InDro Robotics positions itself for the next phase of growth trajectory

InDro Robotics positions itself for the next phase of growth trajectory

Dec 4, 2024 | InDro Forge, InDro News, Industry News, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

We’ve just hired more bright people at InDro Robotics: Four engineers in total, with another one coming soon.

That’s a significant investment in our staff, and in our company. And while we’ll introduce a few of them here, this post isn’t really a “get to know you” story. It’s a broader narrative about growth, strategy and trajectory.

If you follow InDro Robotics (and presumably that’s why you’re here), you’ll know we’ve grown from a startup to a what’s known as an SME – a Small to Medium Enterprise. You’ll also know that our motto is: Invent, Enhance, Deploy.

That is, and will continue to be, our ethos. We invent our own products and market them – and build custom robots and drones for clients (including for some of the biggest technology companies on the planet). We also do highly specialised service provision and run the Drone and Advanced Robotics Testing and Training Zone (DARTT) at Area X.O, where clients can test robots on a course that meets the demanding criteria set out by NIST, the US-based National Institute of Standards and Technology. The drone section features a large netted enclosure, allowing operators to carry out training or even test drones with new technologies without the need for a Special Flight Operations Certificate from Transport Canada. It’s a very cool facility.

At our Area X.O engineering headquarters, we’ve grown from three engineers a little over three years ago to a staff of 20 (in addition to other operations elsewhere in Canada). Because so many components come into our shop – and so many robots go out – we have a full-time Supply Chain Manager and Logistics Coordinator. We have a Head of R&D Sales. And, of course, we have InDro Forge – a full-service rapid prototyping and limited production run facility that has every high-end fabrication tool you could think of (including a 3D printer capable of printing at volumes of up to one cubic metre).

It has been a steady and calculated growth trajectory so far, says Engineering Manager Aaron Griffiths:

“It’s been very strategical,” he explains. “We’ve been looking for robustness and longevity rather than speed.”

And – up until now – that growth has been reflective of our core tasks: Building custom products for clients and inventing our own products.

We’ve done that very well – and will continue to do so. But the long-term InDro roadmap has always included more. And we have now reached that stage.

Below: Team InDro at the opening of DAART in June of 2023

Area XO DARTT

INVENT, ENHANCE, MANUFACTURE

 

InDro has created some landmark products in recent years – with more to come. We can’t discuss all of them due to NDAs. But some public highlights that immediately come to mind include InDro Commander, InDro Pilot, InDro Controller, our Sentinel remote inspection robot, and much more.

Most of what was just mentioned are InDro innovations – meaning we have invented or developed these products with clients in mind, but not specifically as one-off projects. In other words, they have been built with an eye to actually producing and selling these products at scale.

Don’t get us wrong, we have certainly sold each of these products. But we’ve now reached a stage where demand – as planned – dictates that we expand in order to be able to run as a manufacturing facility while still retaining our ability to build custom robots and drones.

“If you want to turn out 10-20 robots over a few months, that requires a whole production team,” explains Griffiths. “That would be an additional five to 10 people just to do that kind of work.”

And not just a production team. As we continue to deploy more robots in the field, InDro now sees the need to start expanding our team to include Field Engineers.

“So you need a production team to make the things – and then a field engineering team to maintain and run them on client sites,” he adds.

 

FIELD ENGINEER

 

Our first Field Engineer hire is a familiar face to InDro. Liam Dwyer, who graduated from Queen’s University Canada in June of this year with a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, previously carried out a 16-month co-op placement with InDro at Area X.O. But he’s heading into a very different role, suited to InDro’s growth.

“I’m going to be an on-site support and integration person to either get the client set up with the robot, supported with the robot, or to repair robots that may have been either damaged or just need maintenance,” he says.

He also recognizes the significance of his role in the bigger picture.

“I think the fact this title now exists at InDro really shows a lot of growth as a company. The fact there is now a full-time role to move and support these robots really means that the reach of InDro has gone pretty far – the name has gotten out.”

It’s also – both for Dwyer and InDro – a perfect fit.

“I’m a big fan of travel and I like field work, so I’m very excited for it,” he says. “It really puts a lot of emphasis on your individual ability to solve the problem and produce a solution. I was able to do some field work during my placement here, and I really like this kind of challenge.”

There are already plans for a second Field Engineer hire. And that’s on top of three other recent hires at InDro, including the highly experienced Steve Weaver in the senior position of Embedded System Engineer. He’s been in this space for some 25 years.

“Steve has been hired as a senior engineer for his wisdom,” says Griffiths. “He knows what to do and – just as important – knows what not to do.”

He’s joined by Nathan Sun, who has less long-term experience but has been working with all of the latest and greatest tools in AI and brings a fresh approach to things. Sun is also an Embedded Systems engineer, and should make the perfect work partner for Weaver.

“Nathan is the other side of the coin to Steve,” says Griffiths. “Together they’ll make a great team because they complement each other very well.”

That’s not all. Just prior to these three new hires, InDro also brought Sebastian Mocny on board in the role of Robotics Software Engineer. He’s currently busy taking Cypher Robotics‘ Captis cycle-counting AMR to the next level. InDro has an incubation agreement with Cypher Robotics, which also taps into the expertise and gear at InDro Forge. So that’s four engineers in short order, with more to come.

Below: New hire Liam Dwyer (R) during his co-op at Area X.O, with Tirth Gajera

Liam Dwyer and Tirth Gajera

BUILDING A TEAM

 

It’s been quite a voyage at Area X.O, with a lot of growth over the past few years. All of the hires go through Founder and CEO Philip Reece, as well as Vice President Peter King. But it’s generally Arron Griffiths who has to ultimately determine if prospective employees will be a fit for the Area X.O team culture InDro has worked so hard to foster (and where Griffiths works daily).

With a very low attrition rate and high job satisfaction, InDro is clearly selecting the right people – and building the right environment.

“It’s really all about personality,” say Griffiths. “It boils down to people’s mental state, their values. I would argue that if they’re driven, if they’re kind, if they’re a proactive learner, if they have empathy…the qualities you look for in a nice person are typically what you’ll find in a good and productive employee.”

One of the big projects for next year will be the push to manufacture the recently-announced InDro Cortex. It’s a small but exceedingly powerful brain box for computer customisation that allows for rapid sensor integration and contains power management for multiple sensors along with ROS2 files. The Plug & Play (or Plug & Work) device follows on the incredible success of InDro Commander – and there’s already impressive demand. It also enables teleoperation and is the perfect match with InDro Controller – our intuitive dashboard for even highly complex autonomous missions.

And while we’re proud of the engineering work that has gone into Cortex, Griffiths says products like this “stand on the shoulder of giants” in the engineering world. And here, he’s referring to the tremendous advances in AI compute and other technologies that allow Area X.O engineers to truly work with the most advanced tools available.

“We have good and talented engineers,” explains Griffiths. “but we are definitely aware that other engineers out there have helped enable us to be on the leading edge of things. We’re hitting that very sweet spot in terms of technology maturity that’s enabling us to do this right.”

