I, Robot: The Humanoids are here

I, Robot: The Humanoids are here

Feb 27, 2025 | Autonomy, Humanoids, Industry News, Robotics, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

You might own a robot without even realising it.

Have a Roomba? That’s a robot. And a drone? That’s a flying robot. Even a Tesla, in Full Self-Driving mode, is a robot.

There are a lot of definitions out there – but one we particularly like comes from Maja Matarić, a computer scientist, roboticist and AI researcher at the University of California. In her book, The Robotics Primer, she concisely defines a robot as “an autonomous system which exists in the physical world, can sense its environment, and can act on it to achieve some goals.”

Whether that goal is to vacuum your floor, capture aerial data, or weld a part in a factory, we feel this is a really clear definition. It also doesn’t delineate between platforms: A robot that fits this bill could be stationary, wheeled, a quadruped or even a humanoid.

And it’s that last platform – humanoid – that’s been getting a lot of buzz recently. Numerous companies are now manufacturing robots that resemble human beings in their form factor. And, as it turns out, for very good reasons.

Below: Ameca, a robot built by the UK’s Engineered Arts, is known for its eery ability to mimic human expressions

Ameca robotics AI

WHY HUMANOID?

 

The idea of a humanoid robot has been around for longer than you might think. Leonardo Da Vinci designed – and possibly built – an automaton in the late 15th Century. It’s known currently as Leonardo’s Robot or Leonardo’s Mechanical Knight. According to Wikipedia, “The robot’s design largely consists of a series of pulleys that allow it to mimic human motions. Operational versions of the robot have been reconstructed by multiple researchers after the discovery of Leonardo’s sketches in the 1950s.”

It appears that the purpose of this design was for entertainment (which also fits the definition of a goal), but it fell short when it comes to sensing its environment and autonomy. Still, it’s fascinating to know the Italian inventor turned his attention to designing a mechanical device in human form way back then.

It would take another half a millennia before the first true humanoid robot would be built. In the early 1970s, the Wabot was unveiled in Japan. It was anthropomorphic, with two arms and two legs. It also contained a vision system, audio sensors and could speak in Japanese. According to this overview, “It was estimated that the WABOT-1 has the mental faculty of a one-and-half-year-old child.”

Below: A modern reproduction, based on Leonardo Da Vinci’s sketches, of his “Mechanical Knight” complete with inner mechanisms. It’s followed by an image of Wabot-1 from 1973

Da Vinci humanoid robot
1973 Wabot humanoid

THE HUMAN ADVANTAGE

 

Why create a humanoid in the first place?

Well, there are certain advantages to a human form factor, particularly when it comes to carrying out repetitive tasks in the real world. And the reason? The world around us has been built for humans. If there’s an existing task carried out by people, say pick-and-place, the infrastructure for that task has been created with humans in mind. That means conveyor belts, shelving, cupboards etc. are all designed for the average human. If you build a robot in a human-like form and roughly to scale, that’s a big advantage.

“You don’t need to change the surrounding infrastructure to accommodate the robot,” explains Head of R&D Sales Luke Corbeth.

“The end result obviously is faster deployment. This applies to factories, homes, hospitals, pretty much any use-case. None of these locations need to be robot native to effectively leverage a humanoid robot because they’ve been built for people.”

In fact, humanoid robots have already been deployed on some factory floors. They’re ideally suited to repetitive tasks such as picking up an item and moving it from one location to another – and contain tactile feedback sensors in their manipulators to calculate appropriate grip strength. They could also be deployed, says Corbeth, in environments built for humans – but which may pose hazards. An example, says Corbeth, might be for inspections or maintenance inside a nuclear facility in a radioactive environment.

“There are a lot of dexterous tasks people are doing today that are very challenging to automate because they require high levels of precision,” he says. “These are perfect tasks for humanoids.”

Looking down the road, many foresee an era when humanoids are affordable enough – and capable enough – for deployment in homes. There, they could carry out some of the more mundane household tasks like cleaning or clothes washing, perhaps even elder care and companionship.

A growing number of companies are now in the humanoid space, including Tesla (Optimus), Agility (Digit), Boston Dynamics (Atlas), and Figure (Figure 02). InDro Robotics is a distributor for Unitree, and carries the G1 humanoid and H1 and H1-2 research and development models. (We can also modify these robots for specific use-cases.)

The base version of the G1 sells for $21,600 US – which is surprisingly reasonable for a humanoid form factor. Corbeth says the current offerings are a result of a “perfect storm” across multiple advances in AI compute, battery, sensor and manufacturing technologies. The more advanced H1 sells for $99,600 US and is better suited for complex R&D.

 

WHAT’S NEXT

 

Humanoids are already in the real world. With further and inevitable advances in AI, Machine Vision and Machine Learning (as well as sensors, manipulators, etc.) it’s safe to assume that humanoids will only get smarter and better at smoothly carrying out fully autonomous tasks.

“I think that it will be probably, realistically, three to five years before you see walking humanoid robots around people all the time,” Dr, David Hanson, Founder of Hanson Robotics recently told the South China Morning Post.

“I think we are entering the age of living intelligent machines. It’s coming. Machine consciousness, self-determining machines…it’s on its way. And if we see that happen, then we want to make sure that we make the AI good, compassionate, able to connect and want the best for humans.” Yes, indeed.

