but above all, an activity that would give back to the community: a demonstration for children participating in a summer camp focused on robotics, aviation, and science.
This choice was fully in line with McGill University’s motto, “Mastery for Service,” which we understand to mean “mastery in the service of others.” Introducing advanced technology to young people, sparking their curiosity, and allowing them to interact directly with those who develop it was a concrete way to put this idea into practice.
Robotics is not limited to machines. It also relies on the knowledge we pass on, the career paths we help inspire, and the solutions we provide to serve people.
Thus, THALAMUS made its North American debut at the Montreal Aviation Museum, located on McGill University’s Macdonald Campus in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.
A place where heritage and innovation meet
The choice of the Montreal Aviation Museum (MAM) was particularly symbolic.
The museum is dedicated to preserving and promoting Canada’s aviation heritage, with a special focus on Quebec’s contribution. Its activities also place a strong emphasis on education and sharing knowledge with young people.
The Macdonald Campus was also a particularly suitable setting. Founded in 1907, it is now one of McGill’s leading centers in the fields of agriculture, the environment, natural sciences, food, and engineering. It spans nearly 650 hectares of fields and wooded areas west of Montreal.
A Demonstration for Tomorrow’s Engineers
The THALAMUS presentation was part of the STEAM summer camp’s activities focused on robotics, aviation, and space. Young participants learn about programming and various engineering principles by building and programming their own machines.
This time, the demonstration allowed them to observe a full-scale autonomous robot designed to carry out missions in complex outdoor environments.
The session was intended to be interactive. It turned out to be far more so than we expected.
Questions came flying from all directions, showing remarkable insight and curiosity for participants aged 7 to 14. How long can it work? Can it tell the difference between a person and an animal? How does it send its images? Can we race against it? 😊
These questions provided an opportunity to explain, in simple terms, several principles of autonomous robotics—from environmental perception to navigation, including artificial intelligence, event detection, and communication with operators. The richness of the discussion made the demonstration both educational and interactive.
A First Glimpse Before the Commercial Demonstrations
The children were able to watch THALAMUS carry out several missions completely autonomously. The robot followed its assigned routes, monitored its environment, and detected the presence of people. These detections then triggered various alarm scenarios: audible signals, buzzers, lights, and the playback of pre-recorded messages.
The demonstration thus showcased the complete sequence of a mission: autonomous movement, environmental observation, situation detection, and triggering of a preprogrammed response.
Beyond its fun and educational nature, this first outing also served as a full-scale dress rehearsal on a miniature scale. It precedes the series of presentations and commercial demonstrations that Glocal Robotics will conduct in Canada this summer to introduce THALAMUS to security firms, industrial site operators, and organizations responsible for sensitive infrastructure.
But before reaching the market, the robot will have met children. We couldn’t have imagined a better way to start.
A Collective Success
A day like this would not have been possible without the warm welcome, commitment, and enthusiasm of so many people.
Glocal Robotics would like to extend a warm thank you to the entire team at the Montreal Aviation Museum, and especially to David Covo, Chandra A. Madramootoo, Viswanath Tata, Jim Killin, and Diana Carroll Phillips, President of Voluntary Education at MAM, who worked tirelessly alongside us to make this day a true success.
We would also like to extend a big thank you to Janice Pierson, Executive Director of the Macdonald Farm, for welcoming us to the Macdonald campus.
Introducing THALAMUS to Canada for the first time at a venue inaugurated nearly 120 years ago, in front of a new generation passionate about robotics, was a moment that was as unlikely as it was perfectly fitting.
Thank you to the entire Glocal Robotics team in Angoulême and Montreal for your hard work in making this day a real success. The THALAMUS robot is now ready to continue its journey across North America.