Below: InDro Cortex

 

InDro Control Module ICM Cortex

INDRO’S TAKE

 

We’re obviously pleased to announce these four new hires – and to welcome these talented individuals to our team. We are equally proud to have reached a stage where we’re in the position and have the name recognition to forge ahead into manufacturing at greater scale. It’s a testament to the dedication of all of our employees – including administration, sales, logistics, marketing and management. (Oh yes, and content, too.)

“As we prepare to push into manufacturing and dedicated employees for onsite customer field support, I’m grateful to everyone for their hard work – and to our clients as well,” says InDro Robotics Founder and CEO Philip Reece.

“And to those clients who have relied on us in the past for custom solutions? Don’t worry. We’ll still be doing that with the same care and attention to detail. This simply marks a new expansion into manufacturing for InDro, which will continue to put significant resources into custom builds and R&D. Onward.”

Interested in exploring a solution from InDro? You can contact Head of R&D Sales Luke Corbeth right here. He’s incredibly knowledgeable and loves nothing more than helping clients find the perfect solution.

YouTube’s Hacksmith Industries creates “cyborg” with Indro Robotics arms

YouTube’s Hacksmith Industries creates “cyborg” with Indro Robotics arms

Nov 29, 2024 | Dave's Armoury, Hacksmith Industries, InDro News, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

You’ll have fun with this story – we promise.

That’s because it involves engineering, entertainment – and a use-case you’ll have to see to believe. Specifically, it involves integrating a set of robotic arms onto a human being. A cyborg, if you will.

This is not the kind of work we do at Indro Robotics (though in the distant future, who knows?). But it is precisely the kind of work the engineers at Hacksmith Industries carry out all the time.

If you’re into engineering, wild builds and superheroes, odds are you’re familiar with their outrageously successful YouTube channel. Perhaps you’re even one of its 15.1 million – and counting – subscribers. As its website explains, “We make it real. We take ideas from the worlds of movies, TV, games, and comics to make real working prototypes! We make the impossible into reality every day.”

And they do.

Think of things like Thor’s hammer, from the Marvel Entertainment franchise. Or maybe Captain America’s shield. These are objects that the geniuses at Hacksmith create using solid engineering – combined with wry humour. The entire projects, from beginning to end, are documented on video and posted to YouTube, where they are tremendously popular. So popular, in fact, that Hacksmith Industries has grown from a small garage-based outfit to a full-fledged enterprise – with its own expansive facility and studio and now 20 employees. Not bad for content creators.

And to help with that content (not that Hacksmith needs the push), here’s an example of what they do: In this case, summoning Thor’s hammer. (And if you like this one, and we’re sure you will, there’s an entire series of other Thor’s hammers to keep you entertained).

THE BACKSTORY

 

Every Marvel or DC superhero has an origin story. And so too does Hacksmith industries.

It began with two guys – James Hobson and Ian Hillier. They were both builders/makers when they were younger. And in high school, the pair mused about someday working together. That would have to wait, however. Both attended Conestoga College in Ontario’s Kitchener, where they each graduated with a B. Eng. in Mechanical Systems Engineering in 2012.

And after that? Well, explains Hillier, they both took “standard nine-to-five engineering jobs.”

But while they were doing that, the pair worked together on their own projects for fun. And Hobson started making videos for YouTube. He grew that channel to about 60,000 subscribers and was clearly enjoying what he was doing. So he decided to quit work and produce videos full-time.

“And shortly after, I got jealous and quit my job and then joined him,” says Hillier.

With 60,000 subscribers, this wasn’t sustainable in terms of income – at least not without a huge leap in viewership. But they both had their eyes on that eventual prize and continued to push. They also found that doing builds related to superhero powers and other popular action/sci-fi zeitgeist seemed to really bring in views. The turning point, when they realised this could actually be a thing, was when two videos related to Captain America’s shield went viral.

And the rest, with a lot of hard work, is history.

“As we started posting more and more content…somehow that turned into what it is today,” says Hillier. “When I quit my job back in early 2016, I was just kind of thinking: Hey – I want to do this full-time. I wasn’t thinking: ‘Oh, let’s run one of the largest YouTube channels in Canada and let’s have a giant team, a giant facility.’ We do some incredible things here.”

That’s very true. Here’s one of those first viral videos – which Hillier says was one of two shield vids that opened the door to what Hacksmith Industries has become. You’ll note that in addition to the entertaining nature of the video, there’s also some good technical explanation, including how increasing the voltage ramped up the power of the electromagnet significantly. The tech explanations are part of each and every video, and clearly appeal to the inner geek in all of us.

THE INDRO CONNECTION

 

Many of us at InDro were already familiar with the channel, and Head of Engineering Arron Griffiths is a big fan. But a few members of the Hacksmith team were also somewhat familiar with InDro. In fact, Hacksmith Industries purchased some Unitree quadrupeds from InDro. Plus, InDro had done work with engineer Dave Niewinski, who also works frequently with the Hacksmith team.

But things really got rolling when InDro Vice President Peter King had a tour of the Hacksmith headquarters in Cambridge Ontario. What he saw led to a discussion about possible collaboration. And – fitting with the cool and unusual genre that appeals to Hacksmith team – it was eventually agreed that InDro would supply a pair of robotic arms, which Hacksmith would then attempt to integrate onto a human being.

The concept was somewhat reminiscent of Otto Octavius, also known as Dr. Octopus, from the Spider-Man franchise, along with other multi-armed characters. So that was also a fit. The arms have six degrees of freedom (DOF), which is considered full articulation. That includes three rotational movements (rotating the arm itself, twisting and tilting) and all three linear movements (up/down, left/right, forward/back).

But how do you get robotic arms from the box to functioning on a person? The answer, it turns out, is hard work – including coding, creating a mountable external power supply that looks cool, and a lot of trial and error.

Overseeing the task fell to Charles Holtforster, the team’s Mechatronics Engineering Designer. A graduate of the University of Waterloo in Kitchener, Holtforster did two Co-op placements with Hacksmith while studying engineering and received an offer to be hired upon graduation. He’s been with the outfit since 2020.

“It’s certainly the best job I ever imagined – and it’s not something I ever really dreamed I’d be able to do for a full-time position or a career,” he says. “But, four years later, here we are.”

One of the first things Charles did when this project landed in his lap was to contact Dave Niewinski. Dave is also an engineer who has worked frequently with Hacksmith Industries, and is something of a specialist in robotic arms. He’s also the brains and the face behind Dave’s Armoury, a growing YouTube channel that highlights Niewinski’s own creations.

Dave did the coding to enable control of the arms via an Oculus Quest virtual reality headset and controllers. That meant a second person (Charles) would be responsible for holding those controllers and moving the arms where they needed to go (which resulted in some comedy gold). You’ll see that in a moment. You’ll also see that you can’t simply throw a set of arms on a person; a lot of work went into the right form factor for integration, as well as a power supply that would not only do the job but look Hacksmith-y slick.