And a final note. At some point, these humanoids will be good enough to manufacture themselves. That’s historically been something in the realm of science fiction. However, a recent TechCrunch story pointed out a new partnership between humanoid developers Apptronik and manufacturer Jabril.

“This means that should everything go according to plan, the humanoid robot will eventually be put to work building itself,” says the article.

Below: A C-NET video outlines developments expected in this field in 2025

INDRO’S TAKE

 

Because we sell and modify humanoids in addition to designing and building our own robots (and robots for clients), we’re obviously interested in this space. While we don’t have plans to develop our own humanoid (yet), we are currently working with the Unitree G1 and H1 models to evaluate and enhance their capabilities. And yes, we’ve already sold these to customers.

“Humanoids are a logical progression in robotics,” says InDro Robotics Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “While they’re not the solution for every use-case, they have a clear role in carrying out repetitive or even dangerous tasks that are currently carried out by humans. I suspect, in the not-so-distant future, humanoids will be working alongside people in an ever-increasing number of settings.”

Interested in learning more? Contact us here.

Sense, solve, go: Does Waymo herald the future of autonomous vehicles?

Sense, solve, go: Does Waymo herald the future of autonomous vehicles?

Feb 21, 2025 | Autonomy, Industry News, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

During a recent trip to California, I had the opportunity to ride in a Waymo.

I’d certainly read about Alphabet’s autonomous car-for-hire service in the past and work for a company that builds robots and autonomy software. So it seemed a natural, while in San Francisco, to download the app (similar to Uber) and hail an autonomous vehicle.

Within a couple of minutes, a Waymo vehicle arrived at the pickup point – just a short walk from where it had been summoned. It pulled up, LiDARs spinning, waiting for me to climb in. I put a hand on the door; it was locked. A quick glance at the app and I saw an “unlock” feature. Then I was inside.

And then, with some ambient music playing in the background (you have the option to turn it off or select something else), we – meaning the car and I – were off. A display showed a digital representation of what the vehicle was seeing in its surroundings, including parked vehicles and pedestrians. The electric Jaguar quietly accelerated to the speed limit, obeyed all traffic rules, and smoothly adjusted for unexpected occurrences. When the driver of a parked vehicle opened the door to exit, the Waymo liquidly arced a safe distance away. With the steering wheel making smooth turns and constant smaller fine adjustments, it was like being in a vehicle with an invisible, silent driver at the helm.

I had full faith in the technology and actually preferred it to a standard rideshare. Waymo’s safety data (which we’ll explore later) had reassured me the drive was going to be statistically safer than riding with a human driver. Plus, there was no need to engage in small talk. When the ride was done, I simply exited without being prompted for a tip.

I’d been aware of Waymo since it first deployed. I also have a friend with a Tesla who has the Full Self-Driving package. He commutes twice a week from well outside Toronto into the GTA without any inputs beyond setting his destination. He foresees a day, long promised by Elon Musk, when his own vehicle will earn him money by working during off hours as an autonomous taxi.

The technology for fully autonomous vehicles is basically here – arriving both sooner and later than some had predicted. But what does that mean for the future?

Below: A Waymo Driver waits patiently at an intersection – while another Waymo Driver glides past. Photos by Scott Simmie 

SENSE, SOLVE, GO

 

Owned by Google parent company Alphabet, Waymo states “We’re on a mission to be the world’s most trusted driver. Making it safer, more accessible, and more sustainable to get around — without the need for anyone in the driver’s seat.” It calls its service, the app and the car together, Waymo One. The system, the hardware and software, are referred to collectively as Waymo Driver.

Commercial rollout began in Phoenix, Arizona in 2020, with testing in San Francisco commencing late the following year. It’s now also operating in Los Angeles, with expansion into Atlanta, Austin and Miami next. It uses a Jaguar I-PACE electric vehicle as its base, heavily outfitted with an array of sensors. We’re talking a lot of sensors.

In total there are 29 cameras, six radar and five LiDAR units (including a roof-mounted 360° LiDAR). These sensors allow Waymo Driver to fully capture its environment up to three football fields away. Powerful AI, machine vision and machine learning software continuously crunch predictive algorithms allowing Waymo to understand where a pedestrian, cyclist or other vehicle will most likely continue based on current trajectory. And, of course, if one of those moving subjects suddenly does something unexpected/unpredicted, the system quickly readjusts. Waymo touts safety stats (which we’ll explore later) it says proves Waymo Driver is far safer than a human driver.

Waymo boils down the entire process to three words: Sense, solve, go. Waymo Driver senses its environment using the sensors mentioned above (it also has an array of External Audio Receivers – EARs – which alert the system if they detect sirens, etc. It can even echolocate the location of said sirens and will understand if it needs to pull over). The algorithms solve the challenge of safely moving through that environment, including moving objects, and then it’s go time. Those three simple words represent a decade and a half of intense R&D, development of its own sensors, and a huge capital expenditure.

Google first began exploring self-driving vehicles in earnest back in January of 2009. By the time it revealed this publicly, it had already done extensive R&D and testing. But it wasn’t until the fall of 2015 that the first solo member of the public climbed into a Waymo in Austin, Texas and took the vehicle for a ride on city streets. That passenger was Steve Mahan, who is legally blind. It was the first time in 12 years that he’d been alone in a car. It would be another five years before the first rollout to the public.

