“I am pleased to recommend Dr. Nicholas Nadeau, a visionary in the realms of automation and artificial intelligence. As the Chief Technology Officer at SmartOne.ai, Nicholas has demonstrated unparalleled expertise and leadership, driving forward innovations that integrate AI with ethical considerations at the core. Nicholas possesses a rare blend of technical acumen and strategic foresight. His contributions to SmartOne.ai, particularly in the field of machine learning and data analytics, underscore his ability to not only envision but also implement solutions that are transformative yet responsible. His approach to AI is meticulous and thoughtful, ensuring that every project adheres to the highest standards of data privacy and ethical guidelines. Recently, Nicholas has shared his insights on automation and AI through various platforms, including a noteworthy appearance on the "Tech Horizons" podcast and a feature in its business magazine The Bellwether. These contributions have solidified his reputation as a thought leader, adept at explaining complex technical concepts in an accessible and thorough manner. Nicholas’s commitment to mentoring emerging tech talents and his active participation in startup ecosystems like Techstars and Creative Destruction Lab further exemplify his dedication to nurturing the next generation of innovators. For any organization aiming to leverage the latest in AI and automation to make impactful decisions, Dr. Nicholas Nadeau is a resource of immense value. His foresight and expertise are not just impressive; they are instrumental in shaping the future of technology.”
About
Contributions
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Ever had a simple conversation at a happy hour that just sticks with you? 🤔 Last week at the Startupfest afterparties, I had one of those moments…
Ever had a simple conversation at a happy hour that just sticks with you? 🤔 Last week at the Startupfest afterparties, I had one of those moments…
Shared by Nicholas Nadeau, Ph.D., P.Eng.
Experience & Education
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SmartOne
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Licenses & Certifications
Volunteer Experience
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Board Member
Grandir Sans Frontières
- Present 1 year 5 months
Education
Grandir Sans Frontières is a Canadian charity established in 2003, dedicated to enhancing technological access via digital literacy. The organization strives to achieve three core goals: to educate both youth and adults about technology through engaging and educational activities, to innovate by continuously developing activities that align with current digital trends, and to raise awareness about the digital divide, encouraging industry leaders to recognize and address this significant issue.
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TechAccel Mentor
McGill Engine Centre
- Present 1 year 3 months
The TechAccel Program is one of the McGill Engine’s key co-curricular/experiential learning programs. It supports early-stage student ventures with Lean Startup Methodology training, 1:1 business mentorship, and funding. The program runs three times a year during the Fall, Winter and Summer Semesters, each cohort is about 18 weeks long.
The grants come out of the Faculty of Engineering Innovation Fund, which is funded by charitable gifts from alumni and other community donors. The…The TechAccel Program is one of the McGill Engine’s key co-curricular/experiential learning programs. It supports early-stage student ventures with Lean Startup Methodology training, 1:1 business mentorship, and funding. The program runs three times a year during the Fall, Winter and Summer Semesters, each cohort is about 18 weeks long.
The grants come out of the Faculty of Engineering Innovation Fund, which is funded by charitable gifts from alumni and other community donors. The Innovation Fund is not an investment fund. Donors are not investing in the companies. -
Treasurer
Forum Jeunesse Centre-ville
- 2 years 5 months
Social Services
- Led the financial overview and communications development of the metropolitan youth-services consultation umbrella group
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Volunteer Youth Math Teacher
Innovation Jeunes
- 2 years 8 months
Education
- Led the teaching of the high school math and sciences curriculum to at-risk youth (80% pass rate achieved)
- Creator of custom math curriculum and class website (subtract5.wordpress.com)
Publications
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Improved Test Methods for Polymer AM Inter-Layer Weld Strength and Filament Mechanical Properties
ASTM International Conference on Additive Manufacturing
The international community is exploring many potential end-uses for polymer additive manufacturing. However, significant issues must be addressed before broad application can occur, in particular understanding the relationships between materials, processes, and final part properties. Key to these issues is having reliable test methods to measure properties of interest.
This work investigated Fused Filament Fabrication using an AON-M2 industrial printer. Other research has shown…The international community is exploring many potential end-uses for polymer additive manufacturing. However, significant issues must be addressed before broad application can occur, in particular understanding the relationships between materials, processes, and final part properties. Key to these issues is having reliable test methods to measure properties of interest.