 

R&D

 

The Hacksmith videos are all really fun. And while we have fun at our Area X.O headquarters, we’re generally working on either R&D for our own products or creating custom robotic solutions for clients. Hacksmith carries out a very different kind of R&D on its own projects, but totally gets the value of more conventional research and development.

“R&D is definitely essential and very, very important,” says Hacksmith Co-Founder Ian Hillier. “Without R&D, there’s no progress.”

Figuring out how to mount a pair of robotic arms on a human is definitely a form of R&D. But is there potentially a use-case? We put that question to Hillier.

“I think humanoid robots are are coming – so on the humanoid robot front I’d say yes,” he says. In fact, Hacksmith plans to do exactly that on a forthcoming video, integrating InDro’s arms with the bipedal Unitree robot you’ll see at the close of the video.

But what about a person?

“As for augmenting humans, I think that’s possible, but in very specific circumstances,” he says. “As an example, someone who has a limb difference. Having prosthetic hands is a perfect example. Or having an exoskeleton that could help with mobility or lifting heavy things.”

Did he say prosthetics? Limb differences? We’re glad he did. Because it reminded us of our personal favourite Hacksmith video. In this one, the team built a flashy prosthetic hand for a young UK YouTuber who was born without a fully-formed left hand. But it wasn’t just flashy; it was a state-of-the-art and fully functional prosthetic. And the team not only adapted it in the style of that YouTuber’s favourite game – they gave it to the young man.

It’s truly a moving video, and one that tells us something else about the Hacksmith team. We’ll drop that video here – right after the one showcasing the robotic arms supplied by InDro.

 

INDRO’S TAKE

 

While we’re not sure when – if ever – there will be human cyborgs with robotic arms, we enjoyed this collaboration with Hacksmith Industries.

“The entire InDro Robotics team really enjoyed the video – and seeing R&D from a very different perspective,” says InDro Robotics Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “Hacksmith Industries clearly has some top-level engineering talent. I’d say they’re the kind of people InDro likes to hire – which is true – but we’d have to significantly up our video game, and start leaning more toward superheroes. That’s not likely to happen, but this was a truly entertaining collaboration for us.”

One more thing. We forgot to mention that Hacksmith Industries has developed a very cool line of tech-related toys and tools. You can check out their line here.

And if you happen to be in the market for robotic arms – or anything else robot-related – we have an online store coming early next year. You don’t have to wait for that, however. You can check out our full line of accessories right here. (PS: The NVIDIA Jetson Orin AGX Developer Kit makes for a great stocking stuffer.)

Teara Fraser looks to give others “wings” and advance reconciliation

Teara Fraser looks to give others “wings” and advance reconciliation

Nov 21, 2024 | Aerial Evolution Association of Canada, Indigenous Peoples/First Nations, Industry News, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

Aviation entrepreneur and Métis champion Teara Fraser has a lot say.

And, during the recent Aerial Evolution Association of Canada’s annual conference and exhibition in Ottawa, she took the opportunity to touch on a broad variety of topics – ranging from the impact of Residential Schools through to sustainable aviation, RPAS and Advanced Air Mobility.

She didn’t pull any punches. The land where the conference took place, she pointed out, is on unceded Anishinabe Algonquin territory.

“These are stolen lands” she emphasized bluntly.

To further stress the point, she encouraged attendees to check out the Native Land Digital website. It outlines, on a global scale, why the term First Nations exists: Indigenous peoples were, obviously, the original inhabitants far longer than the settlers who now occupy those lands.

It’s one thing to say it, but another to look at the website’s global map. It’s an eye-opener, and you can enter your own address to see who was here first:

Native Land Digital First Nations Indigenous

FRASER’S BACKSTORY

 

Fraser has had quite the journey.

Her Grandfather was born in remote Fort Chipewyan, a hamlet in northern Alberta colloquially known as Fort Chip. On the western tip of Lake Athabasca, it’s right next door to Wood Buffalo National Park – the second-largest national park in the world (44,741 square kilometres, or larger than Switzerland). That park is also home to half of the globe’s endangered wood bison population. It was established as a trading post back in 1788 and was named for the Chipewyan people who lived in the area.

Her Grandfather was raised in the Métis way, but – like so many Indigenous people – was taken from his home in the failed assimilation attempt of the Residential School system. Fraser did not elaborate on the impact, but few emerged from that horrific system without deep scars. She did, however, say that she grew up in “intergenerational poverty.”

By the time she was 30, she was a single mother of two who hadn’t finished high school. She was still struggling to make ends meet. But she had aspirations. And one day she sat down in a Chapters – in the self-help section – and wrote down a bucket list. It was kind of a dream, really, but she knew that one day she wanted to go to Africa, to see giraffes and zebras in the wild.

It felt so out of reach that she said “it seemed completely impossible…for someone like me.”

But – against all odds – she did go back in 2001. And, fortuitously, she took an aerial tour. From the moment she stepped inside that plane, her first experience in a small aircraft, It was breathtaking…and life-changing.

“To witness the land in that way changed everything for me. When I went on this flight, I was like: ‘I’m going to be a pilot. I will never forget that moment. I didn’t care what it would take to become a pilot – that’s what I was going to do.'”

But there was still that voice in her head, the one that told her such dreams were impossible. She recalls some negative self-talk: “‘C’mon, sweetie. Honey, you have no access to money, you have no education. It’s just not possible.'”

But she wasn’t going to let that stop her.

“Two weeks later, I went skydiving.”

If you’re starting to get a sense that you should never underestimate Fraser when she has a vision in her head, you’re on the right track.

“Less than one year later, I had my commercial pilot’s license and my journey in aviation was about to begin,” she recalled.

 

“GAVE ME WINGS”

 

Her aviation career included piloting the Dash 8 (Q400), a turboprop capable of flying at near jet-like speeds. She worked overseas in Nigeria, then eventually started a company in 2010 called Kîsik Aerial Survey (with her partner at the time) – which did large-format, precision captures. That company would last more than six years (she sold it in 2016), and was the beginning of Fraser’s driven work as an entrepreneur. She served as Director of the British Columbia Aviation Council from 2011 to 2013 (and again from 2018 to 2020).

While aviation has been central to her life since obtaining her license, that passion is shared equally with making a difference in the Indigenous community, and also helping others outside of that circle connect, engage with, and learn about First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples. To that end, she established the Indigenous Lift Collective in early 2018. The non-profit corporation’s stated mission is “collectively LIFTing, amplifying, celebrating, and connecting Indigenous peoples for a sustainable, thriving, and better world.​ Indigenous LIFT Collective is a collective that acts as a home to wide-ranging initiatives who ALL LIFT the voices, stories, businesses, communities and nations of Indigenous peoples.”

Just a month after launching that initiative, she founded Iskwew Air (pronounced ISS-KWAY-YO) – a Cree word for ‘woman.’ As its website explains, “The name was chosen to celebrate the first Indigenous woman-owned airline, all women, and all those lifting women. It was chosen as an act of reclamation of womanhood, matriarchal leadership, and language.”

Fraser received her operating certificate for that airline October 19, 2019. And, of course, it wasn’t long before COVID-19 upended the entire world.