During that five years, both the car and sensor package – along with the software – evolved considerably. Just compare videos below; the first shows Steve Mahan on that historic trip in 2015, the second is an updated video explaining the fifth-generation Waymo Driver.

SAFETY FIRST

 

 

Waymo could pitch its offering on a number of grounds: Sustainability, convenience, cool factor. But instead, it focuses its customer-facing marketing on safety. Waymo Driver, it says repeatedly, is far safer than a human driver. It has proven that in many millions of miles on the streets, it says, and billions more in simulation.

The statistics Waymo publishes are based on Incidents Per Million Miles (IPMM) of driving – and compare its own rates of incidents with a benchmark of IPMM involving human drivers. Whether it’s airbag deployments, crashes with a reported injury, or incidents where police are notified, Waymo’s stats are consistently a fraction of those involving people at the wheel. In more than 33 million miles of driving, Waymo touts these as the results:

  • 81 per cent fewer airbag deployment crashes
  • 78 per cent fewer injury-causing crashes
  • 62 per cent fewer police-reported crashes

That’s clearly a significant reduction, and to most people would indicate that Waymo is safer than taking a ride with a stranger (or even friend) at the wheel. The statistics include accidents where other drivers were at fault, but does not separate them out – so we can’t actually see what percentage involved an error from the Waymo side. Waymo has previously stated that the majority of these incidents were the fault of human drivers, and that there have been but two accidents involving injuries where it expects to pay out insurance liability claims.

But even rare incidents can quickly become high-profile. In Phoenix, an empty Waymo that had been summoned by a customer crashed at low speed into a telephone pole in an alley. Had a human been at the wheel, we would never have heard of it. But because it was a Waymo, the incident led newscasts. Why is that? Well, we expect perfection in systems like these. And that seems a reasonable expectation if you’re going to trust your personal safety to a driverless car. It just can’t make mistakes. And that’s why Waymo quickly issued a recall for a software fix.

“This is our second voluntary recall,” Katherine Barna, a Waymo spokesperson, told TechCrunch. “This reflects how seriously we take our responsibility to safely deploy our technology and to transparently communicate with the public.”

In May of 2024, the US National Highway Transportation Safety Agency (NHTSA) informed Waymo it was investigating 22 incidents involving its vehicles (and subsequently added an additional nine incidents), stretching back to 2001. Many of those incidents were described by Forbes as “surprisingly minor” and 11 of those incidents were culled by the NHTSA from social media reports of the vehicles driving in an unusual fashion (such as using the oncoming lane to avoid traffic problems). The most serious was the aforementioned pole collision.

We were unable to find any reports of Waymo incidents involving a serious injury. The one fatality involving a Waymo occurred in January of 2025, when an unoccupied stationary Waymo stopped at a traffic light was one of several vehicles hit by a speeding car. One person and a dog died in that incident, but because a Waymo was tangentially involved it made the headlines. It is the only case we can find involving a fully driverless vehicle where a fatality was involved – and in this case the vehicle was completely passive. (There was a pedestrian fatality in 2018 involving an autonomous Uber vehicle. In that incident, which occurred in Tempe, Arizona, a human safety driver was in the driver’s seat. She was watching television on her phone when the accident occurred and subsequently pleaded guilty to endangerment.)

While Waymo has an excellent track record, there have been incidents. But with each incident where Waymo Driver has somehow made the wrong decision, it’s reasonable to assume it was followed by a software fix. And here’s where a fleet of autonomous vehicles have a definite advantage over people: That tweak can be instantly applied to the entire fleet.

Still, there are skeptics who argue that – despite those millions of miles of driverless passenger trips – Waymo does not have enough data upon which to draw sound conclusions.

“We don’t know a lot. We know what Waymo tells us,” Philip Koopman, an expert on autonomous vehicle safety at Carnegie Mellon University, told the Miami Herald. “Basically you are trusting Waymo to do the right thing.”

 

THE FUTURE

 

Autonomy is hard – and it takes time: Google and Alphabet have invested more than 15 years of continuous engineering for Waymo Driver to reach this level of technological maturity.

Now, Waymo is rolling out to more cities. Remember those 672 Jaguars that had the software upgrade? They’re just a fraction of the 20,000 I-Pace vehicles Waymo signed a contract with Jaguar to purchase. Plus, the company recently announced that its six-generation vehicle – a Chinese-made electric minivan – is next up for testing and deployment. From all external appearances, Waymo shows no sign of stopping (except at red lights, of course). In 2024, it carried out four million autonomous rides – four times more than its total of trips over the previous four years. Rides in 2024 tripled to 150,000 per week. And the company calculates “Waymo riders helped avoid over 6 million kilograms of CO2 emissions.”

That’s all great. But for any commercial enterprise, even if it’s willing to absorb costs during rollout, the ultimate test will be the bottom line. Will Waymo prove profitable?

We can’t say for certain – and Waymo’s current financials are somewhat invisible to the public, as they’re bundled in with several other projects Alphabet projects. But some analysts predict Waymo, the clear leader in autonomous rideshare, will ultimately win a significant piece of the market. An analysis on Nasdaq.com predicts Waymo could prove over time to be the jewel in Alphabet’s crown.

