Rouages: “The private sector couldn’t have offered me such diversity”
Paul Leloup is an electronics engineer at the Montpellier Laboratory of Computer Science, Robotics, and Microelectronics (Lirmm). He programs, solder, encapsulates, and puts his expertise to work for the environment and to assist people. He reveals all these projects in *Rouages*, the video series produced by the University of Montpellier. Action!
His electronic circuit boards are little gems. As a member of the Lirmm’s research support department since 2019, Paul Leloup puts his talent to work not only for his fellow researchers but also for the lab’s doctoral students.“There are about fifteen of us engineers and technicians in the department, so we collaborate with the 400 people employed at Lirmm. I specialize in embedded systems, so I work exclusively with the microelectronics department,” explains Leloup, who is also co-director of the microelectronics platform.
A carbon-neutral data center
In this large microelectronics hall located on the second floor of the building—where we meet up with Paul Leloup to film our episode—oscilloscopes sit side by side with soldering irons and 3D printers. On the lab benches lie a few simple tools, spools of wire and solder, and brilliant ideas encapsulated in small boxes or large cases. It is in front of one of these cases that the young engineer pauses to tell us about the Genesis project1. Before us are electronic boards and their circuits, housing technology designed to create a data center that is as carbon-neutral as possible.
“The idea is to repurpose traditional data centers and turn them into mini data centers, each equipped with a solar panel, a battery, and a mains power supply, and then interconnect them so they can exchange energy with one another. The goal is to improve their energy efficiency and power them exclusively with green energy—mostly solar,” explains the engineer, who helped design the circuit boards, the wiring, and the software. The technology currently being tested on the roof of Polytech Montpellier could eventually make its way to the market.
Help Wireless Messenger Project
On the lab bench next to it, same room but a different atmosphere. The Hermes project is a service designed for people with limited mobility, such as those with quadriplegia, who require constant personal assistance. This wireless electronic system allows users to send a message to their caregiver to let them know they need help immediately. “We focused on redundancy, reliability, and the ability to operate without a SIM card subscription in order to reduce costs and ensure continued operation even in the event of a temporary power outage.”
Once again, the innovation benefited from real-world testing thanks to the Lirmm’s librarian, Isabelle—who is herself a quadriplegic—and who kindly agreed to participate. This project was even taken forward by Paul Leloup toward commercialization, with the support of Satt AxLR, but has not yet found a market.
Good luck fishing
A third project demonstrates the diversity of fields in which microelectronics can be applied. SmartSnap aims to reduce bycatch caused by longline fishing. These large devices consist of a main line with branch lines attached at regular intervals, each ending in a hook. Used primarily for bluefin tuna fishing, they result in the annual capture of sharks, rays, and even seabirds. “The goal is to have an electronic device at the end of each line that can detect whether the fish caught on the hook is bluefin tuna or an unintended catch. In that case, the line cuts itself, and the fish can swim away. We’re also working on biodegradable lines,” explains the engineer.
On this project, Paul Leloup is primarily working on the artificial intelligence aspect.“We have to teach it to distinguish between a tuna, a swordfish, and a ray.We’ve conducted surveys in Réunion and the Mediterranean that have allowed us to collect data. Now we need to process that data using software and develop an artificial intelligence model capable of addressing these challenges.”This work is being carried out in collaboration with the Marbec Marine Biology Laboratory.
Pchit
And because the engineer is passionate about his work, he can’t resist telling us about his latest project, called Pchit, which was carried out in collaboration with the Esycom laboratory at Gustave Eiffel University in Paris. It’s a BIA microchip“that allows for bioimpedance measurements at different frequencies. “What’s quite innovative is that our sensor measures all frequencies simultaneously.” One potential application could be a patch designed for elite athletes that would measure muscle fatigue in real time to prevent cramps and injuries. “There are so many different applications in my work; the private sector couldn’t have offered me this kind of diversity.”
And when Paul Leloup isn’t working on one of his many projects, he devotes his time to the students—whether by helping and advising them on the microelectronics platform, leading lab sessions at Polytech, or training them on a piece of equipment that Lirmm is the only public institution to possess: the industrial tester.“This machine, worth over one million euros, is made available by the manufacturer so that we can train students on it.” This equipment allows each electronic component to be tested individually to ensure that it meets its specifications—that is, its technical requirements.“In electronics, we test every electronic component that leaves the factory one by one. This accounts for about 25% of the cost of each circuit.”
The Lirmm has recently put this multitasking ability to good use by asking Paul Leloup to organize and oversee the relocation of the microelectronics platform. “It was a lot of fun. I had to draw up plans, get quotes from contractors, work with my colleague in logistics—who helped me a lot with that—and talk with my coworkers to make sure it worked for everyone… It was an experience I really enjoyed!”
- Patent: Gilles Sassatelli, Abdoulaye Gamatié, and Michel Robert. “Data Processing System with Energy Transfer,” France, Patent No. WO2017178571. 2018 ↩︎