“An airline startup is even harder in a global pandemic,” she said dryly. Soon, Iskwew air was delivering PPE and other critical supplies into Indigenous communities.

Iskwew Air now carries out six flights daily between the town of Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island and Vancouver, with four flights daily on weekends. In June of 2024, Raven Indigenous Capital Partners announced a $1,750,000 investment in Iskwew Air.​​ In addition to that equity investment, Iskwew announced the addition of the third Piper Navajo in its fleet, named “Baby Bison.”

But Iskwew air doesn’t simply transport passengers and goods. It also helps Fraser in her vision of encouraging young Indigenous people who have an interest in aviation, via her Indigenous Lift Collective. You’ll see Teara Fraser in this video:

WAIT, THERE’S MORE

 

Fraser has already accomplished more than many will in their lifetime. But she’s not finished yet.

She is also the CEO of elibirdaero, which offers flight training and everything from ground school courses through to Private Pilot License, Commercial Pilot License, Night and Instrument Rating – even aircraft maintenance (elibird is a BC training centre for the Foundational Training Program (FTP) Aircraft Service Technician (FAST) with the approval of the Canadian Council for Aviation and Aerospace.

And yes, there’s even more. elibird aero has put down a deposit on two electric training aircraft, part of its commitment to sustainability and respecting the planet. Fraser is emphatic on the company’s desire for minimal impact on the natural world, and sees that as a driving force for plans to expand fully into the coming world of sustainable Advanced Air Mobility. elibird aero’s long-term roadmap includes just about everything related to the world of AAM, including RPAS, aerodromes, aero technology and more.

While on that path, she’s mindful of her commitment to First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, and wants to see these technologies benefit them. In fact, she gave the conference a brief outline of the “Highway of Tears” – a 719-kilometre road between Prince George and Prince Rupert in BC that passes through 23 First Nations communities. More than 40 people, mostly Indigenous and mostly women and girls, have been murdered or gone missing along that route since its completion in 1970. How, she wondered, might RPAS technology be implemented to potentially keep this road safer?

 

RECOGNITION

 

Fraser has received multiple honours for her work. But there’s one she’s particularly proud of. DC Comics produced a graphic novel featuring Wonder Woman on its cover. It’s called: Wonderful Women of the World.

“Wonder Woman has been an inspiration for decades, and while not everyone would choose her star-spangled outfit for themselves, her compassion and fairness are worthy of emulation,” says the DC website. “We’ll be presenting tales of the real-world heroes who take up Diana’s mantle and work in the fields of science, social justice activism, diplomacy and more!”

The book is divided into five sections: Strength, Compassion, Justice, Truth and Equality. It includes profiles of former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, environmental activist Greta Thunberg, space shuttle astronaut Ellen Ochoa and even Beyoncé. And at the top of the list in the DC synopsis? Teara Fraser.

“It was an incredible honour to be included in this anthology,” Fraser told the audience.

Below: The cover of the DC Comics graphic novel

Teara Fraser DC Comics

NEXT STEPS

 

Teara Fraser, obviously, has many plans for her companies and advocacy. But, she emphasized, those in attendance at the conference can make their own contributions on the path toward reconciliation and inclusion.

First off, she encouraged people to learn. Whether it’s checking out the Native Lands Digital website mentioned above or reading the summary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report, she suggested that the first steps include gaining some knowledge –and then putting that knowledge into action.

“Who are the Indigenous businesses in this space, and how are you supporting them?” she asked.

“The country is built on the genocide of Indigenous peoples… Co-creating the conditions for Indigenous business to thrive is the single most natural, swift, and effective pathway to economic reconciliation in our country. Indigenous people bring so much wisdom; we have so much to learn from Indigenous people.”

Over the years, there have been many outstanding speakers at the annual conferences of the Aerial Evolution Association of Canada. Never has one held such undivided attention of the audience. You could literally hear a pin drop through the presentation, which was greeted with the most extended standing ovation seen at this event.

Immediately after she finished speaking, she helped moderate an Indigenous panel. She was joined by Darcy Hunt, Founder and CEO of Aboriginal Training Services Limited and Kimberly Mike, an Advanced Pilot with Stinson Aerial Services. The trio sat on stage, with a fourth empty chair. Audience members were invited into that circle to discuss any topic – whether related to RPAS, Canada and Indigenous Peoples…anything.

It was powerfully symbolic of reconciliation, the path forward – and the work that still remains to be done.

Teara Fraser AEAC

INDRO’S TAKE

 

We were pleased to see Teara Fraser make such an impactful presentation at the AEAC Conference and Exhibit. As both an entrepreneur and advocate, she’s made (and continues to make) a big and positive difference in the aviation, AAM and Indigenous spaces. InDro Robotics has long tried to work closely with First Nations peoples whenever possible. We remain particularly proud of our work during the COVID-19 pandemic, when we transported test kits from Penelakut to and from the mainland with BVLOS drone flights. This enabled a healthcare worker to remain at the clinic and serve the community, rather than take the long ferry ride twice a day to hand-deliver.

“Teara Fraser is an impressive individual and I’m proud to call her a friend,” says InDro Robotics Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “Her impact on the aviation world in BC cannot be overstated, and the same goes for her advocacy and mentorship. We look forward to future opportunities to work with, collaborate with and engage with First Nations communities, and with Teara herself.”

We encourage readers to take Teara’s advice on that path to reconciliation, starting with the websites she mentioned..

InDro explores USV marine sector – and speaks with a PhD researcher on their work

InDro explores USV marine sector – and speaks with a PhD researcher on their work

Nov 13, 2024 | Engineering, Industry News, Marine USVs, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

At InDro Robotics, there’s nothing we love more than research and development.

That shouldn’t be a surprise, because that’s how the company was built. From our early work building and modifying Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for clients and service provision through to a wide variety of Uncrewed Ground Vehicles (UGVs) we have invented or customised for customers, R&D has always been the heart and soul of InDro. That’s why we have a large and continually scaling team at our Area X.O operations in Ottawa.

We’ve previously done work on the marine side of things and have built and tested Uncrewed Surface Vehicles. Our ‘Talos” USV was remotely piloted and carried a sonar that was deployed via winch. We successfully deployed that on multiple missions, mapping lakebeds and vegetation. Its capabilities were excellent, but our priorities shifted to the aerial and ground side of robotics due to client demands. But we’ve always kept a close eye on marine robotics developments, particularly when it comes to R&D.

There are some really exciting companies in this space in Canada, including Open Ocean Robotics. We are very impressed with its DataXplorer, a solar-powered and self-righting autonomous vehicle suited for long-range data acquisition in the open ocean. It’s a brilliant design, and Co-Founder and CEO Julie Angus is a very impressive individual. With an MSc in Molecular Biology, she’s both a serial entrepreneur and was the first woman to row across the Atlantic Ocean from mainland to mainland. She’s a director on NATO’s Maritime Unmanned System Initiative Innovation Advisory board and was honoured with National Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year award for her trans-Atlantic achievement. Like we said, impressive.