“Uber does more than 200 million rides each week,” states the story. “Let’s let that sink in. So if autonomous rides can capture even half that market, that would mean 100 million rides per week…If Waymo can capture about one-third of the $1 trillion autonomous rides market, it could generate annual revenues of around $300 billion.” Enough, suggests the story, to double Alphabet’s stock price.

That’s a big prize. And, clearly, incentive for Alphabet and Waymo to continue on the road to profitability.

 

Below: The LCD display for rear Waymo passengers. Note the option to “pull over” if you unexpectedly need to end your ride early

INDRO’S TAKE

 

Because we’re deeply involved in the autonomous space, we obviously take great interest in Waymo and other deployments of autonomous technologies at scale. Waymo Driver is different from most other applications, though, because it’s transporting human beings. There is very little – if any – room for error.

“We can’t predict the future, but – like algorithms – can make informed predictions with available data,” observes InDro Robotics Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “Waymo appears to be heavily invested in continuously making a good safety record even better – and has the engineering and financial resources to do so. I suspect Waymo, and its competitors, are here to stay.”

For more on Waymo, check out its website. And, if you’re in one of the growing number of cities where it operates, download the app and let Waymo Driver take the wheel.

Building on a budget: How to maximise your robot

Building on a budget: How to maximise your robot

Feb 20, 2025 | Uncategorized

By Scott Simmie

 

So. You want to buy a robot. 

Maybe you’re in the academia or R&D fields, and you need a robot for research. Or you’re a commercial/industrial client, looking for a device to carry out regular maintenance inspection, surveillance, or some other repeatable data acquisition task. You might even be looking for a robot that can pick things up and move them from one location to another. 

Regardless of the use-case, you’ll have a budget. And you’ll want to make the most of it. 

The question is: How, precisely, do you do that? How can you ensure you’re getting the best bang – and robot – for the buck?

At InDro, we take pride in how we work with clients to ensure they’re maximising their spend while we minimise their pain. Regardless of where you ultimately purchase a robot, we hope the tips this post reveals will help inform your choice.

Below: ‘Rosie’ – a highly complex dual-manipulator robot InDro built for a client

 

Rosie

BUY ONLY WHAT YOU NEED

 

It’s a big world out there. And there’s more than one place to go robot shopping. But many suppliers lock clients into “packages” – which include a fixed number of sensors. Those packages tend to be rigid, even if the client might already have some of the desired components.

“They tend to bundle in components, be it expensive cameras or sensors or compute that the client already has,” explains Head of R&D Sales Luke Corbeth.

At InDro, he says, there’s an important difference.

“What we’re able to uniquely do is custom outfit a robot to only include what they need – so they don’t need to repurchase a 3D LiDAR or, say, a depth camera. If someone says, ‘Oh, I want this package but don’t need an IMU because I already have one,’ then we can bump down the cost and just not include the IMU.”

 

BUILD MODULAR

 

Needs evolve over time – as does technology. So it’s quite likely, during the lifespan of your robot, that more powerful sensors will be released. Or perhaps your own needs will change, and you realise that adding a thermal camera would really benefit a new use-case. That’s where InDro Commander (and InDro Cortex, which we’ll touch on later) come in.

Pretty much every robot we ship comes with a version of InDro Commander or the more compact InDro Backpack. Both of these boxes instantly transform any platform into a smart robot.

How do they do that? The simple explanation is that Commander and InDro Backpack are a Plug & Play hub that combines powerful compute and remote teleoperation mission planning capabilities via InDro Controller with instant sensor integration. There are a couple of features here that are key.

InDro Controller is a secure, user-friendly remote mission planner. It allows you to plan repeatable tasks on complex missions with a few clicks. Want to zoom in on that gauge to ensure normal operating parameters aren’t being exceeded? No problem. Manually carry out that operation just once and InDro Controller will remember it for next time. (Oh, and InDro Controller is regularly updated.)

But the real key is Commander’s future-proofing. Clients can add sensors simply by plugging them into one of Commander’s multiple USB slots. The onboard Robot Operating System library will automatically detect the new sensor and add it to the InDro Controller dashboard. Clients don’t need to do any coding or soldering to ensure the perfect fit. (Plus, we have multiple autonomy software stacks, also continuously updated, that can be added.)

The ease of sensor integration with InDro Commander and InDro Controller means the client can modify or otherwise update their robot with additional or newer sensors without the hassle – and time and cost – normally associated with the task.

Below: InDro’s Commander – ready for anything you can throw at it

Teleoperated Robots

BUY QUALITY

 

You know that old maxim: You get what you pay for.

That’s usually true. But sometimes, as we’ve all experienced, you can overpay. And this is particularly true in the world of robotics. With some LiDAR units costing many tens of thousands of dollars, you’ll want to be absolutely certain you’re getting the best value (as with any other sensor). But with so many choices out there, how is a customer to discern what, truly, is ‘best’? It’s not like there’s a Rotten Tomatoes for LiDAR out there.

In the case of InDro, we’ve been building custom robots – for ourselves and our clients – for a long time. We’ve integrated and tested sensors from all the major manufacturers. And we’ve learned a lot during that process.

