Julien Beaudry

About

Julien Beaudry is a robotics researcher whose work sits at the intersection of industrial automation, control systems, and infrastructure maintenance — with a particular focus on specialized robotic applications for the energy sector. Affiliated with Hydro-Québec's Research Institute (IREQ), Beaudry has made significant contributions to two major domains: underwater robotic grinding systems for hydraulic structures and autonomous inspection robots for electrical substations. His most influential contribution is a comprehensive state-of-the-art survey on robotic systems in power substations (2014, 29 citations), which synthesized over 75 publications and 39 patents spanning nearly three decades. Equally notable is his work on underwater direct-drive grinding robots, where he developed advanced control strategies — including dual observers, sliding-mode controllers, and multiobjective optimization techniques — to address the unique challenges posed by direct-drive linear motors in submerged environments. Beaudry's research has clear real-world stakes: aging dams, dikes, and transmission infrastructure demand innovative maintenance solutions that minimize human risk. His 2022 paper on all-weather autonomous substation inspection robots demonstrates his sustained commitment to translating laboratory advances into deployable field systems. Across his body of work, totaling over 110 citations, Beaudry has helped define the frontier of utility-focused field robotics.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Robotic systems applied to power substations - A state-of-the-art survey

   29 citations · 2014
2. 2
   Discrete-Time State Feedback With Velocity Estimation Using a Dual Observer: Application to an Underwater Direct-Drive Grinding Robot

   23 citations · 2011
3. 3
   All-weather autonomous inspection robot for electrical substations

   15 citations · 2022
4. 4
   Multiobjective Optimization of an Observer-Based Controller: Theory and Experiments on an Underwater Grinding Robot

   12 citations · 2014
5. 5
   Force Control Test Bench for Underwater Vehicle-Manipulator System Applications

   9 citations · 2006
6. 6
   Remote robotic underwater grinding system and modeling for rectification of hydroelectric structures

   7 citations · 2012
7. 7
   Electrical substation inspection and intervention robot, field experiments

   5 citations · 2014
8. 8
   Hardware-in-the-loop simulation of an impedance controlled robot using a direct-drive test bench

   5 citations · 2008
9. 9
   Position tracking control of a direct-drive submersible grinding robot: A comparative study

   5 citations · 2010
10. 10
    Sliding-mode control of a direct-drive submersible grinding robot

    3 citations · 2010

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links