Another company that has caught our attention at conferences is Deep Trekker. It has a solid lineup of ROVs, and we were able to operate its smallest offering at a couple of different trade shows. Recently, it launched an Uncrewed Ground Vehicle that is also submersible. We can see a wide variety of use-cases.

Below: An Open Ocean Robotics video shows off DataXplorer, followed by the InDro Robotics Talos

InDro Robotics Talos

THE R&D FACTOR

 

Of course, companies can’t create products like these without a significant investment in research and development. This is something we truly understand.

We also know that many innovations have their genesis in a lot of hard work from graduate students and those holding PhDs, who often put in untold hours on projects that can lead to commercial breakthroughs. So we thought it would be enlightening to spend some time talking to one of those people.

We sat down for a chat recently with Thomas Sears, a PhD candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering with Queen’s University’s Offroad Robotics and Ingenuity Labs Research Institute. He holds a Master of Applied Science in Aerospace Engineering and is a Professional Engineer.

And he’s really, really interested in boats and waves. Specifically, working with USVs to learn more about predicting wave patterns and – ultimately – creating algorithms so that autonomous or pilot-assist systems can anticipate what waves might be coming and how best to orient a boat depending on what those waves are likely to do and the desired outcome.

Sears is a really good explainer. And he started the conversation by talking about humans anticipate and react to waves when they are in the water.

 

HOW PEOPLE REACT

 

“As humans when we go to the beach, we can kind of intuitively feel the waves coming and we know, OK, it’s probably four more seconds for another wave,” he says. “How do we give the boat that intuition to know: If I felt a wave here, if I move forward three meters, I’m probably going to feel in four seconds that wave is going to hit me from the side.”

That takes a lot of math, plus a bunch of sensors. But to what end? Is it simply to help ensure a boat might not capsize in rough water?

Well, explains Sears, there are a wide variety of use-case scenarios. Understanding waves, being able to predict them, could for example be of great use to Kingston colleagues who are coastal engineers and study the impact of waves on the coastal environment. A deep understanding of the math and physics involved could be highly useful in predictive models. What’s going to happen to this coastline over time? During a powerful storm?

But there are many other applications. Returning to the human example, Sears points out when a wave is approaching, a human being carries out their own calculations and braces themselves for impact.

“I’d like the boat to be able to do the same thing. If the boat can be out in the water and it can start to notice this trend, whatever the trend is, maybe I can then take an action on that trend,” he says before outlining multiple options for how a boat might respond:

“‘Aha, I’m about to get pushed by the wave.’ Maybe I’d like to surf the wave. Maybe I’d like to push against the wave. Maybe I’d like to turn so I’m safer, whatever that is. That’s sort of for the next person to work on.”

But the work being carried out by Sears will lay the foundation for that next step. He can see, even with an identical set of waves, there might be different optimal autonomous responses depending on the scenario.

“We could see this getting scaled up to crewed vessels…The boat could essentially say: ‘OK, well, we’re worried about passenger comfort.’ Or ‘We’re worried about fuel efficiency’, whatever it (the use-case) is. I’d like to just dial in that option and then the boat can start to go: ‘OK, well, given these wave conditions, here’s how we might want to act.'”

But to get there, you need research, data and predictive models.

“Without the ability to make those predictions of the waves, we have no information to act on. We would just be acting reactively. So we would just say: ‘Oh, I just got hit by a wave, do something quickly’.”

In other words, the boat has to understand what’s coming. And here, things get even more complicated. A boat doesn’t respond immediately to inputs the way an electric car does.

“When you start energizing the motors, it doesn’t move instantly. It starts churning water before something happens. Boats have a bit of a spin-up.”

So that, too, has to be factored into the equation(s) – and would have to be factored into future algorithms suited to specific boats.

“It’s the opportunity to look not just forward in time, but look around the boat for maybe a nicer spot to sit; to let me take an action before the motors are ready to go. So I can I can sort of pre-empt things, which is a sort of a superpower that I’d like to give these boats.”

Below: Thomas Sears with the USV, followed by the USV on a calm day (photos courtesy of Offroad Robotics). YouTube video shows Sears explaining his research

Kingston University Thomas Sears USV
Kingston University Thomas Sears USV

A CUSTOM USV

 

This is the perfect kind of research for an Uncrewed Surface Vehicle. But to get the right USV took a lot of work from Sears and his team.

They initially were looking for an off-the-shelf USV that would come with most of what they needed. And those needs included the Robot Operating System (ROS) software. They had plans to purchase something from a Canadian robotics company, but it had just ended production on its USV. So they were left with simply finding a base platform and doing all the modifications themselves. Researchers often prefer to put their time into algorithms and R&D rather than building and integration, but that was the option they were left with. Thankfully, with his background in Electrical Engineering this was a task Sears was capable of carrying out.

“The boat that we purchased was not designed for robotics research,” he says. “We had to take on a lot of the non-recurring engineering work of turning it into a research vessel. I’ve been involved in everything from the algorithms that are running on board to picking the computer that is running those algorithms. I happen to come from a background where that’s a comfortable thing for me.”

Doing that work, says Sears, was a “considerable time-sink” – but having a ROS-based platform was critical to the research. They not surprisingly went with ROS 2, the latest iteration of the Robot Operating System. The team actually wrote the interface software themselves, and released it on GitHub.

Then there was the sensor integration: The hardware, the wiring, the software. Plus, of course, making everything waterproof. There was a high performance Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and a 16-beam Velodyne LiDAR. It was only when the USV was dispatched that they discovered the LiDAR beams were absorbed by the water. It was, he says, a “weird” thing.

“So unlike our our ground vehicles, where we see the ground, we see the floor, the boat is just floating in nothingness. But the really cool thing is we can leverage that because now if we see something, we know it’s not water. We just see objects – so we don’t have to worry about segmenting out ground and objects.”

That has been particularly useful in research by others using the same USV that involves identifying the coastline. The USV also carries a dual-antenna RTK-enabled GPS receiver.

“That’s critical on a USV platform because you can move sideways on a boat, if the water pushes you sideways, you can move sideways,” he says. “And that fuses with the gyroscope and with the accelerometers on board to give us a really good position measurement.”

For the data to be useful. Sears has to know precisely where the USV is at any given moment – both in terms of its absolute position and its position relative to the waves. There’s also a sonar unit, which is of great use to researchers on the civil engineering side of things. There’s also a camera on board, though Sears laughs that watching its feed is “nausea-inducing.”)

With Queen’s University’s proximity to Lake Ontario, Sears and others can literally launch the USV in about 20 minutes. They also do research inside a wave tank at Queen’s.

 

THE BIGGER PICTURE

 

As mentioned, other researchers at the university also capture and analyze data from the USV. All of them have a deep appreciation for the importance of Lake Ontario – and not just as a shipping corridor.

“Lake Ontario is full of life. It’s our source of water for drinking and agriculture, so it needs to be monitored and protected,” says Sears. “Having these water drones watching the lake on our behalf is going to help us ensure that the lake stays healthy, that we stay healthy, that wildlife stays healthy.

