André Guignard

Working at the LAMI of the EPFL with Professor Jean-Daniel Nicoud, he designed and realised in 1977 the first modern computer mouse, that started the successful Logitech diversification.

The LAMI-EPFL developed several microprocessor driven graphic screens since 1974 and André Guignard designed in 1977 a reliable mechanism for measuring the ball movement with optical encoders.

After the first prototypes, the construction of this powerful small robot named Khepera from the scarab-looking Egyptian god Khepra was subcontracted to Forelec until K-Team SA foundation in 1996.

The swarm-bots project was in need of a number of simpler, insect-like, robots (s-bots), built out of relatively cheap components, capable of self-assembling and self-organising to adapt to their environment.

André Guignard interacted with Francesco Mondada and the other partners of the project and built 35 mechanically complex 15 cm in diameter s-bot robots that can grip each other to pass over an obstacle.