“We’ve built so many robots – and we’ve used pretty much every available LiDAR, depth camera, etc. on the market along the way,” says Corbeth. “As a result, what we offer in terms of components is the direct result of what we’ve seen have the best performance per dollar. We also look at: What’s easiest to work with from a development perspective? These criteria are all factored into our decisions on who we partner with.”

While Luke isn’t a trained engineer, he has a deep understanding of client needs, available solutions – and engineering in general. But when he’s got a question on behalf of a client, he also has our core R&D engineering team to tap on. We also have InDro Forge, our fabrication and manufacturing facility in Ottawa, for building custom enclosures and integration. This allows us full quality control, infinite customisation capabilities, and speeds the process of getting a finished robot out the door without having anything done by a third party.

 

AFTER THE SALE

 

InDro has built a reputation not only for its robots, but for its support of everything we sell. If clients ever have an issue, our engineering team gets to work. We have three well-established tiers of support, shown here in order of escalation:

  • Remote troubleshooting
  • Dispatching a Field Engineer to the client’s location
  • Return to the robot to InDro for repair

“I would say in 90 per cent of cases we can we can remotely solve any issues – especially if it has InDro Controller. That makes it really easy to troubleshoot and update,” says Corbeth.

“But if it doesn’t, then sometimes it may make sense to go in-person and do those changes on behalf of the client on site.”

 

CORTEX

 

Because we’re a R&D company, we are constantly looking for ways to enhance our offerings. And while Commander is still both current and powerful, we’ve put considerable resources into making it even better – and much smaller.

InDro Cortex is the next generation of Commander, in a form factor so small it can easily be added to any platform: Wheeled, quadruped, humanoid – even a drone. With powerful compute, ROS1 and ROS2 libraries, InDro Controller and USB slots for sensors onboard, it’s ready for any mission. And, like Commander, InDro Cortex is a way of future-proofing your robot. If you’ve opted for InDro Controller or one of several autonomy stack options, you’ll always be working with the latest version of the software (in addition to being able to easily integrate new sensors).

“Cortex is the natural progression of Commander,” says Corbeth. “But because of the way it’s structured, it’s going to cost a lot less. So we’ll be able to outfit a robot with compute, sensors and connectivity at a fraction of the cost – which is really exciting.”

It is. And we look forward to a full commercial release of Cortex (which will also be available as a standalone product) by early summer. You can have a sneak peek, for free, below:

InDro Cortex

INDRO’S TAKE

 

If purchasing a robot is on your to-do list, we’d obviously like for you to consider InDro. But even if you don’t, we hope you’ll look for a supplier who offers everything we do, including:

  • Track record with satisfied customers
  • Components that have been field-tested for quality and value
  • In-house manufacturing expertise
  • Modular integration ease with after-sale support

The addition of InDro Forge to our capacity cannot be understated. We are now capable of all aspects of production, including IP-rated custom metal work for enclosures.

“Buying a robot is generally a significant capital expenditure,” says InDro Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “Our background as a research and development company, where we have invented and built so many robots from scratch, has taught us how to produce the absolute best products we can for the money. Those learnings – and there have been many – now benefit our clients.”

And, for those clients who know precisely what components or platforms they need, there’s also the new InDro Store. Happy shopping!

 

InDro’s Kate Klassen: Aircraft instructor, regs expert – and Canada’s most famous drone instructor

InDro’s Kate Klassen: Aircraft instructor, regs expert – and Canada’s most famous drone instructor

Feb 6, 2025 | Education and Training, FLYY, InDro Profile, Kate Klassen, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

From time to time, we like to profile InDro employees. In these pieces, we try to not only highlight their skill sets but also give you a sense of the person. So we’re particularly pleased to be writing about Kate Klassen – who is both a total pro and a stellar human being.

Klassen has been in the drone space pretty much since it started to become a thing in Canada, though she was going by her maiden name – Kienapple – in those early days. She’s widely acknowledged as a regulatory expert, has trained more than 10,000 RPAS pilots online and in person, and is also a traditional aviation flight instructor with multi-engine and IFR ratings. Oh, and she’ll hit carrying out 200 in-person RPAS Flight Reviews before long.

Of course, she didn’t just start there. She worked for it.

Below: Happy Kate (which is pretty much the norm)

 

THE BACK STORY

 

Kate didn’t initially plan on a career in the world of aerospace. Growing up in a small Nova Scotia town, she and brother Alexander would often see jets flying to and from Halifax Stanfield International Airport. Her father was a university professor; her mother an accomplished audiologist and COO/Vice-President of a prominent audiology firm she founded. The family traveled frequently, so even as a child Kate grew up being familiar with flying – at least from the passenger perspective. She also had two very successful parents as role models.

But aviation was not on her young radar as a career path. She planned, as a child, to pursue a career in audiology and join her mother’s business. That changed, abruptly and tragically, when Jean Ann Kienapple passed away suddenly in 2001. Kate was just 11. It’s an event that is still difficult, nearly 24 years later, for her to discuss.

Life would push on, and so would Kate. But, on graduating high school, she was still a bit adrift when it came to a career.

“Because my dad was working at a university when I graduated, it wasn’t: ‘Are you going to post-secondary?’ It was ‘Where are you going?'”

She wasn’t really sure. The only thing that truly appealed was to one day go to space.

“And my Dad said: ‘Most astronauts are pilots first. Why don’t you start there?'”

