RECHERCHE et TECHNOLOGIE

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      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)