“We‘re working toward monitoring this very large space uninhabited by humans that we take for granted in daily life.”

Below: Queen’s University researchers look at data being collected by the USV

 
Kingston University Thomas Sears USV

INDRO’S TAKE

 

Marine robotics are kind of the third leg when it comes to uncrewed vehicles. And, given our reliance on water, a very important one. Our initial vision for InDro Robotics was that we would develop products for all three realms – and we’re still quite proud of our Talos USV.

But during the company’s initial growth we made the decision to put our energy into UAV innovations such as remote teleoperations, deliveries, enhanced service provision and more. (InDro was the first company in Canada to operate UAVs over 4G and 4G, and was the first to obtain a cargo license for drones from the Canadian Transportation Agency, among other firsts). This decision was largely driven by customer demand at the time, as well as our then-startup status.

InDro has now scaled sufficiently that we are once again exploring the marine sector.

“We will have some ROS-based offerings soon that we can customize to enable R&D researchers and commercial clients to carry out complex data acquisition in a marine environment,” says InDro Robotics Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “We’re testing the waters, so to speak, but are optimistic this could be the  next sector for our engineers to tackle.”

Already, we have some platforms available that can be used for cleaning surface garbage and cutting aquatic vegetation that’s impinging on the surface. But, like all of InDro’s offerings, these can be customized with additional sensors and teleoperation capabilities based on client needs.

“We have had a mandate since Day One that we want to be experts in unmanned systems,” says Head of R&D Sales Luke Corbeth. “To date, that’s really meant just UAVs and ground robots. But ultimately, we want to be experts on land, air and water. This is our first move into water, and I’m incredibly excited.”

We all are. If you’re interested in our offerings, contact us to learn more.

Feature image at top of story shows the DataXplorer in action; photo courtesy of Open Ocean Robotics

NAV CANADA says enhanced capabilities coming to NAV Drone app

NAV CANADA says enhanced capabilities coming to NAV Drone app

Nov 11, 2024 | Aerial Evolution Association of Canada, Industry News, NAV CANADA, NAV DRONE, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

If you’re an RPAS pilot in Canada, you’re likely using NAV Drone (and if you’re not, you should be).

The mobile and web app from NAV Canada is the app to ensure your mission is approved. As the NAV CANADA website explains: “NAV Drone is the only app that lets you safely and legally request permission to fly a drone in airspace controlled by NAV CANADA. From the web or a mobile device, professional and recreational drone pilots and operators can easily see where they can and cannot fly with interactive maps and, when needed, submit requests to fly in controlled airspace.”

It’s a snap to use. The app lets you know where you can fly – and where you can’t – and could save you from both dangerous operations and potential fines. The app also notifies you if there are other drone operations underway in the vicinity of your operations, which is really useful for situational awareness.

Last week, at the Aerial Evolution Association of Canada‘s annual conference and exhibition, NAV CANADA offered an update on usage stats for the app – and revealed there are more enhancements on the horizon.

Below: Screengrabs from the NAV Drone mobile app, followed by a NAV CANADA explainer video

NAV Drone
NAV Drone

BY THE NUMBERS

 

NAV Drone has been operational now for several years. There was a lot of buzz in the industry when it was first released, but what has that translated to in terms of actual use? Here, NAV CANADA offered some numbers – which indicate the app has been widely embraced across the sector.

In 2024, NAV Drone had processed 53,000 permission requests as of early November, a growth rate of 26 per cent over the previous year. By automating this process – and avoiding manual approval (30 minutes per request at $130/hour), NAV CANADA says the app has saved more than $6.5M in Air Traffic Service (ATS) costs. What’s more, users seem to really like the app; it has excellent ratings on the App Store and Google Play.

And, of course, NAV Drone has greatly enhanced safety (and provided a huge amount of data) for NAV CANADA, the country’s privately run non-profit corporation that operates our civil air navigation system.

“Safety is the key reason it’s there. It’s all about keeping the airspace safe,” explained Alan Chapman, NAV CANADA’s director of RPAS Traffic Management.

As we head toward increased RPAS traffic, including regulations that will permit low-risk Beyond Visual Line of Sight flights in 2025, NAV CANADA has bold plans to enhance the offerings of the NAV Drone app. And that’s good news for both RPAS operators and also those operating traditional crewed aviation.

“Some big changes are coming to NAV Drone in 2025,” said Stewart Paveling, Product Family Leader, RPAS Traffic Management NAV CANADA during a panel discussion.

That includes a number of additional features to the app, including greater capabilities with RPAS Traffic Management (RTM), low-risk BVLOS and EVLOS flight approvals – Including the ability to record flights undertaken with a Special Flight Operations Certificate through the app.

These are big changes, indicative of recognition this industry will continue to grow as well as NAV CANADA’s desire to safely help the industry expand as we head, ultimately, into the era of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM).

“NAV CANADA’s strategic direction positions us to take a leadership role to effect change across the air navigation system,” read a slide during its presentation. “To unlock not just our own potential, but also the potential of the industry to be more effective, more efficient, and more environmentally sustainable going forward.”

To further emphasise that, the slide continued – including the bold in the following paragraph:

“RTM facilitates the safe integration of RPAS, in a highly automated way, enabling growth of operations and expansion of use cases to capture the potential aviation and societal benefits.”

That was followed by a high-level road map indicating priorities for the coming years.

NAV CANADA Nav Drone

NEXT STEPS

 

Following the slides, there was a panel discussion about future plans, along with other suggestions on ways to improve the existing app. In addition to Alan Chapman and Stewart Aveling, the panel included Joanne Moon (Manager of RPAS Operations, NAV CANADA), Anne Sophie Ripple-Bouvier (Flight Safety Officer, Aerial Evolution Association of Canada) and Brian Fentiman (Project Manager, InDro Robotics/CEO BlueForce UAV Consulting, Inc.).

As the slide above notes, NAV Drone will keep pace with Transport Canada regulations – including the much anticipated changes that will allow low-risk BVLOS flights in 2025. The emphasis here is on pushing the envelope with a highly automated RTM system “to support safe, efficient and scalable BVLOS operations.”

For years, the sector has been eager to enable BVLOS flight without the need for a time-consuming Special Flight Operations Certificate. This obviously opens the door to a broad range of use-case scenarios, ranging from monitoring long-range assets like railroad tracks and pipelines through to large-scale mapping and other data acquisition.

For those operations that will still require an SFOC, NAV Canada revealed that the capability will be in place to allow flights to be recorded in the app. Though that will simplify the process of recording for operators, NAV Canada will not approve SFOCs; these applications will still be reviewed by Transport Canada, which is responsible for approving SFOCs.

Later this year, Paveling added, there will be new map layers for restricted airspace. NAV Canada is also planning to improve the flight clipboard that comes with the system, redesigning it and making it easier to read. There will also be changes to the web-based support site, including a move away from PDF manuals “with better content that’s easier to consume and search.”

Outside of the app, NAV Canada said it is working to beef up its ability to detect drone incursions.