This work investigated Fused Filament Fabrication using an AON-M2 industrial printer. Other research has shown layer-to-layer weld strength (i.e. Z-direction strength) is typically the weakest property. Past work has also shown this property difficult to measure, with significant data scatter and poor failure modes common for tensile specimens printed vertically. Using ABS, the current work investigated in-plane shear testing to interrogate layer-to-layer weld strength, based on ASTM D3846 which uses a notched specimen in compression to load the gauge section. Further, a modified version of D3846 was investigated using much smaller “mini-shear coupons”. Both test methods were found to provide good failure modes and very consistent results, with Coefficients of Variation (CVs) of 5% or less. Also, the modified test method allowed direct measurement of gauge section strain, thereby providing shear modulus. These test methods will now permit detailed investigation of the effect of process parameters on layer-to-layer weld strength....Other authors -
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Towards the development of safe, collaborative robotic freehand ultrasound
École de technologie supérieure
See publicationThe use of robotics in medicine is of growing importance for modern health services, as robotic systems have the capacity to improve upon human tasks, thereby enhancing the treatment ability of a healthcare provider. In the medical sector, ultrasound imaging is an inexpensive approach without the high radiation emissions often associated with other modalities, especially when compared to MRI and CT imaging respectively. Over the past two decades, considerable effort has been invested into…
The use of robotics in medicine is of growing importance for modern health services, as robotic systems have the capacity to improve upon human tasks, thereby enhancing the treatment ability of a healthcare provider. In the medical sector, ultrasound imaging is an inexpensive approach without the high radiation emissions often associated with other modalities, especially when compared to MRI and CT imaging respectively. Over the past two decades, considerable effort has been invested into freehand ultrasound robotics research and development.
However, this research has focused on the feasibility of the application, not the robotic fundamentals, such as motion control, calibration, and contextual awareness. Instead, much of the work is concentrated on custom designed robots, ultrasound image generation and visual servoing, or teleoperation. Research based on these topics often suffer from important limitations that impede their use in an adaptable, scalable, and real-world manner. Particularly, while custom robots may be designed for a specific application, commercial collaborative robots are a more robust and economical solution. Otherwise, various robotic ultrasound studies have shown the feasibility of using basic force control, but rarely explore controller tuning in the context of patient safety and deformable skin in an unstructured environment. Moreover, many studies evaluate novel visual servoing approaches, but do not consider the practicality of relying on external measurement devices for motion control. These studies neglect the importance of robot accuracy and calibration, which allow a system to safely navigate its environment while reducing the imaging errors associated with positioning. Hence, while the feasibility of robotic ultrasound has been the focal point in previous studies, there is a lack of attention to what occurs between system design and image output.... -
Pybotics: Python toolbox for robotics
Journal of Open Source Software
See publicationModern robotic programming relies on offline simulation to reduce process downtime. In a virtual environment, application specialists can program, visualize, and test their robotic application before deploying it to the real production environment. This offline process saves both time and costs while increasing the safety and efficacy of the robotic application. However, to achieve a high level of fidelity between virtual and production environments, the robot system must be accurate. According…
Modern robotic programming relies on offline simulation to reduce process downtime. In a virtual environment, application specialists can program, visualize, and test their robotic application before deploying it to the real production environment. This offline process saves both time and costs while increasing the safety and efficacy of the robotic application. However, to achieve a high level of fidelity between virtual and production environments, the robot system must be accurate. According to ISO 5725-1, accuracy refers to closeness or trueness of measurements to a specific value, while precision refers to the closeness of the measurements to each other. Most industrial robots are inherently precise (ie, repeatable), but they are not necessarily accurate. One cost-effective approach to obtaining a more accurate robot is through calibration, where the actual kinematic and non-kinematic parameters of the robot model are identified and improved upon when compared to the nominal model.
