Fairfield University to advance Artificial Intelligence in new program | Press Releases

Media Contact: Teddy DeRosa, tderosa@fairfield.edu , 203-254-4000 ext. 2118

School of Engineering and SERVO-ROBOT launch Engineer-in-Residence program to advance Artificial Intelligence (AI) for industrial robotic systems at the Applied Research Laboratory.

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (January 11, 2016) — Fairfield University’s School of Engineering recently announced a new working partnership with SERVO-ROBOT, a global industry leader in robotic automated manufacturing.

Through a two-year agreement, SERVO-ROBOT will provide funding in the amount of $180,000 to support the launch of the new Engineer-in-Residence Program (EIR). Together, both partners will engage in research to advance the next generation of intelligent robot design.

Dr. Doug Lyon, Director of the Electrical and Computer Engineering program and the director of the SERVO-ROBOT partnership in the Applied Research Laboratory in the School of Engineering, said: “We are very excited to begin this partnership with SERVO-ROBOT. The research experience we give the students today will help them to become the technical leaders of tomorrow.”

The EIR Program was created to develop academic and commercial relationships that lead to advancing applied research at the School of Engineering while simultaneously supporting the partner company’s mission to advance research and development.

Through the EIR Program, two SERVO-ROBOT employees will conduct applied research in the School’s newly opened Applied Research Laboratory, working closely with Dr. Lyon as well as graduate engineering students. Research will focus on artificial intelligence for industrial robotic systems.

SERVO-ROBOT was founded in 1983 and is the largest manufacturer of dedicated vision and sensing systems for intelligent welding automation and other industrial robotic processes. It is the recognized leader in the performance improvement of joining processes such as laser seam tracking, laser seam searching, and weld inspection through 3-D laser vision technology. With headquarters in Canada, it covers the global market with locations in several countries including China, Germany, Japan and USA.

“Our students will benefit the most from this relationship as they will be taking courses and doing research in this field,” Dr. Lyon said. The first student selected to work in the EIR Program is an electrical and computer engineering graduate student from WuHan Textile University in China. Additional students will be selected for this program later in 2016.

“Our partnership not only allows us to develop ideas and products,” Dr. Lyon continued, “but there’s the potential to connect good people and students, strengthen our international partnerships, and build relationships with other companies in our Advanced Research Lab.”

Jean-Paul Boillot, Chairman and CEO of SERVO-ROBOT, said that he believes this new venture will encourage innovation in both partners. “We expect that Dr. Lyon will challenge us to think in new ways and that this partnership will allow us to exchange ideas and benefit from each other,” he said.

In addition to advancing applied research in the field of robotics, cultivating relationships and people will be a goal for both the School of Engineering and SERVO-ROBOT. “Research is not only about creating a product at SERVO-ROBOT, it’s also about creating people,” said Jean-Paul Boillot. “We need to prepare for a new generation of managers.”

Pictured L-R: Dr. Doug Lyon, Director of the Electrical and Computer Engineering program and of the Applied Research Laboratory in the School of Engineering; Jean-Paul Boillot, Chairman and CEO of SERVO-ROBOT; and Kevin Lawlor, Executive Vice President, Fairfield University, sign agreement to launch Engineer in Residence Program.

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Vol. 48, No. 74

Fairfield University is a Jesuit University, rooted in one of the world’s oldest intellectual and spiritual traditions. More than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students from 36 states, 47 foreign countries, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are enrolled in the University’s five schools. In the spirit of rigorous and sympathetic inquiry into all dimensions of human experience, Fairfield welcomes students from diverse backgrounds to share ideas and engage in open conversations. The University is located in the heart of a region where the future takes shape, on a stunning campus on the Connecticut coast just an hour from New York City.