newsbytes@clarinet.com (01/18/90)
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, 1990 JAN 16 (NB) -- General Motors of Canada, of Oshawa, Ontario, has donated C$500,000 to finance research in artificial intelligence and robotics at Montreal's McGill University. GM also announced a donation of C$200,000 and equipment to the university's Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. General Motors is giving C$500,000 to the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIAR), a national organization which funds and co-ordinates research in artificial intelligence and other high- technology areas. The money will support the work of Ian Hunter, a McGill professor who is looking for ways to build robots with the dexterity of people. Nick Hall, manager of media relations for GM Canada, said the company hopes to reap some benefits from supporting this research, though the payoff "could be a long way out." GM has supported CIAR efforts in the past, he added. GM's equipment donations to the McGill Faculty of Mechanical Engineering include a surplus industrial robot, and a prototype Oldsmobile Ciera. The C$200,000 cash will be used to purchase a computer-aided design and manufacturing system. (Grant Buckler/19900116/Press Contact: Nick Hall, GM Canada, 416- 644-6718; Kate Williams, McGill University, 514-398-6752)