Research at 3iL

You don’t have to want to become a researcher to benefit from it

Being a computer engineer isn’t just about mastering programming languages or tools. It’s also about knowing how to identify a problem, formulate a hypothesis, compare different approaches, analyze results, and take a step back to evaluate a technology before adopting it.

This is what exposure to academic research offers you: rigor, independence, curiosity, critical thinking, and the ability to experiment and justify your technical choices. In an industry where frameworks and best practices are constantly evolving, this scientific mindset becomes a real asset, as it allows you to adapt rather than constantly chasing after every new tool.

You don’t have to want to become a researcher to benefit from this. In fact, a cross-disciplinary course introducing students to research is included in your program, regardless of your career plans.

Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality

Virtual reality, augmented reality, and, more broadly, XR technologies are another key focus of our research. In collaboration with the HAVAE laboratory, these technologies are applied in fields such as healthcare, rehabilitation, promoting independence, and supporting specific populations.

In practical terms, XR enables the creation of immersive, interactive, and measurable environments: simulating situations, practicing movements, supporting learning, and even envisioning new forms of human-machine interaction. It is an inherently interdisciplinary field that draws on software development, 3D modeling, ergonomics, data processing, and user experience design.

Your future Lab Neighbors

The research conducted at 3iL Ingénieurs is part of a scientific ecosystem built in collaboration with public partner laboratories at our three campuses: XLIM and HAVAE in Limoges, LS2N in Nantes, and IRIT in Rodez.

These partnerships enable our faculty members to become part of structured scientific communities and to build bridges between the school, universities, research laboratories, and companies. For you, this translates into cutting-edge projects, internships in stimulating environments, and, in some cases, a first job or the opportunity to pursue a Ph.D.

A significant proportion of our tenured faculty members hold a Ph.D. Our faculty members, who devote half their time to research, design their courses to incorporate scientific issues and the current limitations of technology—not just immediate practical skills.

Mobile Robotics and Intelligent Systems

Mobile robotics draws on expertise in perception, artificial intelligence, embedded systems, signal processing, mapping, and decision-making. Our research aims to understand how autonomous systems perceive their environment, cooperate, determine their location, and act in uncertain contexts.

This research focuses on heterogeneous robots, multisensor systems, and open environments, with practical applications in industry, healthcare, logistics, surveillance, assistance, and smart mobility. It is a particularly educational field, as it requires you to integrate software, data, hardware, algorithms, and real-world constraints.

AI and Big Data, but for real

Artificial intelligence and big data analytics play a central role in the work conducted at the school. Here, these topics are never approached as abstract concepts, but rather as tools for addressing concrete problems: medical and healthcare applications, radar data analysis, mobile robotics, ontology alignment, and the modeling of complex systems. The goal is to explore how an algorithm can learn from data, detect weak signals, improve perception of an environment, or assist a professional in decision-making.

This work addresses major challenges: model reliability, data quality, interpretability, robustness, and the transition from a simple proof of concept to real-world business applications. You’ll learn one essential lesson: AI isn’t just about using off-the-shelf tools. It requires genuine scientific, technical, and ethical expertise.

Cybersecurity and Post-Quantum Cryptography

Cybersecurity is a strategic issue for all organizations, both public and private. This topic is set to gain even greater prominence at 3iL Ingénieurs, particularly in the area of post-quantum cryptography, with the upcoming arrival of a faculty member who will lead efforts in this field.

Post-quantum cryptography aims to anticipate the threats that future quantum computers could pose to certain current security mechanisms. This field lies at the intersection of mathematics, computer science, security, and digital architectures, and addresses data protection, digital trust, and infrastructure resilience, all of which are issues with significant implications for the future.