Kate had once been up in a small plane with a family friend. She spoke with him, and others, and learned there was a program at the University of New Brunswick that combined a business degree with aviation. Kate (short for Katelin) signed up.

“So it ticked that box for post-secondary for my dad,” she recalls.

 

 

KATE TAKES FLIGHT

 

It was a unique program, combining becoming a pilot with business chops. Kate dove in, moreso on the aviation side than the business end of things. She loved flying – and it was counting toward her degree.

“Instead of doing regular electives, you did flying hours,” she says. “So your hours in the plane and in ground school counted towards your degree.”

It was a four-year program, but Kate wanted to maximise her flying time during summers – so she completed it in three. In addition to her degree, she graduated with a Commercial Multi-Engine IFR rating and 200 hours of flight time. But the end of school was the beginning of the next phase – trying to find work.

“Guess who couldn’t get a job anywhere? Because no one wants to hire you when you have 200 hours of flying. It was either go up north and throw bags for a bit or become a flight instructor,” she says.

After some encouragement from her friends, Kate opted for the latter, packing her suitcase and heading to the west coast. She moved into her aunt’s loft in West Van and made the one-hour daily commute to Pitt Meadows airport (YPK) where she worked on getting her Flight Instructor rating. Living in Vancouver meant Kate picked up whatever work she could find to make ends meet. She did airport maintenance, including cleaning the lights on the runway and mowing the lawn. She taught yoga. She worked at Golf Town, “Even though I’ve never golfed a game in my life.”

Whatever it took, she did it.

Below: Kate Kienapple gets soaked – part of a tradition after completing a successful first solo. Second image: Kate in the cockpit with Chief Flight Instructor, and now friend, Alex Denham over Vancouver (just zoom in!)

 

 

Kate Klassen
Kate Klassen Flight Training

KATE SLIDES TO DRONES

 

Many people in traditional aviation have made the transition to the RPAS world. Kate was one of the first, but there wasn’t exactly a flight plan for this destination. While working as a flight instructor in 2014, she wound up teaching a couple of guys who had started a drone company late the previous year. Around that time, Transport Canada had just released its first iteration of knowledge requirements – which aligned somewhat with requirements for private pilots. That drone company (Aerobotika), tapped on Kate to create its ground school course.

“And then they said: ‘Since you helped us build the ground school, do you want to help us teach it?'”

She did. And it quickly turned into a frequent gig, with Kate travelling across Canada to offer ground school courses on behalf of Aerobotika twice every month. Those ground school courses required full-on brainpower for both students and instructors, and the air travel and hotel life didn’t help. It was especially gruelling since Kate had also gone back to school to pursue a Management of Technology MBA at the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University.

“That got really exhausting when I was trying to also do an MBA. It turns out I hadn’t paid much attention doing my earlier business degree because I was just so determined to be an airline pilot that I was like: ‘I’ll never use this marketing class,'” she says with a smile.

In the midst of all this, Kate (being Kate) took on more. She left Aerobotika and signed on with a new drone company that she pivoted from being strictly a service provider, to an online platform for courses she developed.  She was a natural, throwing in just enough humour and personality to keep students watching and learning. With some fortunate timing of things coming online just prior to the 2019 drone certification regulations, it was a highly successful course, with thousands of students obtaining their Basic or Advanced RPAS Certificates.

But that wasn’t all. In 2018 (and while doing that MBA), Kate signed on with what was then Unmanned Systems Canada (now the Aerial Evolution Association of Canada) as a board member. She became a regular at its annual conference and trade exhibit, often presenting on the latest regulations or holding recency sessions for those RPAS pilots who want to remain current. She also developed a reputation as someone truly devoted to helping others in this sector, especially when trying to understand the implications of the latest regulations.

That’s probably why her peers on the Canada Drone Advisory Committee, or CanaDAC, elected her to be Industry Co-Chair, working directly with Transport Canada’s Ryan Coates and Jeannie Stewart-Smith in a key role bridging the gap between the industry and regulators.

 

INDRO AND FLYY

 

When it came time for InDro to seek a Training and Regulatory Specialist, it’s easy to see why Founder and CEO Philip Reece tapped on Kate’s shoulder. Her reputation in the RPAS world in Canada was already – sorry, Kate, but it’s true – legendary. .

And of course, her tremendous skills as an instructor and entrepreneur have also been put to use. Kate runs FLYY, Canada’s most comprehensive online drone instruction and resource portal. In addition to courses for Basic and Advanced RPAS Certificates (including practice quizzes), Kate has expanded FLYY’s offerings with the Compass Series. It’s a collection of separate or bundled courses that take pilots well beyond TC requirements. Topics in the series include LiDAR, Photogrammetry, Forestry, Advanced Air Mobility – even instruction on how to expand an existing drone business. Kate has pulled in top experts to instruct each of these specialties – including our own Head of Flight Operations Dr. Eric Saczuk (Photogrammetry).

As a result of all this hard work – including at the two previous drone companies – Kate has the unique distinction of having instructed more than 10,000 (and counting!) RPAS pilots in Canada and abroad.