Pybotics is an open-source Python toolbox for robot kinematics and calibration. It was designed to provide a simple, clear, and concise interface to quickly simulate and evaluate common robot concepts, such as kinematics, dynamics, trajectory generations, and calibration. The toolbox is specifically designed for use with the Modified Denavit–Hartenberg parameters convention, introduced and popularized by Craig (2005), which uses four geometric parameters to define reference frames along the links of a robot manipulator. -
Impedance control self-calibration of a collaborative robot using kinematic coupling
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
This paper presents a closed-loop calibration approach using impedance control. The process is managed by a data communication architecture based on open-source tools and designed for adaptability. The calibration procedure uses precision spheres and a kinematic coupling standard machine tool components, which are suitable for harsh industrial environments. As such, the required equipment is low cost (approximately $2000 USD), robust, and is quick to set up, especially when compared to…
This paper presents a closed-loop calibration approach using impedance control. The process is managed by a data communication architecture based on open-source tools and designed for adaptability. The calibration procedure uses precision spheres and a kinematic coupling standard machine tool components, which are suitable for harsh industrial environments. As such, the required equipment is low cost (approximately $2000 USD), robust, and is quick to set up, especially when compared to traditional calibration devices. As demonstrated through an experimental study and validated with a laser tracker, the absolute accuracy of the KUKA LBR iiwa robot was improved to a maximum error of 0.990 mm, representing a 58.4% improvement when compared to the nominal model. Further testing showed that a traditional calibration using a laser tracker only improved the maximum error by 58 µm over the impedance control approach.
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An Extrinsic Dexterity Approach to the IROS 2018 Fan Robotic Challenge Modality B
IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)
The 2018 IROS Fan Robotic Challenge tasked participants with programming a robot to autonomously open and close a Spanish folding fan, highlighting the obstacles still associated with the dexterous manipulation of objects for robotic systems. Since high DoFs grippers are complex to coordinate and overkill for many industrial processes, our approach used an under-actuated parallel gripper with a 3D-printed adaptation to precisely grasp the fan in such a manner that gravity could be leveraged to…
The 2018 IROS Fan Robotic Challenge tasked participants with programming a robot to autonomously open and close a Spanish folding fan, highlighting the obstacles still associated with the dexterous manipulation of objects for robotic systems. Since high DoFs grippers are complex to coordinate and overkill for many industrial processes, our approach used an under-actuated parallel gripper with a 3D-printed adaptation to precisely grasp the fan in such a manner that gravity could be leveraged to act on the fan to produce an extrinsic, or external, dexterity. With our approach, we completed the challenge in 12.38 seconds, resulting in a top three finish. Furthermore, using a multi-modal tactile sensor, we analyzed the vibrations in the grasp during the manipulation and were able to distinguish the opening and closing of the fan from the motion of the robot with a 83% accuracy.
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Evolutionary Motion Control Optimization in Physical Human-Robot Interaction
IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)
Given that the success of an interaction task depends on the capability of the robot system to handle physical contact with its environment, pure motion control is often insufficient. This is especially true in the context of medical freehand ultrasound where the human body is a deformable surface and an unstructured environment, representing both a safety concern and a challenge for trajectory planning and control. The systematic tuning of practical high degree-of-freedom physical human-robot…
Given that the success of an interaction task depends on the capability of the robot system to handle physical contact with its environment, pure motion control is often insufficient. This is especially true in the context of medical freehand ultrasound where the human body is a deformable surface and an unstructured environment, representing both a safety concern and a challenge for trajectory planning and control. The systematic tuning of practical high degree-of-freedom physical human-robot interaction (pHRI) tasks is not trivial and there are many parameters to be tuned. While traditional tuning is generally performed ad hoc and requires knowledge of the robot and environment dynamics, we propose a simple and effective online tuning framework using differential evolution (DE) to optimize the motion parameters for parallel force/impedance control in a pHRI and medical ultrasound motion application. Through …
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Characterization of a robotic micro-surgical system for small-animal neurosurgery
Society for Neuroscience
Advancements in veterinary neurosurgery have led to brain imaging and more robust planning prior to surgical intervention. Using neuronavigation software, brain imaging allows the surgeon to explore critical structures ahead of the surgery and designate targets and trajectories to target for each procedure. While brain targets may be well-defined in software, accuracy and efficiency is lost in the surgical environment due to manual human tasks and manipulation.
We present a robotic…Advancements in veterinary neurosurgery have led to brain imaging and more robust planning prior to surgical intervention. Using neuronavigation software, brain imaging allows the surgeon to explore critical structures ahead of the surgery and designate targets and trajectories to target for each procedure. While brain targets may be well-defined in software, accuracy and efficiency is lost in the surgical environment due to manual human tasks and manipulation.
