Ce tube sur roulettes, surmonté d'une tête blanche équipée d'une caméra et percée de deux globes, "permet à l'élève de se télétransporter dans la classe", a assuré Bruno Bonnell, fondateur de la société Awabot chargée du projet.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              A la différence d'une simple retransmission, le robot se déplace et peut participer au cours. Sur commande de l'élève, immobilisé chez lui ou à l'hôpital, il "assure une forme de présence", souligne Jean-Jack Queyranne, président de la région Rhône-Alpes.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Stimuler l'innovation !

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Cet engin "rustique", car destiné aux lycéens, selon Bruno Bonnell, sera testé en trois exemplaires répartis dans trois lycées, La Martinière-Montplaisir à Lyon, Claude Fauriel à Saint-Etienne et Joseph Marie Carriat à Bourg-en-Bresse (Ain).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Pendant deux ans, jusqu'à la rentrée 2016, il s'agira d'améliorer l'interface logicielle, explique M. Bonnell. Comment animer ce robot sans bras pour lui faire "lever la main" ? Faut-il qu'il bouge pour qu'on ne l'oublie pas ? A quel point doit-il être robuste ?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Pour un coût total de 490.000 euros, il s'agit aussi de stimuler l'innovation dans les 300 entreprises "directement impliquées dans la robotique en Rhône-Alpes", selon M. Queyranne, et d'intéresser les élèves au sujet.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    "Cent pour cent des étudiants qui se formeront à la robotique trouveront un travail !", promet ainsi Bruno Bonnell, ancien président d'Infogrames et Atari, PDG de la société Robopolis et chantre de la "robolution".

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      C'est la première fois que des fonds publics financent une telle expérimentation, mais d'autres projets sur fonds privés "ont déjà été menés aux Etats-Unis et en Russie, avec des robots de marque différente", indique le dossier accompagnant le projet.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Le robot, commercialisé par la société américaine Anybots, coûte aujourd'hui 12.600 euros, un coût "déjà réduit de moitié par rapport à l'an dernier et probablement divisé par cinq d'ici trois ans", selon Bruno Bonnell.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       La majeure partie du projet est consacrée au développement de l'interface logicielle, qui pourra à terme "piloter n'importe quel robot", par exemple un "robot européen de téléprésence" que le patron d'Awabot appelle de ses voeux.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Le reste du budget servira à "accompagner les élèves malades, leur famille et l'ensemble du corps enseignant" pour favoriser la prise en main du robot "et intégrer cette expérimentation" dans un programme pédagogique.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Les lycéens qui bénéficieront du robot seront sélectionnés par les établissements "selon des critères restant à définir". Pour les élèves gravement malades ou handicapés, il existe en revanche d'autres solutions dans des établissements adaptés.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            (source : AFP)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           L'institut national de recherches spatiales  (Inpe), a indiqué que plus de 40.000 éclairs ont illuminé le ciel de l'Etat de Rio pendant l'orage qui a duré trois heures,  provoqué la chute de dizaines d'arbres et inondé plusieurs rues.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                En raison des vents de 87km/h, l'aéroport intérieur de Rio a été fermé et les traversées de la baie de Rio en bateau suspendues.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Chaque année, des dizaines de personnes ne manqueraient pour rien au monde cette cérémonie, afin que leurs animaux de compagnie "soient protégés par celui d'en haut", explique Alvaro Lopez, un mannequin de 21 ans venu avec son coati, un mammifère de la même famille que les ratons laveurs.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    "Depuis que je viens ici, elles n'ont jamais été malades", assure Juan Acosta, un pré-retraité de 61 ans, portant comme chaque année ses deux chiennes Yorkshire couvertes de toiles cirées confectionnées sur mesure.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      A l'intérieur de l'église, un prêtre célèbre une eucharistie adressée à un public insolite  : des chiens de toutes races, des lapins, des oiseaux et autres furets.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Les fidèles font aussi la queue pour acheter les traditionnels petits pains de Saint-Antoine, dont la légende dit qu'il faut le garder chez soi "pour qu'il ne manque pas de pain à la maison", explique le prêtre.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Cette année, les fidèles à l'église Saint-Antoine n'étaient pas venus que pour leurs animaux. "Bénissez-nous tous", criaient certains, espérant bonheur et chance pour toute l'année.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Cette fête, dont la tradition remonte au 19ème siècle en Espagne, est très ancrée à Madrid. D'autres régions, comme les îles Baléares et la ville de Burgos, dans le nord, la célèbrent aussi.