But while she loves all things aviation-related, Kate has her priorities. She’s a mother first, to two young daughters (currently aged two and four). Her husband, Travis, is a commercial airline pilot who – not surprisingly – travels often. The four like to get outdoors when they can, camping and hiking. Kate is an avid reader, so don’t be surprised if she asks you for a book recommendation.

Kate Arctic Air

INDRO’S TAKE

 

Fun fact: That last image above was taken on the set of a CBC Television drama series called “Arctic Air.” Kate had the privilege of being a highly skilled extra – taxiing the aircraft in the photo.

“My three seconds of fame!” she laughs. “Spent all day in a blonde wig so I could taxi that plane forward 15 feet and shut it down.” 

Kate has moved something a lot larger forward during her years with InDro: The company itself. Whether it’s with FLYY, her constant input on regulatory issues and complex missions or her business acumen, she has elevated the company – and the industry. In 2023, her contributions were acknowledged with the Aerial Evolution Association of Canada’s Ellevatus award “for her outstanding dedication in uplifting, empowering, and inspiring women in the Canadian RPAS sector.” It was absolutely well-deserved.

“Kate is exceptional in so many ways – as an aviator, a mentor, and a visionary thinker who truly gets the big picture of industry, regulations, and the coming world of Advanced Air Mobility,” says InDro Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “She’s a keeper, and InDro is far better for her contributions.”

If you’d like to send Kate a book recommendation, or – better yet – inquire about group discounts on FLYY, you can reach her here.

Wisk promises autonomous Advanced Air Mobility

Wisk promises autonomous Advanced Air Mobility

Feb 4, 2025 | Advanced Air Mobility, Autonomy, CAAM, eVTOL, Industry News, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

If you’ve been following our posts, you’ll know that InDro Robotics was part of a Canadian trade delegation that visited California last week. Some 40 organisations took part – including private companies, airports, academics, Transport Canada, NAV Canada and the National Research Council Canada. The trip was organised by Canadian Advanced Air Mobility (CAAM), the organization that speaks with a unified voice on behalf of industry and others with a vested stake in the coming world of AAM.

California was chosen because it’s home to three of the leading companies in the Advanced Air Mobility space: Joby, Archer and Wisk. It’s also home to the NASA Ames Research Center – which is working closely with industry on multiple technical issues as the world of AAM approaches. Last week, we shared highlights of our visits at Joby and Archer with this post (which we’d encourage you to read for context).

Today’s post? It’s all about Wisk, the final air taxi company the delegation visited. And its vision?

“Creating a future for air travel that elevates people, communities, and aviation.”

Unlike Joby and Archer – which plan to launch with piloted aircraft – Wisk differentiates itself with its “autonomous-first strategy.” That means, once it has attained all the necessary FAA certifications, the first passengers will climb on board an aircraft that flies itself. An autonomous aircraft carrying human beings? That’s a really big deal.

“When we’re successful at certifying this aircraft, that has the potential to change so much more beyond Wisk,” explained Becky Tanner, the company’s Chief Marketing Officer. In fact, she believes it will have an impact on the broader aviation industry, encouraging it to “take a step forward.”

Wisk is currently flying its sixth-generation full-sized aircraft. Its first generation was autonomous, but the following two were piloted.

“We made the conscious choice from Generation 3 to Gen 4 to stick with autonomous aircraft,” says Chief Technical Officer Jim Tighe. He points to the Generation 6 (which they call “Gen6”) on the floor.

“There will never be a pilot in that aircraft,” he says.

Below: Wisk’s Gen6 – the latest iteration of its autonomous air taxi designed to carry four passengers

 

 

Wisk Gen6 Autonomous Air Taxi

THE DESIGN

 

Like Joby and Archer, Wisk’s basic design is a fixed-wing eVTOL that uses tilt-rotors on booms attached below the wing. Two motors are on each of those six booms. The forward motors have tiltable five-blade rotors that allow them to transition for more efficient forward flight. These motors are in use throughout the flight – takeoff, landing, hover, forward flight – and any other manoeuvres. The rear motors are used for the VTOL portions of flight but are turned off once Gen6 has transitioned to forward flight.

Gen6, as you perhaps guessed, is the sixth full-size aircraft that Wisk has designed and built. And, like Generations 1, 4 and 5 it’s fully autonomous. That feature eliminates the possibility of pilot error.

“It’s obviously a differentiator,” says Tighe. “But we really believe that autonomy will enable safety. These are challenging operations. Short distance flights, you’re doing a lot of takeoffs and landings and you’re doing it in congested airspace.”

Building a completely autonomous aircraft is difficult. But it’s especially challenging – and rewarding – when you have to invent required components.

“When we first started, most of these systems did not exist – so we had to build them ourselves,” CTO Tighe told the Canadian delegation. That included motors, highly optimised batteries, flight control systems and much more. The company now holds 300+ patents globally and has carried out more than 1750 test flights with full-scale aircraft.

“It’s really important to design systems that meet our challenges for design, safety, weight and performance requirements,” he said, adding “It’s a lot easier if you can work on it yourself.”

Tighe, who dresses and speaks casually, comes with an impeccable background. After his first few years working with Boeing as an Aerodynamics Engineer, he worked as Chief Aerodynamicist for 14 years at Scaled Composites. That was the Burt Rutan company known for an incredible number of innovative aircraft and world aerospace records.