We present a robotic micro-surgical system for small-animal neurosurgery. The system is capable of moving to, drilling, injecting, placing electrodes or any other surgical device to predefined targets using imaging data and Brainsight Vet neuronavigation software (Rogue Research Inc., Montréal). Through stereo machine vision, the system is able to register a surface (e.g., exposed skull) to a given imaging dataset and calibrate an arbitrary tool in order to accurately position a 6-axis robotic arm (Mecademic, Montréal) for surgical procedures. The mapping between robot-space and image-space is computed using a laser-generated point cloud and stereo machine vision. Consequently, the exact placement of the animal and the alignment of bregma and lambda become irrelevant, in contrast with paper atlas stereotaxic procedures, since navigation and robot control are performed with respect to the imaging data. The robot itself is capable of 5µm repeatability.
This system removes the error-prone human component from surgical procedures, allowing for a more effective and efficient surgery, with the goal of improving surgical success rate, throughput, and experiment replicability.Other authors -
Courses
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Applied Electronics & Instrumentation
MECH 383
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Cell & Tissue Engineering
BMDE 505
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Collaborative Robots Workshop - RIA International
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Deformable Solids
MECH 321
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Design & Manuf of Microdevices
MECH 553
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Dynamics of Mechanisms
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Electric Machinery
ECSE 461
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Eng Professional Practice
FACC 400
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Engineering Economy
FACC 300
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Fluid Mechanics
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Heat Transfer
MECH 346
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Intermediate Calculus
MATH 262
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Introduction to Computer Science
COMP 250
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Linear Algebra & Partial Differential Equations
MATH 271
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MUSE 1.0 Bedside Ultrasound Course for Primary Care Clinicians
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Machine Element Design
MECH 393
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Mammalian Physiology
PHGY 209
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Material Science
MIME 260
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Mechanical Engineering Project
MECH 463
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Mechanical Lab
MECH 362
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Quantitative Analysis and Modelling of Cellular Processes
BMDE 509
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Selected Topics in Biomedical
BMDE 501
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Society,Environ&Sustainability
ENVR 201
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Solid Mechanics
CIVE 207
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System Dynamics and Control
MECH 412
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The Evolving Earth
ENVR 202
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Thermodynamics
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Value Engineering
MECH 497
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Vibrations
MECH 315
Projects
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Low-cost, Electricity-free PCR for Low-resource settings
- Present
A PCR system which is capable of replicating DNA for the purposes of analyzing infectious disease, specifically tuberculosis (TB). The device is to be a prototype aimed at deployment in low-resource settings, with testing planned for India.
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Robotic Stereotactic Neurosurgical System for Small Animals
- Present
Stereotactic surgery is a form of surgical intervention which makes use of a three-dimensional coordinate system to locate small targets inside the body and to perform on them some action such as ablation, biopsy, lesion, injection, stimulation, implantation, etc. This system is robotized to enhance the capabilities of surgeons performing open neurosurgery.
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Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) System
- Present
For several years, Rogue Research has been involved in assisting neuroscientists to place their NIRS optodes based on the subject's MR images. During that time, several of our customers have encouraged us to take the next step and develop our own NIRS system based on the principles that have guided all our development since Brainsight was introduced more than 10 years ago: Simplicity, functionality and integration with other modalities. We have applied these principles in the design of both our…
For several years, Rogue Research has been involved in assisting neuroscientists to place their NIRS optodes based on the subject's MR images. During that time, several of our customers have encouraged us to take the next step and develop our own NIRS system based on the principles that have guided all our development since Brainsight was introduced more than 10 years ago: Simplicity, functionality and integration with other modalities. We have applied these principles in the design of both our hardware and software. The result is a NIRS system that re-defines ease or use, flexibility, interoperability and value.
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Formula SAE
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Student engineering design competition. Each year, we design and build an open-wheeled autocross vehicle. Competition scoring includes design presentation, performance evaluation, fuel economy and cost.
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Honors & Awards
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Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship
NSERC
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Graduation Honours
McGill University
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Mitacs Accelerate Industrial Research Grant
Mitacs
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Québec Iron Titanium Scholarship
McGill University
Languages
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English
Native or bilingual proficiency
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French
Native or bilingual proficiency
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