“We see reports of RPAS in control zones on approach paths,” said Joanne Moon of NAV Canada, adding that the corporation also obtains data from drone detection systems in place at airports. (InDro Robotics is the chief technology partner with the drone detection system at YOW. That data is shared with NAV CANADA and Transport Canada, among others.)

NAV Canada, she said, is looking at strengthening its capabilities and enforcement in this arena.

“(We’ve) Been working with industry partners, looking at things like drone detection, information sharing, emergency response, collaboratiion with airport authorities (as well as) our own air traffic services unit.”

 

OTHER IMPROVEMENTS

 

There was also an opportunity during the panel to discuss other improvements that could be made to the NAV Drone app. And here, InDro’s Brian Fentiman offered some suggestions.

“One of the biggest things I find, more as a trainer than an operator, is the weak spot. The weak spot seems to be emergency procedures…With a flyaway, I would much prefer that there’s a single number. I’d like to see that phone number up front so it’s easy for people to find. In controlled airspace, you do get a phone number but it’s buried in a flight report…Sometimes you’ll get that phone number and the tower is not even open during those hours.”

It’s an important point – and one NAV Canada says it’s about to address.

“We are actively working on that right now…for an upcoming change to NAV Drone,” said Moon.

The other point Fentiman raised was with regards to conspicuity – meaning the electronic visibility of a drone within a broader RTM system.

“To enable BVLOS, we need conspicuity…whether it’s from the drone to other (RPAS) traffic or to commercial aviation,” he said.

That is something, said NAV CANADA, that is precisely on its roadmap. And the best way to fully get there, it was suggested, was to ensure that everyone in the industry uses the NAV Drone app.

“The more people who use the tool, the better situational awareness we have,” said Chapman.

Below: Brian Fentiman on the NAV CANADA panel at AEAC2024. Photo by Scott Simmie, InDro Robotics

Brian Fentiman AEAC 2024 NAV CANADA

INDRO’S TAKE

 

The annual Aerial Evolution Association of Canada’s conference and exhibit is always a great event – and precisely due to learning opportunities like this one. Conversations with bodies like NAV CANADA and Transport Canada are tremendously important for the growth of the sector.

“We are fortunate in Canada to have a collaborative relationship with NAV CANADA and Transport Canada, as that’s not always the case between the industry and regulators or air traffic systems organizations,” says Philip Reece, Founder and CEO of InDro Robotics.

“We have seen a true evolution over the years in terms of this relationship – and from both sides. There’s a greater recognition now from the industry that safety has to remain paramount if the sector is going to continue its growth trajectory. And we’ve also seen a real willingness from NAV CANADA and Transport Canada to work with RPAS operators to safely continue growth. The NAV Drone app – and how widely it’s now used – is evidence of this collaboration from both sides. We look forward to enhanced capabilities on this already excellent tool.”

Want to learn more about the benefits of membership with the Aerial Evolution Association of Canada? You can find all the details here.

Feature image by Scott Simmie, InDro Robotics

Meet InDro’s Engineering Manager Arron Griffiths: Roboticist & Foodie who’s learned from failure

Meet InDro’s Engineering Manager Arron Griffiths: Roboticist & Foodie who’s learned from failure

Nov 1, 2024 | Engineering, InDro News, InDro Profile, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

Looking for some authentic British fish & chips in the Ottawa area?

Well, come next spring there’s going to be a new food truck in town. “Spuds & Stuff” will offer fish & chips, poutine – plus some surprises not yet on the menu. The truck is being outfitted right now (well, not specifically ‘right’ now) and the plan is for it to be ready to go by then. It will also offer gluten-free fish & chips.

But perhaps the biggest surprise of all? The person behind the counter will be our Engineering Manager, Arron Griffiths.

“There’s actually a British Canadian flag on my food truck to symbolise it’s a British guy in Canada with his Canadian wife making, you know, homestyle fish and chips,” he says.

It’s symbolic not only of his love of cooking and food, but also his approach to life: Pursue your dreams, whether that’s robotics, cooking and meeting people – or a balance of both.

“I’m chasing, I’m following my dream, right,” he smiles.

And so he is. Which is also, coincidentally, what brought him to InDro Robotics.

Below: Arron Griffiths, left of centre (and standing next to InDro Robotics Founder/CEO Philip Reece, who’s wearing the jacket) with members of Team InDro at Area X.O

Area XO DARTT

IN THE BLOOD

 

Born and raised in Birmingham, UK, technology is literally in Arron’s genes. Yes, he had an interest in Japanese animé as a child, which sparked his passion for robots. But he grew up in a household (and from a bloodline) of engineers, makers and builders that the family has traced back to 1740 – 20 years before the start of the Industrial Revolution.

Arron’s father was an engineer who brought the internet to major UK companies in the late 1980s and early 90s; Bill Clinton is even said to have sent him an email to mark the accomplishment. So the boy who would eventually become our Engineering Manager grew up in a house that always had the latest computers, was always plugged-in to the cutting-edge. His was the first family to have internet on its street.

But it wasn’t just his father.

“My father is an internet engineer and my grandfather was a welder by trade, and then his father was an engineer and we think his father was an engineer,” says Griffiths. “There’s a lineage on my dad’s side of engineers and skilled trades we believe going all the way back to being tinkerers or something.”

It’s not surprising that Griffiths knew from an early age that he wanted to someday work with robots. Design them, build them – and contribute toward a future where robots might one day perform mundane tasks at scale to give humans extra time to explore more fulfilling and creative tasks; to enjoy life more.

“I knew I wanted to do robots when I got older but everyone laughed at me. I was very much the weird kid in that sense.”

There would be a few bumps along the way. Though doing well in math and physics, Griffiths “meandered” a bit during one year at college in the UK, which he likens to senior high school. He did more than meander: He failed. And so he pivoted and attended a hands-on vocational school, where he learned about electronics and computers in control. He learned to code in C language and more. He was making things.

“I did well at the college because it’s very much what I was really interested in. And then at 19 I went to the University of Plymouth and started my BSc Bachelor of Science in Robotics,” he says.

He thought he had a pretty good grasp on all things technical, and – like many starting out in university – he enjoyed the party life and didn’t yet fully appreciate the commitment a demanding major requires. The result? He would once again fail – this time, during his second year.

“But it was actually a good thing that I kept failing,” he reflects. “I think, in hindsight, I probably thought I knew more than I did.”

 

SOUL SEARCHING

 

After that second failure, Arron knew he needed to be absolutely certain if he were on the correct path. So he took a trip to the US to reflect, traveling and exploring the east coast for a little over a month.

“And I was trying to find out if I really wanted to do this, if I really wanted to be a robotics engineer, if I had the skill set. Did I really want to do this?” he recalls.

Thankfully for InDro, he did. Arron returned to the UK and completed his degree in 2008 – not exactly the best year to go job-searching. With the help of his mother he stayed on at Plymouth University and completed his Masters degree. He also became deeply involved in the university’s robotic soccer team. In fact, his thesis was about building a robot goaltender.