But Scaled’s jewel in the crown came right in the midst of Tighe’s tenure. The company designed and built SpaceShipOne and mothership White Knight. SpaceShipOne was a crewed, reusable suborbital rocket-powered aircraft that was carried to 50,000′ AGL while affixed beneath White Knight. When it was released, SpaceShipOne ignited its rocket engine, which took the small aircraft to the edge of space (100km). By accomplishing this feat twice within two weeks, Scaled Composites won the $10M Ansari X Prize. The technology, which includes a feathered system where the wing of the spacecraft rotates for optimal atmospheric entry, is core to the Virgin Galactic space tourism program. Tighe left Scaled Composites in 2014, moving directly to Wisk – a job he describes as “really fun if you’re an engineer.”

Below: The Gen6, which is capable of carrying four passengers of all shapes and sizes, including passengers with mobility issues

 

 

Wisk Gen6

AUTONOMY

 

Autonomy isn’t just about the technology (though we’ll get to that). It’s also part of a strategic business model in a market sector that will undoubtedly be competitive. Both Joby and Archer will initially have piloted models, meaning one of the four seats will be taken by the pilot. That not only costs more (to pay for the pilot), but also means losing revenue for one passenger on every single flight.

But will passengers embrace flying without a human at the controls? Wisk believes so, and says it puts great emphasis on safety. And here, it has some help: Wisk became a fully-owned subsidiary of Boeing in 2023 (though it operates separately). Some 150 Boeing employees are directly involved with the Wisk operation. That relationship, says the Wisk website, “allows us to tap into Boeing’s development, testing and certification expertise, and more.”

And on the autonomy front? In addition to its own inventions, Gen6 relies heavily on tried and true systems like autopilot. It’s self-flying approach includes, according to its website:

  • “Leveraging the same proven technology that accounts for more than 93% of automated pilot functions on today’s commercial flights (autopilots, precision navigation, flight management systems, etc.)
  • “New, innovative technology such as improved detect and avoid capabilities, sensors, and more
  • “Wisk’s logic-driven, procedural-based, decision-making software which provides reliable, deterministic outcomes.”

What’s more, Wisk already has a highly integrated system that allows human flight supervisors to track missions from the ground and monitor aircraft systems. Those flight supervisors will have the ability to intervene remotely, should that ever be required. It’s anticipated that, initially, one supervisor will be responsible for monitoring three missions simultaneously. Wisk offered a simulated demonstration of this system – which already looks pretty mature.

The location the delegation visited was in Mountain View, CA. This Bay Area campus is responsible for engineering, composite assembly, airframe assembly, motors, its battery lab, autonomy lab and is home to the corporate team. In addition, Wisk has additional locations in the US, Canada (Montréal), Poland, Australia and New Zealand. Its flight tests and R&D are carried out in Hollister, CA. The company currently has about 800 employees (including 50 in Montréal).

 

SUSTAINABLE AND ACCESSIBLE

page1image1075603648 page1image1075604000

One of the many impressive things about Wisk was its emphasis on design. Engineers have worked hard to reduce the number of moving parts in the aircraft – points of failure – to the point where there no single mechanical or software problem could take the aircraft out of the sky. But equally impressive was its commitment to design.

Beyond ensuring everything is comfortable, ergonomic and safe for passengers – a great deal of work has gone into ensuring any Wisk aircraft will be accessible for people of all shapes and sizes and even with disabilities. Wisk has an ongoing program where civilians with physical or sensory limitations are brought into the lab to try out the latest iteration of the cabin and offer feedback for improvement. For example, there’s Braille in the cabin and on the flight safety cards. And, when it was discovered that a guide dog was fearful of the metal steps for climbing up and into the cabin – they redesigned them to be easier on the paws. The guide dog happily climbed aboard the redesigned steps on a subsequent visit.

In conjunction with making the service affordable, this philosophy is something Wisk emphasised during the visit.

“The big vision of this is to have this accessible for everyone,” said CMO Becky Tanner. “Making sure this feels comfortable and enjoyable and safe for all kinds of people – people with disabilities, people with different heights, shapes and sizes.”

Below: InDro’s Scott Simmie (front right) inside Gen6. InDro’s Dr. Eric Saczuk, who was attending on behalf of BCIT’s RPAS Hub (which he directs) is in the seat behind him. Dr. Saczuk is also InDro’s Chief of Flight Operations

 

Scott and Eric on Wisk Gen6

INDRO’S TAKE

 

Before we get into our view of this world, it’s also worth mentioning that the delegation had the privilege of touring the NASA Ames Research Center. We saw, among other things, a high-end simulator purpose-built for testing eVTOL flight in congested urban airspace – as well as top-level research into developing predictive models for turbulence at the coming vertiports – where these vehicles will takeoff and land.

“The worlds of Advanced Air Mobility and Urban Air Mobility are definitely coming. This is truly going to be an inflection point in aviation, and we foresee many positive use-case scenarios beyond air taxis that these technologies will enable,” says InDro Robotics Founder and CEO Philip Reece.

“It was highly instructive to get a front-row seat with these industry leaders, and we thank CAAM for its foresight in planning and executing this important trip. InDro will have some announcements of its own for the AAM space – both for service provision and more – down the road.”

We look forward to these companies gaining their final FAA Certifications – and seeing these aircraft carry passengers and eventually cargo.