3D design, analysis, simulation, and intelligence software is now used in aeronautics to improve parts production as well as testing accuracy. These technologies increase our ability to explore different parts manufacturing processes to meet aerospace engineering requirements. 3D printing makes it possible to reduce costs and green up production methods while simplifying the prototyping process to achieve high precision designs.

Artificial intelligence has paved the way for extraordinary advances in robotics. Robots are no longer used solely for repetitive tasks, but also to solve problems independently through deep learning that is made possible by the increased computational power of computers and the ever-growing amounts of data they parse. In order to interact with their environments, mobile robots and intelligent environments must perceive objects and people around them using visual, auditory, and tactile sensors that record large quantities of data, which then must be analyzed. REPARTI, a group made up in part by ULaval researchers, is working on creating these sensors.

Robotics and mechatronics now go hand in hand, making it possible to program robots using a tablet. Thanks to increasingly powerful processors and sensors and advances in artificial intelligence, traditional robots are now giving way to collaborative robots—or cobots—capable of working with humans. The main fields of application for service robotics are transportation and health, e.g., assisting individuals with visual or physical disabilities.

Recent advances in computer vision have led to the creation of extremely fast and accurate 3D sensors that are both ergonomic and versatile. The challenges that remain are to make sensors more intelligent and capable of combining information from multiple sources and to integrate simulation into the modelling process. Sensors will also have to be accessible to a wide range of users who do not have extensive technological knowledge.