Hi everyone,
If you have ever lost a week of field data because of a typo in a custom ROS message, or watched a perfectly tuned simulation model immediately fail on physical hardware, this session is for you.
On May 1st, the Canadian Physical AI Institute (CPAI) is hosting a highly technical, virtual deep-dive into the architectural evolution of robotic autonomy and the gritty realities of physical deployment.
We are moving past the theoretical benchmarks to talk about what actually breaks in the wild and how to architect your software to handle it.
Here is what we are covering:
Part 1: Driving into the (Un)Known: Navigation for Field Robots
Alec Krawciw (PhD candidate, UofT Autonomous Space Robotics Lab & Vanier Scholar) will cover the logistical and systemic realities of field deployment, including:
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Pre-Field Data Strategies: Why post-processing tools must be built before testing, and how simple data-logging errors (like ROS message naming typos) can ruin a deployment.
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System Failure is Inevitable: The critical difference between fault prevention and fault recovery, and why strict deterministic approaches shatter off-road.
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Maximizing Field Time: Practical workflows to reduce on-site engineering workload.
Part 2: Beyond Hard-Coded Control: Embodied AI & ROS 2 Architecture
Behnam Moradi (Senior Software Engineer in Robotic Autonomy) will break down the shift from classical state machines to modern autonomy stacks:
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From Loops to Graphs: Making the architectural leap from linear execution loops to the distributed graph of nodes required in ROS 2 (“What data is available now?”).
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Behavior Trees & Goal-Seeking: Moving beyond massive if-else chains to priority-driven agents that respect constraints and dynamically replan.
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The True Role of Simulation: Why tools like PX4 and AirSim aren’t for testing if your software works, but for validating if your simulation was accurate in the first place.
Event Details
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Date: Friday, May 1
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Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM EDT
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Location: Google Meet
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Host: Diana Gomez Galeano (former Director, McGill Robotics)
Whether you are migrating a stack to ROS 2, building out your first Behavior Trees, or gearing up for summer field trials, we would love to have you join the conversation. We will have dedicated time for Q&A to help troubleshoot your specific architecture roadblocks.
Registration & Tickets: We have 10 complimentary tickets for ROS community to join us
Looking forward to seeing some of you there!
Cheers,
Saeed Sarfarazi
Canadian Physical AI Institute (CPAI)