“And my dissertation was you can never lose a football match if you never let a goal in – you can only ever draw or win. And then essentially I was like: So I’ve got to develop a goalkeeper that never lets a goal in, right?”

His work led him to be hired by the University after graduation to keep on working with the robot football team and be a teaching assistant in the lecture halls. That 1.5-year contract was extended another year, and soon Griffiths was traveling extensively.

“I went to Germany, Korea, Taiwan doing the competitions for this team. I learned a lot about bipedal robots and vision systems and autonomy and localizing. I was still learning – so it was almost like getting another degree.”

Exciting though that was, Griffiths knew he didn’t want to spend his career inside an institution. In some ways, being back in the lecture halls – even if he was the one giving the lecture – felt like still being trapped in school. He wanted more. And so he left Plymouth University and, briefly, found himself unemployed.

“If you’re listening, I fail a lot, right?” he laughs, “I fail and then I pick myself up.”

Below: Arron’s robotic goaltender and action. Like its creator, it too fails on occasion – but is a great example of his early work with machine vision and AI. (Side note: the CBC later did a feature on the University of Plymouth’s robotic football team.)

CUMBRIA TO CANADA

 

Determined to not only remain in robotics but find new challenges, he landed a job at the University of Manchester designing and building robots to be used in nuclear facilities, including submersible robots that could carry out fuel-rod inspections. The work took him to a remote location next to Scotland in Cumbria, because that’s where the nuclear facility was. It was there he was faced with the challenge of taking some strangers with high-level skillsets and building not only robots – but a team. It was called the RAIN Hub, where RAIN stands for Robotics and AI in Nuclear.

Arron’s big project there was to design and build a ground vehicle that could autonomously explore massive nuclear facilities and map any radiation contamination: A task that perfectly fits the Dirty Dull and Dangerous. Arron built the Carma for the task, using a Clearpath platform as the base. It also got him interested in the company. (Quick aside: He would also meet his future wife while working in that lonely outpost.)

He had a friend and supporter who worked at Clearpath and who put in a good word when a posting for Applications Engineer came up. Arron applied and received an offer – but there was a catch. The offer had an expiry date to accept, and Arron was still waiting for his visa to be able to work in Canada. It wasn’t clear if the visa would be in place in time to accept the offer.

It was close. With two weeks remaining, he got the paperwork – and prepared to scramble. He had about 10 days to pack up, sell whatever he could, and move to Waterloo.

Though heading to Clearpath, he was getting closer to InDro.

Below: the Carma in action.

CLEARPATH, COVID, CITIZENSHIP

 

In March of 2019, Griffiths arrived and, after finding his feet in Waterloo, started working at Clearpath. As Senior Applications Engineer, there was a lot of “client-facing” engineering.

“I would negotiate essentially what we would deliver and what they would get by when, because people have very grandiose ideas about robots about what they expect robots to be capable of doing. Sometimes I had to readjust those expectations by saying: ‘Do you have one million dollars?'” he laughs. “That’s also where I met Peter.” (He’s referring here to InDro Vice President Peter King.)

Arron’s second year at Clearpath was during COVID lockdowns, and he spent much of the year working from home. He was also reflecting on whether being a Senior Applications Engineer was the right job for him. That’s when Peter (by this point at InDro) called him up and asked Arron if he might be interested in a more senior position with a newer robotics company.

And that…is how Arron came to Area X.O.– where he’ll mark his fourth anniversary early next year, along with an impressive number of successful milestones.

Griffiths has overseen both the design and build of many projects (including a highly complex design and build for one of the world’s largest technology companies) – and scaled a very small engineering team to a large one. It’s been an utter transformation for InDro…and for Arron.

“When I first started, although I was Engineering Manager by title, I wasn’t by practice. I was very much the senior engineer doing operations and engineering. But in the last two years I very much feel like the Engineering Manager. I have a team of people that I delegate to. I do the tasking and the timing and the synching.”

He’s also shown an extraordinary talent in selecting people who gel in a collaborative team setting – and striking the perfect balance between hard work at the office and team celebrations like meals out, bowling, miniature golf. Striking that balance between being a manager and being a colleague/friend is like “walking a tightrope,” he says.

“When you’re celebrating people and the InDro accomplishments they’ve made, I’m very happy and jolly. But when you’re asking someone to get something done, you’re pretty dry and straightforward, right? That gives them an indication that this is not me as Aaron asking you, this is me as Engineering Manager saying, ‘Hey, these are the tasks we need to get done.’ So my mannerisms are different – I’m very matter-of-fact when I’m the boss and a bit more casual and emoji happy when I’m being me.”

 

OUTSIDE INDRO

 

Remember the Canadian woman he met while up doing that nuclear robotics work? Well, physicist Marisa Smith and Griffiths continued to make it work – even when she was living in the US and he was at Clearpath. Every two weeks, Arron would pack up and drive eight hours to and back from South Bend, Indiana, to see her.

They married during COVID – and would hold a more public ceremony where others could help celebrate in Jamaica in February of 2023. Both cat lovers, Arron says “Marisa is the smart one in the house.” He applied for Canadian citizenship and, earlier this year in an online ceremony, took his pledge.

“I did it because I wanted to be a Canadian – I wanted to feel like I belonged. I didn’t want to be a foreigner anymore,” he says. “I wanted to be part of the country.”

We are grateful he is. And we look forward to trying out his food truck (yes, that really is a thing) this coming spring.

If it’s as good as his robots and work ethic – and we’re confident it will be – there should be no shortage of customers.

Below: The day Arron received his Canadian citizenship in a virtual ceremony (note the elaborate pathways for cats on the walls – he and his wife are cat people). Image two: A celebratory graphic, created and posted internally. Image three: The food truck! Image four: Griffiths and his wife, physicist Marisa Smith (whom Arron refers to as “the smart one in the house”).

Arron Citizenship
Arron Citizenship
Arron food truck
Arron and Marisa Smith

INDRO’S TAKE

 

We consider ourselves incredibly fortunate to have an engineering manager both as capable and as personable as Arron. He has contributed hugely to the growth and success of our Area X.O team, overseeing complex projects on tight deadlines while always ensuring he’s celebrating the accomplishments of others. He has created a special “InDro Kudos” chat channel, where every week he praises employees who have excelled at specific tasks.

“Arron is not only an outstanding engineer and roboticist – he’s also a tremendous manager and team leader,” says InDro Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “He is constantly mentoring others, sharing any and all skills to help move the company as a whole forward. I look forward to trying his fish & chips – and wonder how long it will be before he integrates a robotic arm in his operations.”

Vice President Peter King concurs.

“It was really fortuitous for the future of InDro Robotics that Arron and I met at Clearpath,” he says. “The intelligence, energy and enthusiasm that Arron brings to the job are incredible – and he’s behind so many of the InDro successes of the past several years. He’s the perfect person in the perfect position; an exact fit.”

We hope you enjoyed learning more about Griffiths. If you enjoyed this story, you might like this profile of two Area X.O employees who began their journey in India.

And, yes, we’ll tell you when his truck is ready.

Feature image at top of story by Scott Simmie, InDro Robotics